Players that DON'T like a slick shaft

[ElKabong]

I used to practice/play leagues etc regularly with a very strong player(725ish Fargo).
If he was having a tip put on or cue work done, he was adamant that the shaft not be cleaned.
He would rarely wipe it down, might hit it with a slicker occasionally, but wanted all of the "oils" to stay on it.

How common is this?, my playing stick stays dirty, but i'm a chalk magnet.
I have tried new shafts and when they were new and super slick lost a little feeling or touch maybe.

 

[HawaiianEye]

You can't make a shaft too slick for me.

The slicker, the better as far as I'm concerned.

 

[MattPoland]

I used my first playing cue for 20+ years. It was stained blue all the way to the joint from years of chalk. It was damn near a point of pride for me. I never wanted cue mechanics to clean the shaft. That was about as sacrilege to me as a guitar tech painting a new wood finish over Willy Nelson’s guitar if he brought it in for new strings.

Since then I’ve given that stick to my wife and have zero attachment to those kinds of things.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Ģüśţāṿ]

I keep my shaft smooth, but its dirty as hell and I prefer it that way.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

I use Cue Wax on my Pool Cue shafts, I have been told Magic Eraser will clean off dirt. When I got a new Cue, I started using Cue Wax before first ball is hit. When it is not so slick after some use, I re-wax.

I put the Wax on, let sit 20 minutes, and buff with cotton flannel cloth. Seems to work well for me.

Hopefully someone with Magic Eraser experence will add their suggestions.

 

[HawaiianEye]

I used my first playing cue for 20+ years. It was stained blue all the way to the joint from years of chalk. It was damn near a point of pride for me. I never wanted cue mechanics to clean the shaft. That was about as sacrilege to me as a guitar tech painting a new wood finish over Willy Nelson’s guitar if he brought it in for new strings.

Since then I’ve given that stick to my wife and have zero attachment to those kinds of things.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Sounds kind of like how the Navy Chiefs never wash their coffee cups.

https://www.navyhistory.org/2013/11/dont-wash-that-coffee-mug/

 

[BC21]

I used to practice/play leagues etc regularly with a very strong player(725ish Fargo).
If he was having a tip put on or cue work done, he was adamant that the shaft not be cleaned.
He would rarely wipe it down, might hit it with a slicker occasionally, but wanted all of the "oils" to stay on it.

How common is this?, my playing stick stays dirty, but i'm a chalk magnet.
I have tried new shafts and when they were new and super slick lost a little feeling or touch maybe.

Are you who I think you are?

I always liked a clean shaft, but once I started wearing a glove I quit paying much attention to whether or not the shaft is clean. I still keep the ferrule clean though.

I watched an Efren interview with Mark Wilson, and Mark told a story where he once put a tip on Efren's cue, was real meticulous with doing it as perfect as possible. And as a bonus he cleaned the shaft, which pissed Efren off because he said the dirt was holding all the magic!

 

[Rodney]

I haven’t cleaned mine in years and I have a cue lathe. Most customers wAnt it cleaned but there’s 2 besides me that don’t like it.

 

[ElKabong]

Are you who I think you are?

I always liked a clean shaft, but once I started wearing a glove I quit paying much attention to whether or not the shaft is clean. I still keep the ferrule clean though.

I watched an Efren interview with Mark Wilson, and Mark told a story where he once put a tip on Efren's cue, was real meticulous with doing it as perfect as possible. And as a bonus he cleaned the shaft, which pissed Efren off because he said the dirt was holding all the magic!

We can play all pool games even, but you would have to spot me the 7 drinking bourbon.

 

[evergruven]

Sounds kind of like how the Navy Chiefs never wash their coffee cups.

https://www.navyhistory.org/2013/11/dont-wash-that-coffee-mug/

good analogy and fun read

I have some older cues that are pretty dirty
they actually seem pretty nicely "sealed" over the years
with so much chalk and oil, etc.
and interestingly, they stroke pretty slickly now
it seems all that environment soaked up over time
done them good
and even if I wanted to clean them at this point
I'm not sure I could

personally, I wipe down my cues regularly
I don't like a blue ferrule, etc.
but I could definitely see where
"seasoning" a cue, coffee mug, etc.
could help connect the item with the user
and bring out that relationship's "flavor" :thumbup:

re: using a magic eraser
I keep one in my bag
it's a neat tool
but is abrasive
so I wouldn't use it
unless I needed to
take the shaft down a layer
and open it up

 

[Geosnooker]

My Snooker cue is 14years old. I wipe it lightly with super fine steel wool every couple weeks. Otherwise I use just a bit of cloth or paper towell . Still as good as new. chalk stain around the ferrule but I don’t care.

I’m not sure where it is on the slickness scale. Just right for me as it’s what Im used to. I also live in a dry climate and I don’t sweat much even if I go for a run or cycle. Hands never perspire if playing billiards.

I never clean my cue because of appearance. Nothing really happens to it. Never any need for special cleaners, joint protectors, etc. I don’t eat when out, never have smoked, etc so my hands are clean. I’m also meticulous at keeping my home table clean.

