mr. clean magic eraser - shaft cleaning

Shermanscs

Shermanscs

Steve sherman
Silver Member
I had read somewhere about using the mr. clean magic eraser for cleaning your cue shaft. I decided to give it a try & wow, did it do an awesome job! I dampened it, squeezed out the excess water and cleaned the shaft and ferrule, then wiped down with a cotton cloth. I could not believe the grime and build up that was on my shaft, which, within seconds, is now like new!

Before I sing the praises too much, I would be interested in opinions of other members as to using this to clean your cue as opposed to products made specifically for this purpose.

- Steve
 
Hi Steve:

Careful with using water with the Magic Eraser. Since you're actually removing the "protective" grime on the cue, the water's effect of raising the wood fibers is accentuated. Hence the "mossy" feeling you get that you have to then sand down. Do this enough times, and you'll actually create pits in the wood where the fibers lifted up and were sanded-off.

It's much better to use denatured alcohol with the Magic Eraser. (Denatured alcohol, for those not familiar, is anhydrous alcohol -- alcohol without water. It's used as fuel for alcohol stoves, to thin shellac, and as a cleaning solvent. It will NOT damage the glue holding the laminations of the shaft together, like lighter fluid [which was often recommended in the past to clean the shaft]. You can get denatured alcohol at any orange box [Home Depot] or any hardware store. It's very inexpensive.)

Just FYI,
-Sean
 
If the shaft is really dirty, then Magic Eraser dampened with denatured alcohol works great for the initial cleaning. I follow up with a couple of coats of bowling floor wax. Then just an occasional wiping with a dry Magic Eraser keeps it very clean. Another coat of wax every 2 or 3 months is all it takes.
 
ArizonaPete said:
If the shaft is really dirty, then Magic Eraser dampened with denatured alcohol works great for the initial cleaning. I follow up with a couple of coats of bowling floor wax. Then just an occasional wiping with a dry Magic Eraser keeps it very clean. Another coat of wax every 2 or 3 months is all it takes.
Click to expand...

i use a magic eraser also. the bowling floor wax sounds like a good idea.

what type of store would i find that wax at ?
 
I bought a can of Butchers Bowling Alley wax on E-bay. It will last forever. It's been recommended here on the Forum by several cuemakers - that's why I bought it. Good luck in keeping your shaft clean and slick.
 
I just picked up denatured alcohol from home depot. It was $7 for a can that will last me a lifetime. Now off to find the wax. Thanks for the tips everyone!
 
Magic Eraser is pretty much the standard in shaft maintenance.
Many repair men use it. Alcohol evaporates quicker than water so it is preferable in that you don't want to raise the wood grain of the shaft.

Something else you might like to use is ammonia. I got a large jug of the lemon scented for a little over a dollar. It can be hard on the lungs so if you were to use it, I would suggest using a respirator.

If you are planning on using a finer grit sand paper, keep in mind that you will be baring the wood. I would strongly recommend the use of a sanding sealer before you wax and burnish the shaft.

Chris Hightower sells a Shaft Sealer that I use. Its works great and I apply cue wax over top. other than that, there are many wood sealers that will work as well.

Regular shaft maintenance is something that anyone can do at home with a minimum of supplies and tools.

There some cue supplies out there that are just regular cleaning products
repackaged for the Billiard industry.

You know the expensive little bottles of cream cleaner with grit in it?
Try using Vim. Still, in saying that, be careful in reading the label on anything that you are planning on using. Some cleaners may contain ingredients that you might not want to put on your shaft.

Another product is Q Silk. All that is, is a ladies hair care product for the frizzies. I bought a bottle of Pantene only because it was on sale for $9. Lifetime supply right there. You can put some of the Pantene into a smaller bottle that will fit in your cue case.
The spelling might be wrong but look for any hair care product for the frizzies that contains dimethycol.
 
Last edited:
Teflon wax

Back a few years ago Dupont came out with a product called teflon wipes--ment to be used on the dash of cars to shine and clean. I made the mistake of using the stuff to clean my steering wheel--could hardly handle the dang car afterwards because it made the wheel so slick. Then I got the idea--wonder what this suff will do on my cue--wonders behold it cleaned the ferrule (ivory) and the shaft like new. Then I used 30,000 grit paper from 3M (made to clean heads on tape machines) and sealed the shaft. Dang cues so slick ya got to grip the shaft with your bridge hand to keep it steady when stroking.
Then I got the idea of using this stuff on the cue ball--I set a ball straight in from around the side and shot the ball into the corner pocket down the table with just enough bottom to draw it back about a foot. Then I wiped the cue ball down with the teflon and tried the same shot with the same speed and bottom--damn ball drew all the way back to the bottom rail and almost back up to the side from where it started.
Billy Johnson came in later and I showed him what I found and gave hime a few of the wipes--what a smile he had on his face after he saw what this would do--if one thought he had his table down pat and someone cleaned the cue ball with this stuff--well if your used to what this stuff will do--you can play with it--someone who isn't might be talking to themselves for days afterwards about how strong their stroke got for no reason, just out of the blue.
Product now is only avaiable as Dupont teflon dry wax--you spray it on a paper towel and wipe down and then let dry.
 
