I just purchased my first custom cue, and I am having a slight problem that I thought someone might be able to help me with. The shafts are so tight that I can hardly screw them on and off. All my production cues have metal in the shafts, but these just have wood. It is pretty embarrassing when you have to have someone unscrew your cue for you. I e-mailed the cuemaker and he told me to put furniture polish or hand lotion on the screw, but when I did that and screwed it together it was like a vacuum , and I had to drive the 18 miles to my poolroom with my cue sticking out of my case like a idiot. What should I do? Will it loosen up in time? Should I send it back to the cuemaker? Thanks in advance for your answers.
New Cue-Too Tight
- Thread starter dontscratch
- Start date
inseng said:
I had the same issue when I got my 314 shaft for my Josey (radial pin). It wouldn't even screw all the way on it stopped with about a 1/4" or so to go, and I have a death grip from hell. I was forcing it so much that I could start to hear cracking in the joints glue(or whatever they use) I was reluctant to use liquid because I know a liqiud would potentialy absorb and make it tighter. But I put a few drops of a precision type oil on the threads and kept working it. It is still very tight, but it goes on all the way with out an issue now. I don't know if the stock shaft was the same way because I did not buy this stick new. But the stock shaft does screw on a lot looser now then when I first received it.
Wood will change with humidity. It's really humid here right now. I think the best thing to do is send the cue back. If you don't want to do that then your'll probably have to chase the threads with say 400 grit sand paper.
At what point is it tight. From the very start or just before it's seated. My cue is all wood - wood pin and no insert in the butt. The thread is not cut all the way to the base of the shaft. Light sanding on the unthreaded portion solved this problem for me.
The upside to this is if you take a lot of care you'll get a perfect fit.
Another thing you might try if you don't like the idea of sanding is drying out the female thread. Keep it by an airconditioner vent for a couple of days. Then start threading the cue together and apart several times. This could burnish (work harden) the female threads to the point that it all works.
At what point is it tight. From the very start or just before it's seated. My cue is all wood - wood pin and no insert in the butt. The thread is not cut all the way to the base of the shaft. Light sanding on the unthreaded portion solved this problem for me.
The upside to this is if you take a lot of care you'll get a perfect fit.
Another thing you might try if you don't like the idea of sanding is drying out the female thread. Keep it by an airconditioner vent for a couple of days. Then start threading the cue together and apart several times. This could burnish (work harden) the female threads to the point that it all works.
PoolSleuth
Banned
BEESWAX is also a good lube.....
thanks everyone
dontscratch said:
If you're from the home of the U. S. Open then stop over to Q-Masters in Virginia Beach today. The Spring Open tournie started last night and continues today. Dave Bollman probably has a wax you could on the cue joint.
I've always just taken wax chips from a candle and rubbed them onto the joint pin. I've also heard of people using lead shavings/dust and silicone spray.
dave
dave
Actually...
When they are THAT tight...its because a bit of wood trash is lodged in the thread somewhere. As you force tighten it...it presses the trash down into the threads where it will remain. The solution is to take the tap and just run it through the threads again. This will clean out the debris. I've had them so tight that two people can't screw/unscrew it. Just a quick pass with the tap and presto...it screw on smooth as butter. Be very careful putting wax and other things into the threads...while this will work somewhat...I've also seen it more than once crack a shaft. Too much stuff in the threads and something has to give...snap...crackle ...pop!!!
When they are THAT tight...its because a bit of wood trash is lodged in the thread somewhere. As you force tighten it...it presses the trash down into the threads where it will remain. The solution is to take the tap and just run it through the threads again. This will clean out the debris. I've had them so tight that two people can't screw/unscrew it. Just a quick pass with the tap and presto...it screw on smooth as butter. Be very careful putting wax and other things into the threads...while this will work somewhat...I've also seen it more than once crack a shaft. Too much stuff in the threads and something has to give...snap...crackle ...pop!!!
If you need one Atlas sells them for about $30 if my memory is correct.
www.cuestik.com
Before you buy the tap...try a brush thats made to clean pistol bores. I have an old one for a .45 that works well. Since the 5/16 hole is much smaller than the .45 caliber hole...the brush really cleans it out well. A gun cleaning brush can be bought very cheap from any place that sells firearms...or even Walmart. If the gun brush doesn't work...the tap will correct it for sure. When using the tap (if you have no lathe) just grab it with pliars to hold it as you twist it into the shaft. Make sure that the tap follows the shaft threads correctly...it should just screw in fairly easy. Just watch carefully to see that the tap teeth are threading correctly as you begin. You want the high spots of the teeth going into the low spots of the shaft threads of course.
www.cuestik.com
Before you buy the tap...try a brush thats made to clean pistol bores. I have an old one for a .45 that works well. Since the 5/16 hole is much smaller than the .45 caliber hole...the brush really cleans it out well. A gun cleaning brush can be bought very cheap from any place that sells firearms...or even Walmart. If the gun brush doesn't work...the tap will correct it for sure. When using the tap (if you have no lathe) just grab it with pliars to hold it as you twist it into the shaft. Make sure that the tap follows the shaft threads correctly...it should just screw in fairly easy. Just watch carefully to see that the tap teeth are threading correctly as you begin. You want the high spots of the teeth going into the low spots of the shaft threads of course.
You are not suppose to fight to put the cue together. It's not always easy to buy a tap such as the radial from Atlas, They make two taps for the radial, a regular and an undersized. Do you know which one you need? Another could be different size screws. Another problem may arise from cue makers that grind their threads and under size the hole, it's tighter but is it actually proper. I have seen such cases on a lot of wood threads other than the radial.
worse come to worse, just don't unscrew ur cue ever 
I had a cue with a wood to wood joint and I had to use liquid car wax in the threads applied with a q-tip....I also found that if you gently 'pop' the cue on the side and get it quivering you then quickly grab and twist it will usually break free.....sticking comes from the face of the joint and not the pin....if you apply a little baby oil to it that should solve the problem...
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Powdered Graphite
I have a couple guys who use powdered graphite. It comes in a tube....you squirt a little bit of the dust on the joint pin and screw it in --seems to work pretty good!?
I have a couple guys who use powdered graphite. It comes in a tube....you squirt a little bit of the dust on the joint pin and screw it in --seems to work pretty good!?