Players that DON'T like a slick shaft

[cmll2000]

The worst most crap encrusted shaft I have ever touched was Mosconi's after I played him in an exhibition. I couldn't believe how much stuff was stuck on it and how sticky it was so I asked him " How do you play with this"
and he replied "Didn't I just run 100 balls on you?"
Never trust one who has a lathe to put a tip on without telling him to not touch the shaft or refinish.
Guy obviously cut new Kamui too small so he cut my new Meucci shaft down to match even after I told hjm not to touch the shaft along with the Mosconi story above. Shaft never used after that.

 

[Black-Balled]

and I'll add that a blue shaft can be slick too...

 

[WinterArcher]

The "magic eraser" is a melamine foam. It is essentially a superfine and very hard abrasive which it why it it cust through grime so well. It will weal the original surface a little.

 

[Bavafongoul]

The person I used to deal with at Craftsman was a sweetheart of a guy, Simon.
He was a true gentleman and I used to order the wax 7-10 cans at a time due
to the shipping cost from Birmingham. My pals would piggyback off my purchases.

Then this one time I placed an order during the summer months. it was a large order
too. All of my previous orders were in the winter, fall or early spring except this one.
The transit time is long coming from England to California and that summer CA was
experiencing a heatwave and where I reside in Fresno, temps reach triple digits often
That summer the order shipped we had 22 days in a row well over a 100 degrees.

When the Craftsman cue wax shipment arrived, it had suffered a meltdown and you
could literally pour the wax out like it was a chocolate syrup. I tried reconstituting it
using cold temperature but it never performed like before. Half the order was for my
pals and so I contacted Simon about what happened. There wasn’t any hesitancy
and he issued me a refund right away full price. I messaged him the next day and
told him that 4-5 of the cans turned out okay and I offered to pay him. He politely
declined saying it was a shipping mishap and those things happen from time to time.

In fact, he was still apologetic since the first time I alerted him and suggested that my
next order should contemplate the weather factor and maybe order as before during
the colder weather. I think his last name was a Brown, Simon Brown if I recall correctly.

The product is so great I wanted to try and get distribution rights in the USA if that could
be arranged. Plus the customer service was spectacular and I ordered some Peradon
leather chalk pouches and was thinking of getting a snooker cue. However I was never
able to reconnect with Simon again to place an order for cue wax. I tried messaging my
order request for bulk shipping a few times but it was never answered. After finally running
out, I switched to Renaissance Wax but to this day still patrol eBay for Craftsman Cue Wax
which is where I first discovered it as buy it now listings for 3 cans of Craftsman cue wax.

Thank you for the kind offer. If you search my threads & also my posts to others’ threads about
pool cue wax, I have always told others about Craftsman Cue Wax being the best cue wax I’ve
ever tried, including Renaissance Wax. I do know what the formulation is but it applies great and
the finish is just the best of any cue wax I’ve used. A satin smooth cue shaft is just more enjoyable.

 

[John R]

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.

mom fairly meticulous about my shafts and keeping them clean. Even when I ask a cue maker to make me a shaft I specify that I want clean looking wood, no mineral streaks . Anyone that I let use me equipment always comments on how nice and slick the shafts are . Just a personal preference but that’s the way I like it.

 

[jasonlaus]

The bluer the better for a true playing cue/shaft.

I try to keep the high end Cues clean which is a distraction but has to be done for resale unless you have a minimum of 3 shafts

 

[Stickman9]

I use a shaft cleaner and burnish it with leather. I do NOT want the shaft cleaned when I have a new tip put on. "Cleaning" always entails some sanding. After a while, I would end up with a toothpick. Toothpaste works well for ferules.

 

[SSDiver2112]

I like it slick. When I started playing I had a cheap graphite cue which is smooth but not slick, so I had to use powder and avoided a closed bridge. I contemplated the glove, but when I got a nicer cue I loved the slick glide of the cue. I carry the individual alcohol prep pads in my case to clean the shaft. I don't use them every single time, but I always wipe it off with a towel before packing up. I use a Q-wiz to keep it slick.

 

[philly]

I have four identical shafts that I rotate on my player.
Never clean them or polish them.
Just wipe them down with a towel when I finish a session and before I start a session.
All smooth as a baby's ass.

 

[Black-Balled]

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.

I also request the shaft not be cleaned, but I wipe with wet paper towel pretty regularly.

I'd say my shafts are as slick as they can get, bit I know lubricants/ treatments would prove me wrong on that...but mine are like glass...blue grass.

 

[JayRack]

Have to play with a clean shaft. It might be my OCD. I clean mine before a money game or tournament... Just got a new cue and the ferrule is a magnet for chalk. Gets on my nerves.

 

[Cuebuddy]

My shaft is blue but anymore when I play, I see red, and that makes me blue.

 

[Greg M]

I carry a cue towel and a few sheets of A4 paper in my case. Both work wonders for getting rid of grime and sweat build-up on the shaft.

 

[hang-the-9]

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.

Having a shaft cleaned to the point of removing the built up dirt to make it look like new is not quite the same as cleaning it so it's smooth. You can have a shaft perfectly smooth and still have it look worn in. I am guessing the player simply did not want it cleaned to look new.