sfleinen said:
Hi Steve:

Careful with using water with the Magic Eraser. Since you're actually removing the "protective" grime on the cue, the water's effect of raising the wood fibers is accentuated. Hence the "mossy" feeling you get that you have to then sand down. Do this enough times, and you'll actually create pits in the wood where the fibers lifted up and were sanded-off.

It's much better to use denatured alcohol with the Magic Eraser. (Denatured alcohol, for those not familiar, is anhydrous alcohol -- alcohol without water. It's used as fuel for alcohol stoves, to thin shellac, and as a cleaning solvent. It will NOT damage the glue holding the laminations of the shaft together, like lighter fluid [which was often recommended in the past to clean the shaft]. You can get denatured alcohol at any orange box [Home Depot] or any hardware store. It's very inexpensive.)

Just FYI,
-Sean
Click to expand...

Firstly, is there anyone on here who you don't know the Christian name of? ;)

Properly, we don't have rubbing alcohol here in the UK - it's called Surgical Spirit, apparently. Anyway, the Surgical Spirit I have is castor oil 2.5%, Methyl Salicylate 0.5% and methylated Spirit 95%.


Is this the same stuff? I've got to clean a Predator shaft, and don't want to muck it up.
 
I find I keep wiping my shaft lightly with green Scotch Brite I keep in my case. I'm sure it removes a very small amount wood each time, but since I switched to a thicker shaft it's not a big deal of over time it thins out slightly.

I bought some Butcher's Wax, but after applying it still gummed up after a session or two and I was back to normal methods. I put some on and rubbed it in vigorously with a towel then burnished with a leather pad. Shaft was hot to the touch when I was done, but didn't seem to help much. I would love to find a method to clean and seal the shaft once and for all, even if I had to reperform the procedure every few months. Certainly not every time I play like now.

Any suggestions on sealing with the wax or other methods to avoid the light scrubbing with the Scotch Brite once or twice a night?
Scott
 
Chip Roberson said:
Back a few years ago Dupont came out with a product called teflon wipes--ment to be used on the dash of cars to shine and clean. I made the mistake of using the stuff to clean my steering wheel--could hardly handle the dang car afterwards because it made the wheel so slick. Then I got the idea--wonder what this suff will do on my cue--wonders behold it cleaned the ferrule (ivory) and the shaft like new. Then I used 30,000 grit paper from 3M (made to clean heads on tape machines) and sealed the shaft. Dang cues so slick ya got to grip the shaft with your bridge hand to keep it steady when stroking.
--snip --
Product now is only avaiable as Dupont teflon dry wax--you spray it on a paper towel and wipe down and then let dry.
Click to expand...

This is it looks like http://www.amazon.com/Dupont-Multi-Use-Lubricant-squeeze-D00020101-C/dp/B0009LSXNQ

Seems a bit like Armor All, you don't want to be using that stuff on the steering wheel or pedals, makes it shiny but dangerous.

I wonder if those Slik Q products and such are the same thing, or very close at least.

Going to try this out. Luckily my stick has three shafts, I may assign my least favorite one to testing duties hehe.
 
TheThaiger said:
Firstly, is there anyone on here who you don't know the Christian name of? ;)

Properly, we don't have rubbing alcohol here in the UK - it's called Surgical Spirit, apparently. Anyway, the Surgical Spirit I have is castor oil 2.5%, Methyl Salicylate 0.5% and methylated Spirit 95%.


Is this the same stuff? I've got to clean a Predator shaft, and don't want to muck it up.
Click to expand...

The denatured alcohol that Sean was referring to is not the same as rubbing alcohol, which contains a significant amount of water (about 30%). Denatured alcohol is also known as methylated spirits. Try looking at hardware or paint stores, or places that sell camping supplies.
 
I use Magic Eraser selectively, and even micowave a piece real hot, and lightly moist.
Then I may hit it with a little 600 and use various waxes and sealers.
Sometimes I also do 9-steps of Micro Mesh from 1500 to 12000, which puts a nice O'natural finish.
If it is an old shaft with a nice patina I don't use Magic Eraser.
 
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