I have a friend that cleans his McDermott shaft with rubbing alcohol, and I was wondering if it could hurt it? I'm also wondered if you could do the same to pool balls.
Is it ok to clean pool balls or cues with alcohol?
- Thread starter Taylor_Lee09
- Start date
Alcohol leaves the balls dull, but clean. They need to be polished using lots of hand rubbing or in a machine. Some people use car polish or any kind of plastic polish will probably work. Alcohol won't hurt them.
Rubbing alcohol has more water in it than denatured alcohol so it could do more harm to the cue. Denatured alcohol is about 90% alcohol while rubbing alcohol is usually about 50%. Denatured alcohol is better for the wood. Get it at a paint store/dept. Many of us use alcohol with a Magic Eraser to get the chalk off the ferrule and shaft. Works great. If the shaft is scrubbed with a Magic Eraser it may need to be hit a few swipes with 1000 or 1500 grit sand paper or micro mesh cloth and then rubbed/burnished with leather or a brown paper bag. Rubbing the shaft very vigorously will get it hot and that's called burnishing it and it's the burnishing that makes it super slick.
And.... Welcome to az! You'll learn a lot of very helpful information here.
Rubbing alcohol has more water in it than denatured alcohol so it could do more harm to the cue. Denatured alcohol is about 90% alcohol while rubbing alcohol is usually about 50%. Denatured alcohol is better for the wood. Get it at a paint store/dept. Many of us use alcohol with a Magic Eraser to get the chalk off the ferrule and shaft. Works great. If the shaft is scrubbed with a Magic Eraser it may need to be hit a few swipes with 1000 or 1500 grit sand paper or micro mesh cloth and then rubbed/burnished with leather or a brown paper bag. Rubbing the shaft very vigorously will get it hot and that's called burnishing it and it's the burnishing that makes it super slick.
And.... Welcome to az! You'll learn a lot of very helpful information here.
Last edited:
it's ok but only if you use rum
IMO, I'd go for a more "natural" approach/logic...
1) Wood is compatible with water since the tree needs water, which are carried by the sapwood, to nourish itself.
2) If alcohol can sting the human skin, what more with wooden fibers which no longer have the ability to regrow once damaged?
Therefore, alcohol may not be really good for your cue (shaft). I'd rather use a damp cloth to clean the shaft then burnish it at once :smile:
1) Wood is compatible with water since the tree needs water, which are carried by the sapwood, to nourish itself.
2) If alcohol can sting the human skin, what more with wooden fibers which no longer have the ability to regrow once damaged?
Therefore, alcohol may not be really good for your cue (shaft). I'd rather use a damp cloth to clean the shaft then burnish it at once :smile:
I always drink a few beers while I hand buff.
My teammates have been using Rubbing Alcohol and it really works fast. Makes the shaft smoother than I can remember. But I did feel like it went back to being dirty quicker than before. Not over night or anything but in a few days of using it everyday.
We would use a very small amount on a napkin. Wrap the napkin very tight around the shaft and twist it, making a somewhat loud noise with it. We'd get it pretty hot, thus possibly burnishing it like JimS mentioned.
We would use a very small amount on a napkin. Wrap the napkin very tight around the shaft and twist it, making a somewhat loud noise with it. We'd get it pretty hot, thus possibly burnishing it like JimS mentioned.
alcohol is fine on a shaft
As already mentioned the percentage that isn't alcohol in most solutions is water. 90% and 99% alcohol is available through drug stores and Wal-Mart usually has 90%. I prefer these with 99% being best. Denatured alcohol was once cut with gasoline. I don't know what they use now but it is or was poisonous to keep people from drinking it. I don't care to rub poison into my skin all the time I am playing pool. You can also purchase 99%+ grain alcohol by the gallon from the drugstore. Very dry and works well on horses legs, pool cue shafts, and punch bowls.
Clean and dry the shaft as rapidly as possible and then burnish. I rarely sand a shaft with any grit or use a scuffing pad. The scotch brite pads do contain abrasives.
Hu
As already mentioned the percentage that isn't alcohol in most solutions is water. 90% and 99% alcohol is available through drug stores and Wal-Mart usually has 90%. I prefer these with 99% being best. Denatured alcohol was once cut with gasoline. I don't know what they use now but it is or was poisonous to keep people from drinking it. I don't care to rub poison into my skin all the time I am playing pool. You can also purchase 99%+ grain alcohol by the gallon from the drugstore. Very dry and works well on horses legs, pool cue shafts, and punch bowls.
