Joint facing- possible dumb question

[Chopdoc]

It just occurred to me that on all the steel jointed cues I have ever seen the face of the joint is the raw machined surface. I have never seen it "mirror" polished. Why?


I guess the same question could apply to other joint materials but it popped into my head while I was looking at a steel joint face.

I guess the reason it popped into my head is that I was looking at a Black Boar. So beautiful, so perfect. Everything so finely finished....so it just sort of suddenly stuck out to me.






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[Canadian cue]

Polishing is a cosmetic procedure not a procedure that is used for precision. Polishing the joint face could actually diminish the accuracy of the joint face. The joint face is probably one of the most critical surfaces when it comes to accuracy in my opinion.

 

[Chopdoc]

Polishing is a cosmetic procedure not a procedure that is used for precision.

Is that strictly true?

Some precision polishing in machining operations is in fact for precision mating of surfaces...I thought.

Of course, I could be way off.




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[Canadian cue]

Polishing in the conventional sense with rouge and buffing wheels not so much. Lapping ,grinding and honing are used to achieve precision tolerances.

 

[cueman]

I have polished joint faces before, but usually don't as it would be very easy to take a thousandth off the face at an angle while polishing and cause the cue to not roll straight.

 

[john coloccia]

I have polished joint faces before, but usually don't as it would be very easy to take a thousandth off the face at an angle while polishing and cause the cue to not roll straight.

Also, if you managed to actually get it perfect, wouldn't it be incredibly difficult to take the cue apart later? It'd be like sliding two polished blocks of metal over each other...they just instantly stick together, especially if there's just the slightest amount of moisture or grease. I've had that happen to me...not on cues but on other mechanisms, and I've actually had to go in and rough up the mating surfaces.

 

[conetip]

Also, if you managed to actually get it perfect, wouldn't it be incredibly difficult to take the cue apart later? It'd be like sliding two polished blocks of metal over each other...they just instantly stick together, especially if there's just the slightest amount of moisture or grease. I've had that happen to me...not on cues but on other mechanisms, and I've actually had to go in and rough up the mating surfaces.

Yes, making the 2 surfaces too smooth and flat does make for the cue to become very difficult take apart. Leaving it with a fine turned finish is good. If it is turned too fine, then they stick together. Especially 2 brass or aluminium faces.
Neil

 

[Chopdoc]

Thanks guys. Makes a lot of sense.


I suspect the problem would not be as great if only the stainless face were polished and the shaft face had a "standard" kind of facing. But certainly we don't want cue joints sticking together.


Working on motorcycles I learned to call this "sticksion", it's the force required to get the fork sliders moving on the fork tubes. Polishing the joint faces would create more sticksion...would be a correct term I think.


Thanks so much for entertaining my question. :thumbup:




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