How to Fix Your Pool Cue Shaft Dents By RockHead !

This method was taught to me by a great cue repairman.. and i just did it 5 minutes ago to a predator shaft im trying to sell...

Take a normal drinking glass with no ridges and rub on the dent back and forth really fast... it will take the dent out with some work and the shaft will still roll smoothly across a table and no dent when u stroke it. (shot glass will work too.. just plain glass)
 
Tom M said:
Time is a suitable replacement for heat. I usually just tear of a tiny piece of the napkin, wet it, role the cue so that the ding is "up", and just rest the wet paper on the ding for a few hours. If you let it sit overnight, by morning the paper AND the cue will be dry and you can then burnish or use super fine sandpaper (I use 1000).
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Great minds think alike.
MULLY
 
EastMolineChris said:
This method was taught to me by a great cue repairman.. and i just did it 5 minutes ago to a predator shaft im trying to sell...

Take a normal drinking glass with no ridges and rub on the dent back and forth really fast... it will take the dent out with some work and the shaft will still roll smoothly across a table and no dent when u stroke it. (shot glass will work too.. just plain glass)
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Sounds to me like this method, and the shot glass on page 1, is mashing the wood around it. I don't see how just rubbing something over it will make that dent rise up. Not saying it didn't work for you, just saying I don't understand how it would.
MULLY
 
Removing dings and dents from a shaft

I've used a teapot before, but I hate the whistle, so I like the idea of the pot with foil. I'd just be really careful about warping the shaft using that method.


I take a hand towel and wet it all, then wring it out so it is damp. Then I find the ding and preheat the iron. I fold the hand towel in half length-wise.

I use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (or a generic version of it) to clean the whole shaft. It gets all of the shaft clean, and makes it a but moist. It cleans the chalk out of the wood grain, making it look perfect. It also removes marks on ferrules as well.

I put the shaft in the towel, then I run the iron over the whole length of the shaft for a general refinishing job. I turn the shaft while I go back and forth, which makes sure the heat is distributed and prevents any warping. If I have any deep dings, I hold the iron in pace over it for a few extra seconds.

If a shaft is really bad, then I roll the shaft up while the cloth is steaming hot and leave it for 15-20 min.

Then when I am done, I wipe the shaft down and use 1500-2000 grit sandpaper (you can get it at Walmart in the auto body section) to burnish it.

I have bought cues just for the shaft before, in pawn shops and palce where the cues are not taken care of, and after doing this the shafts are like brand new. Short of using a lathe to take wood off I think this is a great way to deal with shaft damage. I've even had people accuse me of lying, saying I HAD to have used a lathe (I don't even own one).
 
Mullyman, the glass rubbing back and forth creates friction, which causes the wood to rise. It works decent on small dings. They even sell a rounded glass tube for this very reason, to remove dings.

I have had mixed success with it in the past. It's great if you ding it (or someone else does) in a pool hall and you still want to use it that night, but IIRC it mainly works on smaller dings where the wood fiber isn't damaged.
 
**SHANE** said:
The best way to take a dent out in your shaft is to wet a corner of a rag or a bar napkin will do. Then heat up a soldering iron , put the rag on the dent and the iron on the rag and hold till it starts to steam but be careful not to burn the rag or your shaft. Re-wet and repeat till dent comes up and then lightly use 600 sandpaper and then 1500 paper till your satisfied. Works all the time.
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That's the same method I use to raise dents in hardwood floors. It works well.
 
KweaSr said:
Mullyman, the glass rubbing back and forth creates friction, which causes the wood to rise. It works decent on small dings. They even sell a rounded glass tube for this very reason, to remove dings.

I have had mixed success with it in the past. It's great if you ding it (or someone else does) in a pool hall and you still want to use it that night, but IIRC it mainly works on smaller dings where the wood fiber isn't damaged.
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Rubbing glass causes friction and generates some heat, but it's not the small amount of heat that removes or lifts the tiny ding. This method actually compresses the wood surrounding the tiny ding and smooths the area out to the same level and will only work on small shallow dings. Steam or water and time work much better on deeper dings. Both methods risk warping the shaft. The pinpoint quick steam method is the less likely method to warp the shaft, but it could still happen.
 
Beware_of_Dawg said:
I just rub the dent/ding very hard with a shot glass, you can work it right out no problem.
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You realize of course that this method does not take out the dent. It simply smashes the wood down to the level of the dent so you can't feel it. This makes the shaft oval.

Kim
 
whammo57 said:
You realize of course that this method does not take out the dent. It simply smashes the wood down to the level of the dent so you can't feel it. This makes the shaft oval.

Kim
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Not true as I just did it not 5 mins ago and it freaking worked lol
 
mistamikel said:
Not true as I just did it not 5 mins ago and it freaking worked lol
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It works very well for me, too.

I use a special tool with a little nylon "cradle" that is curved somewhat to better match the curve of the shaft. Rub ba dub dub and presto!

I still like the easiest way, though: just run hot water and let it just touch the dent and nothing else. You get both moisture and heat.

