Looking for an alternative to Elkmasters

Bill the Cat

Bill the Cat

Proud maker of CAT cues
Silver Member
To start, I'm new to the cue repair business. When a customer asks for a "soft" tip, I use an Elkmaster. My problem is I hate them. :mad: The dye used on these tips gets everywhere. I'm spending a lot of extra time cleaning up ferrules and my shop. Are there any tips on how to reduce the dust and bleeding of the dye? Or, is there a good alternative to Elkmaster that's not as messy?
 
Bill the Cat said:
To start, I'm new to the cue repair business. When a customer asks for a "soft" tip, I use an Elkmaster. My problem is I hate them. :mad: The dye used on these tips gets everywhere. I'm spending a lot of extra time cleaning up ferrules and my shop. Are there any tips on how to reduce the dust and bleeding of the dye? Or, is there a good alternative to Elkmaster that's not as messy?
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It's not dye. The color comes from the tanning process, a "blue chromium" process. Le Pro's and a lot of the other tips use a "tanic acid" tanning process which gives them the brown color. The Triangle actually goes through both of these processes, hense the dual colors on them ( and the harder tips).

just more hot air!

Sherm
 
Bill the Cat said:
To start, I'm new to the cue repair business. When a customer asks for a "soft" tip, I use an Elkmaster. My problem is I hate them. :mad: The dye used on these tips gets everywhere. I'm spending a lot of extra time cleaning up ferrules and my shop. Are there any tips on how to reduce the dust and bleeding of the dye? Or, is there a good alternative to Elkmaster that's not as messy?
Click to expand...

As far as I'm concerned, Elk Masters are the most difficult tip to install. There are no other soft tips other than a Snookie which only comes in 10mm and a couple of other brand named tips such as Blue Knight that are Elk Masters boxed for other companies such as Brunswick. Elk Master are Blue Cromate tanned as opposed to vegetable tanned like the LePro. The Elk Master are also impregnated with blue chalk which is released when trimming.
When installing Elk Masters I compress the tip in a 20 ton press before installation and I use a tip that is as close to the ferrule size as possible so that as little needs to be trimmed as possible. Your trimming tool, needs to be as sharp as possible as this tip needs to be shaved to shape, not scraped. Sometimes I need to sharpen my skew twice doing one Elk Master as the tip is so soft that it will wrap around the edge and dull it quickly. The blue that comes off has never been a problem for me as it is only dust and can be blown off the shaft.
Dick
 
Handle the tips with a rubber glove on.
Cut and shape the tip with a sharp razorblade, don't sand it.
This will minimize any mess, what falls can be picked up right away with a shop-vac.
 
Elkmaster alternative

First, thanks to all who replied! I agree that Elkmasters are the hardest to install. I found one alternative tonight when I was playing league. Once again I was asked to install a "soft" tip. I explained the reasons I don't care for a soft tip (not just hard to install, but playability). I then offered to let the customer shoot a game or two with one of my sticks that had a Triangle installed. He was happy with it and we agreed on a "medium" instead. I still find it hard to believe that Elkmaster is the only "soft" tip, but I think I've found my own solution to the problem. :)

Thanks again to all!
 
Sheldon said:
Handle the tips with a rubber glove on.
Cut and shape the tip with a sharp razorblade, don't sand it.
This will minimize any mess, what falls can be picked up right away with a shop-vac.
Click to expand...



The shop vac willl do wonders. I use it to suck the phenolic dust up also. Phenolic will stain maple & other woods in a heartbeat If not sealed. If you try to brush It off, it gets in the pores, and sometimes even blowing it out with air will just shoot the dust deeper in the pores and all in the air. The vac is nice because it actually pulls the dust off the top, without staining or going deeper.

If I have a ferrule that stains easy from the tip, and the ferrule It'self needs touched up anyway, then I will sand from ferrule out to the tip after trimming when I can, so the dust from the tip does not get on the ferrule as much. I use a razor to trim the tip also, but sometimes that can stain the very end of the ferrule also.

Keep in mind I try to stay off the ferrule as much as possible, because that can be a whole nother set of problems. One of them being that Some of them swell/expand when they heat up from burmishing so they can be tricky also.

I have been doing tips longer then anything else cue related beside shooting with one, so I know of the problems with elk M's. I choose to install them as little as possible, but have done a few of them over the years. They are not they only tip that will stain, and sometimes the type of ferrule has alot to do with how much staining occurs also. Good Luck with it.

Greg C
 
Bill the Cat said:
First, thanks to all who replied! I agree that Elkmasters are the hardest to install. I found one alternative tonight when I was playing league. Once again I was asked to install a "soft" tip. I explained the reasons I don't care for a soft tip (not just hard to install, but playability). I then offered to let the customer shoot a game or two with one of my sticks that had a Triangle installed. He was happy with it and we agreed on a "medium" instead. I still find it hard to believe that Elkmaster is the only "soft" tip, but I think I've found my own solution to the problem. :)

Thanks again to all!
Click to expand...

Maybe I keep getting lucky but I've found Triangles to be great tips.
Not expensive and I don't miscue at all.

Dave
 
Bill the Cat said:
To start, I'm new to the cue repair business. When a customer asks for a "soft" tip, I use an Elkmaster. My problem is I hate them. :mad: The dye used on these tips gets everywhere. I'm spending a lot of extra time cleaning up ferrules and my shop. Are there any tips on how to reduce the dust and bleeding of the dye? Or, is there a good alternative to Elkmaster that's not as messy?
Click to expand...
Hi Billy. I know a couple WORLD CHAMPION friends of mine who switched from elks to TIGER SNIPERS and TIGER SOFT. Call me and I'll hook you up. (330)518-7550
 
Bill the Cat said:
To start, I'm new to the cue repair business. When a customer asks for a "soft" tip, I use an Elkmaster. My problem is I hate them. :mad: The dye used on these tips gets everywhere. I'm spending a lot of extra time cleaning up ferrules and my shop. Are there any tips on how to reduce the dust and bleeding of the dye? Or, is there a good alternative to Elkmaster that's not as messy?
Click to expand...

I am not a cue maker but try a match tip made bye chanviert<-- spelling prob wrong.
 
Sheldon said:
Handle the tips with a rubber glove on.
Cut and shape the tip with a sharp razorblade, don't sand it.
This will minimize any mess, what falls can be picked up right away with a shop-vac.
Click to expand...

Why the gloves Sheldon ? I ask because I use Elk Masters, do my own tips, and would like to live a long long time.

Dave
 
DaveK said:
Why the gloves Sheldon ? I ask because I use Elk Masters, do my own tips, and would like to live a long long time.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure the chemicals used in the tanning process are hazardous, but I mainly use a glove to keep my fingers from turning blue. :D
 
Sheldon said:
I'm pretty sure the chemicals used in the tanning process are hazardous, but I mainly use a glove to keep my fingers from turning blue. :D
Click to expand...
And also to make sure you don't get any oil's from your skin on either the glue side, or the play side.

Jon ~*~Likes the blue Nitrile gloves...
 
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