Lucasi Uni-Loc issue

wigglybridge

wigglybridge

14.1 straight pool!
Silver Member
i've got a Lucasi Hybrid with a Uni-Loc quick release joint that's been sticking so that i can't get it apart, except by using extreme force. it's happened 3 times now, and each time i've followed the directions i found in an old thread here: to clean it out with denatured alcohol. and that works, for a few weeks to a month. then the problem happens again.

this is a Lucasi LHSP, but instead of the regular plain wood shaft, i got it with a black ring, at Valley Forge this year in the Lucasi booth. it still is a wood-to-wood joint, in that there's wood under the ring.

each time i clean it out, i find small brass particles on the pin and in the joint, usually more on the pin, which also shows some brass highlights on the steel, and looks rougher than new, although it feels smooth (the pin is steel, the female part of the joint is brass).

one thing that's bothering me is the joint protectors, which also came with it from Lucasi, are the "Psycho Silver" ones, which are really aluminum, and i'm kinda squinchy about aluminum with brass.

am i doing something wrong when i assemble/disassemble it? is there a better fix than the alcohol?
 
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wigglybridge said:
i've got a Lucasi Hybrid with a Uni-Loc quick release joint that's been sticking so that i can't get it apart, except by using extreme force. it's happened 3 times now, and each time i've followed the directions i found in an old thread here: to clean it out with denatured alcohol. and that works, for a few weeks to a month. then the problem happens again.

this is a Lucasi LHSP, but instead of the regular plain wood shaft, i got it with a black ring, at Valley Forge this year in the Lucasi booth. it still is a wood-to-wood joint, in that there's wood under the ring.

each time i clean it out, i find small brass particles on the pin and in the joint, usually more on the pin, which also shows some brass highlights on the steel, and looks rougher than new, although it feels smooth (the pin is steel, the female part of the joint is brass).

one thing that's bothering me is the joint protectors, which also came with it from Lucasi, are the "Psycho Silver" ones, which are really aluminum, and i'm kinda squinchy about aluminum with brass.

am i doing something wrong when i assemble/disassemble it? is there a better fix than the alcohol?
Click to expand...


I'd possibly be concerned that the metal joint protectors might have put a burr on the joint screw itself. I've never liked metal joint protectors.
 
Protectors go on no more than finger tight--just enough to hold threads whil in the case.

Drop of oil on the threads, assemble cue, disassemble cue, wipe away excess with cue tip.
 
The aluminum j/p's could be galling the dissimilar metal (brass) just enough to cause a problem.
 
thanks for the input, everyone.

just to be clear: the binding is happening with the pin in the bushing, not at all while unscrewing. which doesn't mean the screw threads aren't part of the problem, because they could be producing the metal flakes.

i'm not too interested in adding oil to the situation; i recall people in the earlier thread cautioning against that, because it can help dirt accumulate in the bushing, and that fit is already pretty tight, so i'm worried that even adding oil will make a vacuum seal and make it worse.

i got a nice private message on this subject that encouraged me to send an email to Cue and Case, the distributors for Lucasi, to see if they'll help with the situation. i'm waiting to hear back from them, and if i don't in the next day or so, i'll try calling.

it's hard to see the brass threads clearly, but i Can see that the aluminum jp that goes on the pin end has some corrosion. but that pin and thread are steel, and the flakes are brass, and the jp that goes on the brass threads is completely perfect with no corrosion.

one thing's sure: if this sucker sticks again and it's any harder than this last time, it Will Not come apart.
 
i'm pretty sure there's nothing left in there, Chuck. i used a swab with denatured alcohol, then blew it out with breath, then another round of the alcohol to make sure i wasn't leaving any moisture in it.
 
You can try polishing the smooth part of the pin with Flitz. Then use the alcohol to remove all residue especially if it accidently gets in the threads. Assuming the pin is still straight, something is in there or the mating surfaces are "catching" for lack of a better word.
Lots of folks talk trash about uniloc but its a pretty sound fastening system if the parts arent damaged or fouled with a foreign material.
Chuck
 
again, the threads have nothing to do with this, it's the smooth part of the pin binding in the brass bushing. the joint unscrews just fine; the pin won't pull out.
 
Ugh, I feel your pain here. I've had a few cues with uni-loc joints over the years and I've been very lucky to not have this problem but I've seen this problem plenty of times. I would recommend cleaning the female portion of the joint with a q-tip. In fact, you should do this regularly.

I'm with Bambu on this one though. I no longer use Uni-loc and have gone back to a standard pin. I see no great value in being able to screw/unscrew in 2 seconds as opposed to 10 seconds.
 
i think i May have doped out what the issue is here, and it could well be User Error.

again, the problem seems to be brass from the bushing accumulating on the steel pin.

there are 2 things i do which probably aggravate the situation:
(1) when i clean my cue, i always leave it lying for a while on my bed, with the shaft hanging off the end, supported with the edge of the bed just below the joint. often for a couple of hours. duh.
(2) when i use a CueWhiz on it, i've been pressing against the side of the shaft and rotating the butt to hit all sides of the shaft. double-duh.

and since this problem has so far Only happened at home when i'm cleaning/smoothing the shaft, it seems really likely that i'm the problem. and neither of those things is necessary. at the pool room, i always put my cue down flat on the table when racking; i wouldn't be surprised if others who've had this issue put their cues down with the butt on the rail, which might well have the same effect. that whole steel-pin/brass-bushing thing has some pretty tight tolerances.

i followed Chuck's advice -- sorta -- and got one of these plastic pads at the hardware that are supposed to be the equivalent of fine steel wool, but without the steel particles getting into everything, and polished the pin to remove as much of the brass highlighting as i thought i should without thinning the pin. probably less polishing than the compound even, but it's a bit slicker.

and from here on out, no more unsupported pressure sideways on the shaft. i'm betting that fixes the problem.
 
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