Kamui ~ Step to how to install clear tip.

icem3n

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
That is easy to say but you should be able to maintain your own cue yourself. Even if you do have a guy near you who can do it, it is a nice luxury to know how to do it yourself if you have to. I remember being at a tournament and watching Miz putting on his own tip. Bludworth was there and Miz just borrowed his equipment.

I used to have a guy who drove 40 miles just to get a new tip because there was no one in his town that did any cue work. He was not even interested in learning how. I never understood that.

Part of the sport is the equipment and learning about equipment seems like it should be of interest, but to many isn't. Someone will want a set of joint protectors and come over and ask what size the screw on their cue is so they can order some. How could they not already know this?

A Plus 1 for you. ;)
 

Rain-Man

Team Deplorable
Silver Member
I actually thought he did a pretty darn good job considering it was done by hand. I'd never do it myself by hand, what too tedious and time consuming, but still looked pretty good nonetheless...
 

scsuxci

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Don't believe the final product wasn't doctored at all. He was chopping at it like
he was widdling wood and thought the risk of delaminating the tip was great.

He was working with a soft tip and if you watch, his fingers are changing
color and was using a lot of strength to do anything.
Imagine this with a hard tip! Neat video but to many hurdles to cross
to risk screwing up a shaft.
 

Kim Bye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
That guy is a human lathe!
Even though the result turns out quite good, It seems like a very awkward way of changing a tip.
The Kamui clear tips is a pain to replace without a lathe, that clear plastic is quite hard and looks dull if you sand it to size.
 

icem3n

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Don't believe the final product wasn't doctored at all. He was chopping at it like
he was widdling wood and thought the risk of delaminating the tip was great.

He was working with a soft tip and if you watch, his fingers are changing
color and was using a lot of strength to do anything.
Imagine this with a hard tip! Neat video but to many hurdles to cross
to risk screwing up a shaft.

The guy was using a leather cutting knife at minute 3:25.

Below is a sample of the knife:
http://www.goodsjapan.jp/item/leath...a/seiwa-japanese-leathercraft-sk/lid=29749167

Due to the orientation or direction of the force exerted, you do not require much force.

I personally use a 3/4" chisel to cut a laminated tip / one piece tip.
It is much easier than a cutter. It even slice phenolic tip like butter.
Plus the chisel will last a life time.



Any wood worker or Black smith will tell you how good they are.
 

macguy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
That guy is a human lathe!
Even though the result turns out quite good, It seems like a very awkward way of changing a tip.
The Kamui clear tips is a pain to replace without a lathe, that clear plastic is quite hard and looks dull if you sand it to size.

I have done thousands of tips exactly like that. I am referring to house cues when I worked in and owned pool rooms as well as private cues. Of course I later had a lathe to do it. That is exactly how to do it by hand. Getting it even with the ferrule first. Then removing the bulk and cutting it down in sort of a bell shape so you don't have flat spots then coming back and evening it up with the ferrule. It is surprisingly easy.

I used to have a kid that worked for me who used a razor knife and he would have the shaft on a block of wood tip down and the knife would be going up and down like a sewing machine as he cut down the tip. His finished job was as good as with a lathe. once the tips was glued on, the whole process took him about 10 minutes.

Unless the guy is a cuemaker half these guys doing cue repair in their spare time don't do any better job then you can do yourself if you just have at the least a way to spin the shaft to do the final finishing. And for that purpose it can be done with something as simple as a drill clamped to a bench.

I have to say, if you are not there you don't really know what the guy is doing to your shaft. He scratches your ferrule and then sands the scratch out. Most always use sand paper to even up the tips with the ferrule removing even though very slight a bit of your ferrule.

I have always been a do it yourself even replacing the roof on a house once. I can do most repairs on my car even though I may take it to a mechanic. I have a code reader and when I bring it in I have a good idea what is wrong and know BS when I hear it.

Back to the cues, because pool is a hobby and fun to play, your equipment is also part of the hobby and working on your own cue should be something you know how to do and not seem like a chore, it is fun. I know secretly most all guys who play pool want to work on their cues.
Just read the postings on this forum and you see that is the case. It is a small expense to get at least a cheap wood lathe or make up something that will let you spin you shaft and do cleaning, polishing, tip shaping and replacing keeping your cue in good playing condition.

It won't be long before you will want to replace an old wrap and do that. It expands your hobby and is fun. It is hard to believe someone would say it is to time consuming. So is reading this forum or practicing pool, so why practice, because it is fun and you enjoy doing it. Things you enjoy are not time consuming. I do understand some people are complete spazzes when it come to any kind of use of tools and can't put in a screw, but unless you are one of those, not doing some work on your own cue, you are missing out on another fun part of the hobby of playing pool.
 
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Blue Hog ridr

World Famous Fisherman.
Silver Member
I think that he did a wonderful job. If I would have been as good as him, I may have never bought a lathe.

Those Japanese hand tools are fantastic.

