Humidity, moist air and shaft
- Thread starter jed1894
- Start date
Wet makes wood swell, dry makes them shrink.
jed1894 said:
Hello Jed, what you have said above is a bad idea. Moisture and humidity both effect the normal expansion and contraction that occurs when materials are joined together and finished over. Phenolic is used in butts, collars, and other areas where different woods meet. In addition this expansion and contraction will with time loosen inlay-ed materials in the same manner.
It is best to keep your cues in an environment where the above factors, along with hot and cold stay some what constant.
Hope this helps!!!
When I moved from Mich to AZ I had to put all of my cue stuff and partially finished cues in storage for about 7-8 months until the house was finished.
Not giving it much thought when I finally got them out and started back building, some of the cues were almost .010 smaller in dia than when they went in storage.
<~~~keeping the shop at 50% rh from then on.....................
Not giving it much thought when I finally got them out and started back building, some of the cues were almost .010 smaller in dia than when they went in storage.
<~~~keeping the shop at 50% rh from then on.....................
Wood expanding didn't really hit me until I was told by Edwin that in the Pacific Islands, the threads on 3/8 tapped shafts get very very tight when American cues get there.BarenbruggeCues said:
Humidity here hovers around 20-60*. Summer dry heat are brutal so I keep the almost ready shafts and cues in a controlled room.
In Hong Kong, the RH in the range of 50% to as high as 95% all year round. 
50% RH is already dry for me. 
You can see it here: http://www.hko.gov.hk/contente.htm
Before I bringout my cues, I fireup my dehumidifier.
50% RH is already dry for me. You can see it here: http://www.hko.gov.hk/contente.htm
Before I bringout my cues, I fireup my dehumidifier.
This subject has been on my mind for a while. I'm well aware of the effects of humidity on woods, ie, expansion/contraction and the attempts to ward off it's influence on the wood by storing it in controlled environments. That's all well and good for the time that the cue is being built but what about when the cue gets out in the world? Very few places on this planet will have the same conditions as the controlled environment and the cue will now be subject to the influences of it's new home's ambient conditions. This should not be a concern for the cues that are sold locally as the ambient conditions are the same, obviously. It's when the cue winds up in an area where the conditions are significantly different from where it was built that has sparked my wonderings.
Joey made reference to cues that are sent to the Philippines and how the wood will move. Well, the same thing happens in reverse when Filipino cues are sent here to the US. This is legitimate. We've all read the threads on this subject and a lot of us have seen this phenomena first-hand.
Here's something to think about. SouthWest cues are built in Las Vegas yet they are sold all over the world. Last I knew, LV is pretty dry. Has anyone ever heard or read of a SW cue warping? I know that I haven't. So how do they do it, what's their secret?
Something that I've been considering is to let the bare/raw woods experience a wide variety of climate changes during their curing & cutting stages. This would allow you to determine which of your woods are 'durable' enough to withstand future transitions in climate. Actually, my wood has been subject to this for a while now anyway. Here in S. Central Mich. we have winter (cold & snowy), summer (can be hot & dry) and every thing in btwn. My wood has just about seen it all with the exception of the extremes. That's where I tend to get concerned. Even with our diverse climate, it's no where near Needles Cali. or Vancouver, B.C. Those are extreme.
I guess I'm not asking a specific question as much as wanting to spur further discussion. This is a great topic, IMHO.
Joey made reference to cues that are sent to the Philippines and how the wood will move. Well, the same thing happens in reverse when Filipino cues are sent here to the US. This is legitimate. We've all read the threads on this subject and a lot of us have seen this phenomena first-hand.
Here's something to think about. SouthWest cues are built in Las Vegas yet they are sold all over the world. Last I knew, LV is pretty dry. Has anyone ever heard or read of a SW cue warping? I know that I haven't. So how do they do it, what's their secret?
Something that I've been considering is to let the bare/raw woods experience a wide variety of climate changes during their curing & cutting stages. This would allow you to determine which of your woods are 'durable' enough to withstand future transitions in climate. Actually, my wood has been subject to this for a while now anyway. Here in S. Central Mich. we have winter (cold & snowy), summer (can be hot & dry) and every thing in btwn. My wood has just about seen it all with the exception of the extremes. That's where I tend to get concerned. Even with our diverse climate, it's no where near Needles Cali. or Vancouver, B.C. Those are extreme.
I guess I'm not asking a specific question as much as wanting to spur further discussion. This is a great topic, IMHO.
As long as your wood has been around for 4-6 years you shouldn't have problems.
Something that I've been considering is to let the bare/raw woods experience a wide variety of climate changes during their curing & cutting stages.
I do that now.
Tad's shafts stay straighter than anyone's I think.
I am told they are stored and cut in an uncontrolled environment.
But, he's in OC, California where humidity averages around 40-50%.
Extreme dry weeks here get to around 20%'s. It's very rare humidity gets to be more than 70+ here.
I am told when SW's get to Taiwan, they accept the fact that they are going to expand somehow. Same in Singapore.
I do that now.
Tad's shafts stay straighter than anyone's I think.
I am told they are stored and cut in an uncontrolled environment.
But, he's in OC, California where humidity averages around 40-50%.
Extreme dry weeks here get to around 20%'s. It's very rare humidity gets to be more than 70+ here.
I am told when SW's get to Taiwan, they accept the fact that they are going to expand somehow. Same in Singapore.
WORD!!!chunchin said:
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Well, there you go.JoeyInCali said:WORD!!!
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Let me speak-up on this topic as I have kept silent about it to avoid whatever backlash. There are reasons for the silence and mainly it's for the industry itself. Cue Art has always been accepted as American as apple pie so if US high-end cues' reputation sour then the art or industry might just take a very steep downward spiral.
Bad reviews from Asia on US high-end cues are also avoided for fear of losing ones cue's investment value. Remember that most high-end cues were purchased at the peak of cue art's popularity so the prices were pretty stiff and only a select few can really indulge in collecting such. Those who really want such cues have to save-up and sacrifice a lot of other desired expenditures. Bottom line is, if you're in Asia and bought an expensive US cue that somehow self-destructed then you will most likely shut-up about it or lose most of your investment $$$.
Now that the custom cue market is depressed, thus lowering selling prices,
it's a buyers market thus putting custom high-end maker cues in more hands. Well.....these guys will voice out their complaints.
Am not complaining though, repair revenue is good specially since these US-made cues can't be sent back to their original maker if they contain US-controlled materials.
Talk about Filipino cues in the US is the same as talk about US cues in Asia. Even-steven.
Gerry in LA still has your cue. Still straight as an arrow.