Irish Linen wrap irritating hands...

GordonRamsay

GordonRamsay

Snooker > Pool
Silver Member
hey, just wondering if anyone elses hands get blisters or are irritated after long periods of play with a cue wrapped with Irish linen...I can go barely 2 hours with my hand getting all red and itchy. Are there any alternative grips that can do the same job and a readily available.
 
I have a nylon wrap on a Szamboti that is great it isnt slipery like most nylon is, it is a very old cue and Gus only used that wrap a few times, his son Barry told me about it-he has a huge spool of it left. I have never seen it before. You might be able to find something similar if you look around or contact a few cue makers-Barry isnt taking calls now he is too busy.
 
How long have you been playing with this particular cue and how long have you had the problem? What kind of cue and are you sure the wrap is Irish Linen? Is the wrap pressed?
 
....its a McDermott cue.... and I have had it for about 9 months and it is my primary playing cue. My other 2 cues are backup sneaky pete's. I'm just asking about my options considering that 80% of all cues are wrapped with Irish linen and the 20% that aren't are sneak pete style cues...
 
GordonRamsay said:
hey, just wondering if anyone elses hands get blisters or are irritated after long periods of play with a cue wrapped with Irish linen...I can go barely 2 hours with my hand getting all red and itchy. Are there any alternative grips that can do the same job and a readily available.
Click to expand...
Gordon:

I myself don't like Irish Linen wraps at all; on almost all cues I own (with the exception of collectibles or old cues that have sentimental value), I've had the Irish Linen wrap removed and replaced with a leather wrap. For me, the Irish Linen is much too slippery. And, when I have to jack up on shots (e.g. the cue against the rail but I need to draw for the shot), or when I have to stretch for a long shot, my grip hand "suddenly" encounters the non-Irish Linen portions of the cue (i.e. above the wrap for the jacked-up shots, and below the wrap near the butt end of the cue for stretch shots), and this gives my brain a sort of, "hey, that's a very different gripping surface -- what in the world is that?" shock. Have not regretted doing this to my mainstay/beater cues at all; love the leather wrap, and it doesn't give as much as a "gripping surface 'hey, what is that?' shock" when I have to grip different portions of the cue for various shots.

Another thing to try is cheap and non-damaging to the cue, and actually is a preferred grip by 3-cushion players. It's a rubber tube (grip) that you lubricate with a little bit of powder, and slip onto your cue:

http://poolndarts.com/index.cfm?CFID=14751765&CFTOKEN=fb271c2c7b8a3f39-DDCDB388-D61C-4F06-B0890702906D9C65&Fuseaction=Catalog.Product&productID=4965

This certainly beats the permanent wrap-replacement suggestion (e.g. removing the Irish Linen and replacing it with leather) I gave above, if you don't want to make any modifications to your cue.

Hope this is helpful!
-Sean
 
GordonRamsay said:
hey, just wondering if anyone elses hands get blisters or are irritated after long periods of play with a cue wrapped with Irish linen...I can go barely 2 hours with my hand getting all red and itchy. Are there any alternative grips that can do the same job and a readily available.
Click to expand...
DUDE: you're holding the stick way to tight.
 
Strange but true.

Fatboy said:
I have a nylon wrap on a Szamboti that is great it isnt slipery like most nylon is, it is a very old cue and Gus only used that wrap a few times, his son Barry told me about it-he has a huge spool of it left. I have never seen it before. You might be able to find something similar if you look around or contact a few cue makers-Barry isnt taking calls now he is too busy.
Click to expand...

Ray Martin's Balabuskas were wrapped with nylon, his preference. Certainly not mine.

Ken
 
GordonRamsay said:
....its a McDermott cue.... and I have had it for about 9 months and it is my primary playing cue. My other 2 cues are backup sneaky pete's. I'm just asking about my options considering that 80% of all cues are wrapped with Irish linen and the 20% that aren't are sneak pete style cues...
Click to expand...

I had the same thing many years ago with my first cue, it was a Genuine cue made by McDermott. I think that the wrap was not irish linen but nylon wrap... I have been playing with higher end cues since which have Irish linen and I do not have that problem any more.

It also could be that you grip the cue too tight.
 
I honestly don't know. I've never had a problem with linen and have been using it since the mid '70s. I've always had mine pressed, if possible, though. I admit that linen that's just wound on can be slippery and pressing flattens the thread and provides a different feel. I don't think most production cue makers do this, though.
I would agree, your grip may be too tight.
 
It could be that you are having an allergic reaction to the glue that has been applied under the wrap or to the dye used to color the irish linen.
 
irritates thumb knuckle

this particular wrap irratated my thumb knuckle so bad, it's outta here :)
 

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GordonRamsay said:
hey, just wondering if anyone elses hands get blisters or are irritated after long periods of play with a cue wrapped with Irish linen...I can go barely 2 hours with my hand getting all red and itchy. Are there any alternative grips that can do the same job and a readily available.
Click to expand...
I would suggest that there is a chemical applied to the top your wrap that is irritating your skin. It is made of linen a cloth type material like your clothes.
 
Maybe your grips to tight or your wrap is in bad shape and could be used to be pressed idk.

The loose threads could be rubbing againts your hand irritatting it.

im not sure what condition yours is in.
 
GordonRamsay said:
hey, just wondering if anyone elses hands get blisters or are irritated after long periods of play with a cue wrapped with Irish linen...I can go barely 2 hours with my hand getting all red and itchy. Are there any alternative grips that can do the same job and a readily available.
Click to expand...

I too used to play with cues that are wrapped with nylon or even Irish linen. My thumb gets irritated more quickly with nylon than Irish linen. My grip then was loose yet I'd still have irritated hand. It may sound metro-sexual but it seems that people like us have sensitive skins, and the easy solution is to switch to wrapless. I've never encountered this problem again with my wrapless cues even after playing for more than 6 hours :)
 
Well you could become a masons helper or a roofer to toughen up your hands. Also fence installation will give you calluses on top of calluses. ;)

If thats not an option then switching wrap material is a must. I like a center cut lizard wrap. A stacked wrap has a nice feel to as well. There are some really nice exotics out there however you have to be willing to part with some cash.
I am sure we all have different opinions on what feels the best.
 
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GordonRamsay said:
hey, just wondering if anyone elses hands get blisters or are irritated after long periods of play with a cue wrapped with Irish linen...I can go barely 2 hours with my hand getting all red and itchy. Are there any alternative grips that can do the same job and a readily available.
Click to expand...
I sprayed mine with 3 coats of laquer. Very smooth and just a little tacky.
 
If you like the cue have a professional rewrap it for you. I had a very similar problem with an old Schon I had. Mike Webb rewrapped and pressed it. Huge difference.

Oh yeah, and release the Kung Fu grip :wink:
 
Must be something wrong with the wrap. have it changed out and double pressed. You could always have a cork wrap put on it as well.
 
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