Clean and dry the shaft as rapidly as possible and then burnish. I rarely sand a shaft with any grit or use a scuffing pad. The scotch brite pads do contain abrasives.
Hu
Lighter fluid also works welll...
Using any liquid has it's dangers. Rubbing alcohol evaporates slower than denatured alcohol and does leave a slight residue. Shafts are supposed to be sealed however some cuemakers may not seal them and some owners may use cleaners which may desolve the sealer (over enough time even the alcohol will do this). Once the pores are open in the wood ANY liquid could damage the shaft by causing the wood fibers to rise up (swollen/fuzzy shaft). So for shafts use sparingly and just as often wax (or reseal) the shaft as this will help keep the pores sealed. I'd personally wait till the shaft is too grimey to be cleaned by other milder methods.
For balls I have no idea what effect alcohol or any petroleum type products have on the outter "crust" material of the balls. I'd just use something very mild for balls.
For balls I have no idea what effect alcohol or any petroleum type products have on the outter "crust" material of the balls. I'd just use something very mild for balls.
Alcohol is recommended by some cuemakers:
http://www.dzcues.com/cue_care.htm
I have been using it for a few years now... and it is fairly harmless... I would think it is definitely safer than sandpaper. It does require burnishing after use though.
http://www.dzcues.com/cue_care.htm
I have been using it for a few years now... and it is fairly harmless... I would think it is definitely safer than sandpaper. It does require burnishing after use though.
Alcohol is a name for an OH ion bonded to a (plain) hydrocarbon. There are dozens to hundreds of alcohols.
None of the common alcohols (methanol CH3OH, ethanol C2H5OH, isopropyl C3H7OH) will harm billiards balls.
None of the common alcohols (methanol CH3OH, ethanol C2H5OH, isopropyl C3H7OH) will harm billiards balls.
I would never, ever, put water on my shaft. Water is great for trees, but it is terrible for worked wood. It will swell wood fibers, raise grain, warp shafts and could precipitate the growth of molds, algae and fungus (aka ROT).
I've been using rubbing alcohol for years. It works better than anything else I've ever seen, and I've never had any negative results.
If the shaft is properly prepared by the cuemaker, a damp paper towel will clean the shaft and not raise any grain. I can wet my finished shafts and they will be as smooth after they dry as they were when I sanded them with 1200 grit paper. Before I finish my cues, I get rid of any grain that might raise.
If you want to save time, just use damp alcohol wipes like you get in restaurants.
If you want to save time, just use damp alcohol wipes like you get in restaurants.
Differences between different alcohol compounds
As usual, Hu has great points here. Some items I'd like to add:
1. The denaturing agent in today's denatured alcohol is methanol (a.k.a. wood alcohol). Denatured alcohol is almost exclusively the following mixture: 90% Ethanol (yes, the drinking kind) + 10% Methanol (wood alcohol -- very toxic). Note: there is NO WATER in denatured alcohol, as it's considered an anhydrous alcohol mixture. It has to be -- it is the primary solvent used for shellac and other surface protectants. These surface protectants are completely waterproof, so their solvent has to be completely anhydrous. Also, denatured alcohol is used as fuel in alcohol stoves, and of course, even though an alcohol/water mixture will "burn" (the vapors burn), there can't be water present in the fuel for alcohol stoves, otherwise the wicks would be fouled, as well as the moving metal parts (e.g. wick advancer) that make up the stove.
2. Although very toxic if ingested, Methanol (wood alcohol) is safe on the skin. Reason: wood alcohol is the natural byproduct of certain kinds of bacteria during metabolism, and occurs naturally in the environment. In fact, these very same types of bacteria are metabolizing and producing minute quantities of wood alcohol on your skin right at this moment!
3. You can purchase pure/anhydrous Ethanol (grain alcohol) if you like, but certain states have levies and restrictions on this, as this is the purest form of the drinking type of alcohol available. I know in my area, I have to travel to Connecticut, and even more specifically, to the town of Cos Cob, CT, to get this type of anhydrous grain alcohol. (Italian folk in my neck of the woods use this to make a delicious Italian liquor called "Limoncello".) One is better off just defaulting to the more readily available Denatured Alcohol -- it's as close as your nearest hardware/paint-supply store (e.g. your nearest "big orange box" has this on hand).
4. Personally I would not use any alcohol that is mixed with water -- including the 90-ish percentage stuff available at drug stores (Isopropyl alcohol). It's not that it's because it's the isopropyl type of alcohol, but because it has 10% or more of water in it. This water gets absorbed in the shaft, and as we all know, water swells dried wood. (This also explains the reason why this type of alcohol leaves the shaft with a "mossy" or "fuzzy" feeling -- those are wood fibers that were raised from the water content in the alcohol used -- and requires a bit of sanding with very fine sandpaper.) Anhydrous alcohol does not do that -- only a quick rubbing with a strip of brown paper bag (the standard brown paper bag used in your neighborhood store) is needed for burnishing.