 

[ribdoner]

i didn't clean my shafts when i played, however, i'd burnish them as required

a friend had a boti which is now in Dr Wu's collection valued at 40K (6 point, piloted Iv joint) and the shafts were almost black from lack of any cleaning or maintenance

i have "dry" hands so the humidity in this area didn't bother me as it would if my hands were "wet"

 

[Black-Balled]

I am a damp cloth wiper only and like shaft blue. Not sure how one can see the end when the wood/ ferrule are so close in color.

And I always tell the tip man there should be no shaft cleaning on my cues.

 

[Straightpool_99]

I like my shafts clean, but I'm not in the 700's on Fargorate, so who cares.

 

[BC21]

We can play all pool games even, but you would have to spot me the 7 drinking bourbon.

Excellent. It's a done deal, if this quarantine ever ends. :thumbup:

 

[Bavafongoul]

I disagree with those that claim waxing a shaft will ruin it.
I have been doing it since 1985 after meeting Bob Runde.
He explained what to do if the cue he made got any nicks.

The best cue wax is Craftsman Cue Wax from Craftsman
Cues in Birmingham, England. It’s become difficult, if not
impossible to get. Shipping to the USA is a pain in the butt
for Craftsman and so I switched to Renaissance Wax which
is nearly as good so much it’s not worth the effort to try and
locate Craftsman Cue Wax. The wax acts like a wood sealer.

There has never been a single player out of the hundreds that
have seen and examined my cues that wasn’t amazed by how
smooth all the shafts are for the cues in my cue case (6x12).
If anyone knows Tommy Hill, ask him about how smooth a
shaft is after I have refinished it. It’s really better than brand new.

 

[PoolFan101]

I use Cue Wax on my Pool Cue shafts, I have been told Magic Eraser will clean off dirt. When I got a new Cue, I started using Cue Wax before first ball is hit. When it is not so slick after some use, I re-wax.

I put the Wax on, let sit 20 minutes, and buff with cotton flannel cloth. Seems to work well for me.

Hopefully someone with Magic Eraser experence will add their suggestions.

Magic eraser will clean up a shaft like new , but I do not use water as I do not like water on my Shafts. I dampen very lightly with 91 percent Alcohol. Then I scrub down the shaft until clean . let dry then take a piece of parchment paper and give the shaft and ferrule a go over. Then I polish with Johnson floor wax. Let dry to a haze and then buff to a gloss using micro fiber cloths, The shaft is as slick as glass and that is how I like them. My Shafts still look brand new.

 

[ShootingArts]

slicker'n snot!

good analogy and fun read

I have some older cues that are pretty dirty
they actually seem pretty nicely "sealed" over the years
with so much chalk and oil, etc.
and interestingly, they stroke pretty slickly now
it seems all that environment soaked up over time
done them good
and even if I wanted to clean them at this point
I'm not sure I could

personally, I wipe down my cues regularly
I don't like a blue ferrule, etc.
but I could definitely see where
"seasoning" a cue, coffee mug, etc.
could help connect the item with the user
and bring out that relationship's "flavor" :thumbup:

re: using a magic eraser
I keep one in my bag
it's a neat tool
but is abrasive
so I wouldn't use it
unless I needed to
take the shaft down a layer
and open it up

Evergruven is spot on here, Magic Eraser is abrasive. The Scotch-Brite pads all have various grades of grit too with each color representing how coarse the pad abrasive is. Blue is the only color that has no grit best I recall.

I tried steel wool on a shaft once long ago, some five ought or so superfine stuff. Damned near ruined the shaft! Cuts down softer wood and leaves the harder grain behind. Just don't do it, or do if you like shafts like that.

I just use the finest sandpaper I can find, 2000 grit or finer. I used to have 200 proof alcohol and a friendly druggist can get you that. 99% too special order. Little or no water in either one and I used them both for cleaning cues. Great for cleaning circuit boards and electronics last I knew too. The 200 proof stuff is the first run of grain alcohol or similar, so if you want to spike the punch it works but don't tip the jug hard. That stuff is raw, very raw, according to stories I have heard of course!:grin:

Somebody should post a thread about folks that like a slick shaft, I would like to hear various recipes and techniques. I like my cue shafts slicker'n snot! I found some Slip-Stick I had bought a decade or two ago. Put it on my shaft, couldn't make a ball! No light over my pool table yet and the glare off of the shiny shaft was coming from everywhere but top center! Got to clean it off the shaft. It is slick but shiny enough I need shades on to play.

Hu

 

[buckshotshoey]

Most of my cleaning is with a dry microfiber cloth. Periodically I use Cue Doctor shaft cleaner/conditioner. I use a glove in the really humid conditions.

 

[Thunder Thighs]

The best cue wax is Craftsman Cue Wax from Craftsman
Cues in Birmingham, England. It’s become difficult, if not
impossible to get. Shipping to the USA is a pain in the butt
for Craftsman

Send me a PM when this whole Corona lockdown is over. I’d be glad to arrange a tin to be sent to you.