Magic Eraser = Melemine Foam

[Blue Hog ridr]

Hope this link works. Just reading an article that the Magic Eraser is just Melamine Foam.

It is sold on EBay as a cleaning product. For those of us that tend to go thru a fair amount. I usually wait until I can get a Generic Brand on sale. I can't seem to find any of that any longer.

http://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=melamine+foam&_sacat=0

100 pieces for a few dollars. A huge difference in price.

 

[ADAM HENSON]

Son...what a deal!

 

[pooldawg8]

Thanks for the link. I just ran out last week & was going buy some. Maybe I`ll just order this & be set for a few years. Thanks Old Blue Hog you the man
Your buddy
Jeff

 

[ElCorazonFrio]

I love how people who wouldn't dream of touching a shaft with sandpaper will scrub the hell out of their shafts with magic eraser. This stuff works well for removing blue chalk because it is removing material.

Plain and simple.

Magic Eraser is not better or faster than proper use of other shaft cleaning and burnishing methods. It is also not better...in fact, I have spent three minutes with friends' shafts after they got what they felt were good results with ME. Every one of them was amazed at my results.

If you go through at least 1500 grit sandpaper (2000 is better) and then burnish with a piece of vegetable tanned leather, you will have a shaft that shines and it will protect itself because you have effectively partially closed the open grains.

 

[slach]

Magic Eraser is about equal to 3000 grit sandpaper.

I love how people who wouldn't dream of touching a shaft with sandpaper will scrub the hell out of their shafts with magic eraser. This stuff works well for removing blue chalk because it is removing material.

Plain and simple.

Magic Eraser is not better or faster than proper use of other shaft cleaning and burnishing methods. It is also not better...in fact, I have spent three minutes with friends' shafts after they got what they felt were good results with ME. Every one of them was amazed at my results.

If you go through at least 1500 grit sandpaper (2000 is better) and then burnish with a piece of vegetable tanned leather, you will have a shaft that shines and it will protect itself because you have effectively partially closed the open grains.

 

[MVPCues]

Magic Eraser is about equal to 3000 grit sandpaper.

I personally believe it is comparable to 2000. The thing about magic eraser is that it naturally breaks down itself, particularly with denatured alcohol. As it breaks down, the little fingers help it clean. So while it may be 2000 grit abrasiveness, it doesn't hold up as long as 2000 grit sandpaper, so there is no cumulative affect on the shaft.

Here is a very good write up on magic eraser used for pinball restoration.

http://arcadearchive.com/pinball/magic/

The opinion of the author is that magic eraser is 1500. It is hard to argue with his thorough tests and reviews, but my feeling compared to sandpaper on shafts is closer to 2000.

One thing to note is all of the melamine foams being sold dirt cheap are not equal. I'm not saying any of them are bad, but I have gone through at least 3 iteration of magic eraser/melamine foam usage. Some break down and clean slightly better than others and therefore some might be slightly more abrasive than others.

All just my opinion based on my experiences, of course.

 

[mortuarymike-nv]

Magic Eraser

Getting the chalk out of the woods water pours on solid maple shafts !

Personally I think sealing the shaft so chalk dirt and grime cant get into the wood pours is better then sanding on the shaft with anything that is abrasive .........

Even if the shaft is only sealed with car paste wax that only seals the shaft temporary for a few weeks of play.
You can always stripe the old wax off with denatured alcohol and re wax without using anything abrasive.

If the shaft is smooth and slick and sealed where dirt ,chalk and grime will not get into the water pours of the wood and can be cleaned by using denatured alcohol .
Is that not better then using a abrasive ?

My point is there is ways where no one needs to use any kind of a abrasive to clean and keep to keep your shaft where dirt and chalk will not get into the wood pours to start with.

That makes it where your shaft will last your life time.
Allot of car paste waxes contains chemicals that actually is good for the wood itself...

You can even just wax the shaft over and over without stripping the wax off with denatured alcohol if you don't like the ideal of using alcohol..
As long as the shaft is smooth and slick who cares if the shaft has a little blue to it.


Never seen any shaft where wax build up was even noticed, little lone a issue.
Seen tons of shafts where someone using any kind of a abrasive over a period of time didn't change the dia .. of the shaft ...............