Anyway, I hope this is a helpful adjunct to Hu's great info!
-Sean
As usual, Hu has great points here. Some items I'd like to add:
1. The denaturing agent in today's denatured alcohol is methanol (a.k.a. wood alcohol). Denatured alcohol is almost exclusively the following mixture: 90% Ethanol (yes, the drinking kind) + 10% Methanol (wood alcohol -- very toxic). Note: there is NO WATER in denatured alcohol, as it's considered an anhydrous alcohol mixture. It has to be -- it is the primary solvent used for shellac and other surface protectants. These surface protectants are completely waterproof, so their solvent has to be completely anhydrous. Also, denatured alcohol is used as fuel in alcohol stoves, and of course, even though an alcohol/water mixture will "burn" (the vapors burn), there can't be water present in the fuel for alcohol stoves, otherwise the wicks would be fouled, as well as the moving metal parts (e.g. wick advancer) that make up the stove.
2. Although very toxic if ingested, Methanol (wood alcohol) is safe on the skin. Reason: wood alcohol is the natural byproduct of certain kinds of bacteria during metabolism, and occurs naturally in the environment. In fact, these very same types of bacteria are metabolizing and producing minute quantities of wood alcohol on your skin right at this moment!
3. You can purchase pure/anhydrous Ethanol (grain alcohol) if you like, but certain states have levies and restrictions on this, as this is the purest form of the drinking type of alcohol available. I know in my area, I have to travel to Connecticut, and even more specifically, to the town of Cos Cob, CT, to get this type of anhydrous grain alcohol. (Italian folk in my neck of the woods use this to make a delicious Italian liquor called "Limoncello".) One is better off just defaulting to the more readily available Denatured Alcohol -- it's as close as your nearest hardware/paint-supply store (e.g. your nearest "big orange box" has this on hand).
4. Personally I would not use any alcohol that is mixed with water -- including the 90-ish percentage stuff available at drug stores (Isopropyl alcohol). It's not that it's because it's the isopropyl type of alcohol, but because it has 10% or more of water in it. This water gets absorbed in the shaft, and as we all know, water swells dried wood. (This also explains the reason why this type of alcohol leaves the shaft with a "mossy" or "fuzzy" feeling -- those are wood fibers that were raised from the water content in the alcohol used -- and requires a bit of sanding with very fine sandpaper.) Anhydrous alcohol does not do that -- only a quick rubbing with a strip of brown paper bag (the standard brown paper bag used in your neighborhood store) is needed for burnishing.
Anyway, I hope this is a helpful adjunct to Hu's great info!
-Sean
Thanks!
You added a lot, appreciate it! My information was from a few decades ago and I have slept a bunch of times since then! My only dealings with methanol was racing fuel that started off as straight methanol. It did have a little juice added to it but definitely not something you wanted to get on your hide. I suspect you are right that 10% or so isn't an issue, I don't know one way or the other.
A fellow racer spilt a little of my sprint car fuel on his leg years ago. I suggested he rinse it off and he laughed. "I get gas on me all the time!" A few minutes later he was dancing when he headed to the bathroom to find some water. Methanol, a little nitro, a little paint thinner, and things could get pretty warm.
Hu
You added a lot, appreciate it! My information was from a few decades ago and I have slept a bunch of times since then! My only dealings with methanol was racing fuel that started off as straight methanol. It did have a little juice added to it but definitely not something you wanted to get on your hide. I suspect you are right that 10% or so isn't an issue, I don't know one way or the other.
A fellow racer spilt a little of my sprint car fuel on his leg years ago. I suggested he rinse it off and he laughed. "I get gas on me all the time!" A few minutes later he was dancing when he headed to the bathroom to find some water. Methanol, a little nitro, a little paint thinner, and things could get pretty warm.
Hu
Same here:smile:
8ballin4fun
Registered
When we go out to eat i always get a few extra packs of the wipes you use to clean your hands and put them in my case and usethem to clean my pool shaft.
They really work well do not take up much room and are always there when you need them. Of course you can always use them to clean your hands when your shooting pool and eating a good ole greasy hamburger from the bar.
They really work well do not take up much room and are always there when you need them. Of course you can always use them to clean your hands when your shooting pool and eating a good ole greasy hamburger from the bar.