Jeff Livingston
 
SkiCop said:
Using any grit of sandpaper finer than 600 grit on wood is an absolute waste of time. It will load up before removing enough wood to be able to tell you even touched it. Burnishing, I can see that. But smoothing, negative, at least not in a reasonable amount of time. I use 400 grit and it loads up enough that I can only get a few swipes per piece. Shafts are not that unlike the inner passages of an automotive intake manifold. On an intake, a mirror finish actually flows less air than an ever so slightly rough finish. A cue shaft is no different. If you take it down to a 1000 or 1500 grit finish, it will be too smooth and cause more drag on the fingers. You have to have a little texture to the shaft.
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In my experiences, I do not find your statements on 1000 and 1500 grit sandpapers to be true. First off, ALL grits of sandpaper are going to "load up". The rougher they are the more wood they remove, the faster they "load up". "Too smooth and cause drag on the fingers"??? I almost laughed out loud when I read this. I finish my shafts up with 1000, then 1500, then burnish them with a soft/smooth piece of leather. My shafts come out slicker-than-owl shit. No drag on the fingers, NONE at all. I do shafts for my teammates and friends and they always comment on how slick their shafts are when I'm done with them. Pulling air through an intake manifold and dragging a cue shaft through ones fingers do not make a good comparison, imo.

You do it your way, I'll do it mine, thank you!!! And BTW, 400 grit sandpaper is taking a lot of wood off your shaft that may not need to be removed. I only use 400 grit on a shaft I am turning down somewhat or maybe on one of my personal shafts that has a major dent/scratch in it.

Maniac
 
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3andstop said:
Here is what I've been doing for years with great success.

Take a small pan and put about 12 oz of water in it.

Get some aluminum foil, enough to double up and place over the pan with a little crown to it. (kind of like those "Jiffy Pop" pop corn things.

Next, get a substantial elastic band and snap it around the aluminum foil to hold it tightly on the pan.

Poke a small hole in the center of the foil with a pencil.

Place the pan on the stove, let the water come to a raging boil.

When a jet of steam come out of the hole, hold your shaft with the dent just ever so slightly below the portion of the steam that you can see.

(that's the hottest part.)

Leave it there for a minute or so, the stick will get wet with condensation, no big deal, just wipe it off after with a paper towel.

Let it sit and cool for 5 minutes, and then get some 600 or 1200 sandpaper and touch it up.

This method allows you to wet heat it very hot and only in the specific place needed to that the expansion of wood happens much more directly to the affected area.
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I bought a steam gun from Amazon. Works great and it's a lot easier. :cool:
 
whammo57 said:
You realize of course that this method does not take out the dent. It simply smashes the wood down to the level of the dent so you can't feel it. This makes the shaft oval.

Kim
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True statement. Just think about it. :smile:
 
Maniac said:
This info has been around forever. I used to take dents out of my rifle stocks like this long before I ever owned a decent pool cue. I will say this though, you had better take it DAMN SLOW and VERY LIGHTLY if you are gonna hit your favorite shaft with #220 grit sandpaper :shocked2:!!! I prefer to start out with #400 grit, and that's only if I want to remove an amount of wood.

Maniac
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I'm with you. #220 sandpaper is for industrial wood projects, not fine pool cues where a millimeters means a great deal. I have sanded cue shafts with 800 sandpaper to "keep them smooth and clean" until I realized how quickly this sanding changes the taper and the playability of the shaft....

Otherwise this was a great idea.
 
Maniac said:
And BTW, 400 grit sandpaper is taking a lot of wood off your shaft that may not need to be removed. I only use 400 grit on a shaft I am turning down somewhat or maybe on one of my personal shafts that has a major dent/scratch in it.

Maniac
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On my lathe, I will sometimes use 400 grit on shafts that have been abused or are extremely dirty but I use it very lightly and sparingly just to get the glaze off. I then use Hightower's liquid shaft cleaner to remove as much of the dirt and grime from the pores as possible. After that, I use 800 grit very lightly, then 1000 grit or higher. Then I burnish with a paper towel, apply Hightower's shaft sealer, lightly sand the surface of the sealer with 800, burnish again, and apply a light coat of wax.

I get shafts in that I have worked on for years and the back of the ferrule where it meets the shaft is still factory smooth, the taper hasn't changed, and the overall shaft diameter hasn't changed.

On Chris Hightower's recommendation, I purchased a steam gun to remove dents. I remove the glaze from the dent and hit it with the steam gun until it raises level or slightly higher. Then lightly sand and burnish.

The shafts come out beautiful and smooth. The only maintenance needed afterwards is an occasional wipe with a slightly damp towel. :cool:
 
whammo57 said:
You realize of course that this method does not take out the dent. It simply smashes the wood down to the level of the dent so you can't feel it. This makes the shaft oval.

Kim
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Yup, but I also realized... It works, perfectly. We aren't talking about taking out a dents made by a hatchet or trying to fix a shaft that some d0uchebag likes to swordfight with... Just a minor random dent/ding. Try it sometime, seriously.
 
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