How can a pressed linen wrap be slippery? I ask this because I've only played with pressed linen wraps for years and never thought any of them were slippery at all. I've had some that were supposed to be pressed but were not and they were slippery. I've also played with but not owned production cues that were supposed to be pressed but were not. I've always been able to tell the difference within a few minutes.
I'm not sure what kind of a grip would make the wrap seem more slippery, mine isn't really tight but it certainly isn't loose.
Pushout:
As mentioned in one of my previous posts, an Irish Linen wrap can indeed be considered "slippery" -- especially when you compare it to wraps like:
- Wrapless
- Poly-coated Irish Linen (like what Meucci does -- looks like glass)
- Leather (either flat piece wrapped around the cue, or a "cord" [stack leather])
- Stingray
- ...and of course, the roll-on rubber grips as used by carom players (or those like myself that want something with more "tack" than an Irish Linen grip)
If you compare Irish Linen to *any* of the above grips, I think you can agree that Irish Linen would be considered more "slippery" than the above (even if, as in your case, the Irish Linen is properly installed / maintained).
One thing that you can't argue about Irish Linen, though, is the "old-timers" trick of burnishing the Irish Linen by spinning the cue on a lathe, and pressing a piece of Ash wood against it. This trick was used to "slicken" the Irish Linen for slip-strokers. And slicken it it does! In my slip-stroke days, I used to have a cue with an Ash-burnished Irish Linen grip that would make a high-pitched "zip" sound when I would slip-and-regrip during the slip stroke. It's the same type of sound when a fat lady is wearing pantyhose -- that "zip-zip-zip" sound when she walks.
Double-pressed Irish Linen, though, is much better. This is done with pressure rollers, like these Irish Linen presses found here:
Notice that one tool that has wooden handles with the circular cutout in them -- that area of the tool is used for burnishing the Irish Linen, which is what I'm cautioning those readers [that don't like slick Irish Linen] against. When you have your Irish Linen worked on by your cue repair person, be very stern with him/her, and tell him/her that you want only the pressure-roller treatment, *NOT* the burnishing!
Hope this is helpful,
-Sean