And fantastically sharp, one slip and the end of his thumb would have been gone.

I quite often watch UTube videos of craftsmen using Japanese wood working tools.

The Japanese hand plane can take off a shave of wood off as thin as Rice paper.
 

Kim Bye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
So I just tried the method in the video.
I don`t have those fancy Japanese hand tools, so i used a small chisle and a razor blade.
Not a perfect result, but pretty good for a noob...
The tip is a Zan soft with a matching blue fibre pad.

2014-06-14154414.jpg
 

Rain-Man

Team Deplorable
Silver Member
From the picture you posted, it looks like a really good job, especially done without a lathe.. Well done!
Zans cut pretty nice, and are a good tip to work with... :thumbup:
 

Kim Bye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
From the picture you posted, it looks like a really good job, especially done without a lathe.. Well done!
Zans cut pretty nice, and are a good tip to work with... :thumbup:

Thanks buddy :)
It was actually surprisingly simple to do, even with my limited selection of tools.
I`m more pleased with this tip replacement, than what I`m with local guy who usually does retipping for me, that statement does not really say anything about my skill level, but quite a bit about the retipping guys quality of work... My guess is that he does not use sharp enough carbide cutter and runs the lathe to fast

The Zan tips are great! I put one on my Mezz HP II shaft a few weeks ago and It`s now my prefered brand of tips.

The retipping experience was so good that i ordered some Japanese hand tools on Ebay, so i can retip my own cues and maybe a cue or two for my buddies :)
 

Blue Hog ridr

World Famous Fisherman.
Silver Member
Well Kim, if that is a better job than what the local can do, I would suggest you buy a couple of tip tools and do your own from now on.

Not a perfect result, but pretty good for a noob.

I would say a fantastic job. Can't get better than that, even with a lathe.

Obviously Blue is my favorite color. If the Zan tips play half as good as they look.

BTW, what kind of tools did you order. I would like to see them.
 

RackOnTour

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Great video link.

Good to see a link to the hand version.
While a lathe is the preferable method, it is also a method which needs some training. I know some veteran cuemakers that have no idea of lathe speed relating to laminated tip cutting. They subscribe to the faster is better school of thought which might damage a laminated tip.
There are those that don';t have an installer nearby or cannot afford to or wish to risk sending a treasured shaft through the post to have it done. I am sure they are glad to have this useful information to help maintain their equipment.
Those that think it is a bad job are likely misinformed, uneducated or simply jealous. The worker is quite skilled and has fitted tips for many world class players who are very happy with the end result.
 

Blue Hog ridr

World Famous Fisherman.
Silver Member
Those that think it is a bad job are likely misinformed, uneducated or simply jealous.

100% Rack.

As a side, after I had a rather bad experience with our local billiard shop, that prompted me to delve into hand tipping. Over a period of a year of a year or so, I must have purchased every tip tool and Doo Dad available in the market place.

This was both bad and good. Bad in that I bought a lot of unnecessary tip tools and good, in the way of I was able to figure out that the KISS Method is the best.

With a sharp knife or cutter, and a couple of other inexpensive tools, and a few mistakes, anyone can learn to do a tip as well as the guy in the video or Kim has done.
Honestly, even with a Hightower Deluxe now, I am hard pressed to do better than what Kim did. Only difference might be that I can do it quicker with a lathe.

When you're talking lathes and tools or just hand tools in general, you get what you pay for and should never cheap out.

When hand tipping, you absolutely do not need to spend much more than 50 bucks at the most to do a decent job. Keep in mind that one of the most expensive tools that you will need is the Cue Top Sander. Everything else is well under a 20 dollar bill.

Obviously, the installer in the video doesn't use one but chances are, you will.

BTW, at this moment in time, I am not so sure that I am the person to be using any sharp tools. My wife bought me a huge roast today so I can make beef jerky. After the roast had been in the freezer a bit, I proceeded to trim some of the fat off the top.

Well, I got a piece of frozen fat, cutting towards myself, the fat balked, the knife slipped and I bled like a stuck pig for about 20 minutes.

The good part is, CA glue also works wonderful for closing wounds. A little deeper and I would have been getting out the sewing kit.
Amazing that I didn't waken the War Dept. when I said the Eff word really loud.
 
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x3dnd3x

Trainee Chalk Collector
Silver Member
So I just tried the method in the video.
I don`t have those fancy Japanese hand tools, so i used a small chisle and a razor blade.
Not a perfect result, but pretty good for a noob...
The tip is a Zan soft with a matching blue fibre pad.

Very nicely done without a lathe. Wouldn't it be confusing to the eyes if you didn't tell your repairman there's a blue fiber pad below? :confused:
 

x3dnd3x

Trainee Chalk Collector
Silver Member
Very nicely done. Very similar I do also the tips and pads. With the right knive it is also no problem installing phenolic tips. This one I did today on an old Z shaft.

What is the right knife you're talking about?
 

sfleinen

14.1 & One Pocket Addict
Gold Member
Silver Member
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