.

 

[Drop The Rock]

Not a fan of the magic eraser personally. It can raise the grain on a shot no problem. I asked a pro and a shot stop and they both use windex. Their equipment looks to be in impeccable condition.

 

[alstl]

I don't use anything on my shafts. Once in a while I clean the ferrule but not the wood. I see no purpose to it.

 

[ElCorazonFrio]

I don't use anything on my shafts. Once in a while I clean the ferrule but not the wood. I see no purpose to it.

I mostly agree with this. I probably get a hard year out of playing before I need to touch my shafts generally.

I burnish with a slightly damp paper towel once in a while.

 

[Shannon.spronk]

I don't use anything on my shafts. Once in a while I clean the ferrule but not the wood. I see no purpose to it.

I am the same way. I feel like a nicely blued shaft is like a badge of honor.

 

[Cardigan Kid]

I am the same way. I feel like a nicely blued shaft is like a badge of honor.

+1

Absolutely!

 

[Dave-Kat]

I am the same way. I feel like a nicely blued shaft is like a badge of honor.

Kind of like putting on your dirty work cloths and going to the bar after sitting around all day doing nothing.

Have a good day,

-Kat

 

[Blue Hog ridr]

I am the same way. I feel like a nicely blued shaft is like a badge of honor.

Jokingly Buddy, I see that as someone that doesn't chalk properly, or maintain their shafts.

There should be no reason for blue of the shaft. On occasion, I will get a little under the Ferrule.

When I first start to clean a shaft, I use 400 lightly. You don't take any wood off, and what you see is greenish gunk on the paper. Chalk and hand grease.

I prefer using ME as I feel like MVP, that it has an ability to get into the pores without having to take any wood off.

If the shaft is one piece maple, I may use Acetone with the ME, depending on how bad the shaft is, and I have seen a few nasty ones.

Then I switch to ME with Alcohol. Ammonia with ME works just fine too.

Many of these cleaners are just repackaged House Hold Cleaners. No special design or Magic Formula there.

Of course, never Acetone on a Lam Shaft, and you have to be careful of the ferrule and joint collar, as Acetone will eat 95% of the material.

Once clean, several coats of your favorite sanding sealer, and a few coats of wax.

Once you get a shaft back from me, if you wipe it down after use and try to be good about it, it's good for 6 months and beyond.

I appreciate the info re 2000 and 3000 grit paper being like ME. That high a grit of paper will never do a shaft any harm.

Just thought that I would pass this on. Shafts aren't the only thing that I use ME on.

It's just a great product. Bath Room mostly. But at that price, you can use an entire pad for other things and not feel guilty about it.

For shaft cleaning, each pad gets me 8 smaller pieces.

 

[lfigueroa]

Not a fan of the magic eraser personally. It can raise the grain on a shot no problem. I asked a pro and a shot stop and they both use windex. Their equipment looks to be in impeccable condition.

Having tried both, I think 409 works better.

Lou Figueroa

 

[Drop The Rock]

Having tried both, I think 409 works better.

Lou Figueroa

Well there is your answer ladies and gents!

It was windex multi-surface though Lou!

 

[lfigueroa]

Well there is your answer ladies and gents!

It was windex multi-surface though Lou!

That's the Windex, I tried too, DTR. Looking at the paper towel after, the 409 just seems to take off more crud.

Lou Figueroa

 

[Drop The Rock]

That's the Windex, I tried too, DTR. Looking at the paper towel after, the 409 just seems to take off more crud.

Lou Figueroa

You are a gentleman and a scholar

 

[alstl]

I am the same way. I feel like a nicely blued shaft is like a badge of honor.

LOL - I certainly don't see how it hurts anything but my shafts don't get blue. I think the bluing comes from people who lay the shaft on the rail when bridging off the rail. I use an open bridge about 95 percent of the time including when i bridge off the rail.

 

[Heath Manning]

I've worked on shafts for many years now and have used the method shown in the video link below.
My clients have been happy with the look and feel after the service.
The video shows a tip install and shaft cleaning.
If you would like to just view the cleaning start watching at 13:55 seconds.
Any questions on the process or materials used please call me toll free.

http://manningcues.com/store/Tip-Install-and-Shaft-Cleaning.html