PORPER'S SHAFT CLEANER
- Thread starter CESSNA10
- Start date
Just curious as to why you didn't ask before ordering? Is it that liquid stuff? I know friends who tried it and weren't impressed.
Yes its white liquid
I've tried a lot of cleaners. They all work to to some degree. Just be sure to wipe it really dry. I always leave my shafts out for several hours just to ensure I'm not putting it back in the case with any moisture. I've been doing that for 35 years and never had a shaft warp on me.
boogieman
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
I'm kind of leery of most products unless a cue maker gives them a standing ovation. If you don't want to go nuts and get a drill based lathe, this is what I'd do in a DIY situation:
91% or higher Isopropyl Alcohol on a magic eraser. Clean the shaft. Let it dry fully. Use a Q-wiz, both sides, burnishing with the burnishing side. Burnish with an empty paper towel tube. Put a very small amount of Renaissance Wax on the shaft and polish it well with some cotton fabric. If it feels sticky, polish it more because the wax was on too thick, you gotta rub it off. It will feel super smooth and not get sticky in high humidity as some other wax can. If you want you can apply more layers of wax, buffing in between each coat. It will not feel waxy in the least, just smooth. It's basically impervious to chalk dust and you can refinish anytime in the future. Stays very clean and not sticky or wax like feeling. Just dead glass-smooth.
If you want to get a drill based one like the sharpshooter, get the micro finishing films he sells also (it's on ebay). Do the alcohol on the magic eraser. Let it dry. Go through the grits on the micro finish film, you might or might not need the roughest one depending on how dirty the shaft is. Burnish the piss out of it with an old paper towel tube (tp tube might work but make sure you're not burnishing on the tube's glue). Then do the Renaissance Wax. I apply it very lightly while in the lathe while spinning very slowly. Buff lightly with cotton at a quicker speed, repeat. If you go through the films, it will be a better finish than you'll get on a brand new cue. I'll put an hour into making a custom cue/shaft I get actually perfect. My guess is that not many cuemakers are going to spend an hour on the shaft but I do.
If you have dents, clean the shaft with the magic erasure/alcohol. Let dry. Find the dents. Use feel and light to find them. Use the very corner of a paper towel dipped in water. You don't want to soak the whole shaft, just the dented area. Put the corner on the dent, then hit it with a soldering iron right on the dent. The largest tip with the largest flat you can get. Mine is a bench top style, it's temp controlled and I do it at 450F, don't know if that's right or wrong but it works and no burns or discolorations on the wood. Check frequently, the dent will come out, even bad ones with repeated steaming. Let it dry. Follow it up by burnishing with paper towel tube, then do the micro films and follow the rest of the above.
Bad gouges like from dropping on cement, where the wood is gouged/tore can sometimes be steamed out mostly. If they are super deep you can build up thin layers of super glue and sand any small overfill. I use a small diamond knife sharpener stone as it's perfectly flat and not super aggressive. It's about an inch wide. You don't want to touch the wood at all, just get the glue perfectly flush. If you get it perfectly flush you won't have any issues with it ever. There might be other methods but this works and you won't feel it ever when stroking.
91% or higher Isopropyl Alcohol on a magic eraser. Clean the shaft. Let it dry fully. Use a Q-wiz, both sides, burnishing with the burnishing side. Burnish with an empty paper towel tube. Put a very small amount of Renaissance Wax on the shaft and polish it well with some cotton fabric. If it feels sticky, polish it more because the wax was on too thick, you gotta rub it off. It will feel super smooth and not get sticky in high humidity as some other wax can. If you want you can apply more layers of wax, buffing in between each coat. It will not feel waxy in the least, just smooth. It's basically impervious to chalk dust and you can refinish anytime in the future. Stays very clean and not sticky or wax like feeling. Just dead glass-smooth.
If you want to get a drill based one like the sharpshooter, get the micro finishing films he sells also (it's on ebay). Do the alcohol on the magic eraser. Let it dry. Go through the grits on the micro finish film, you might or might not need the roughest one depending on how dirty the shaft is. Burnish the piss out of it with an old paper towel tube (tp tube might work but make sure you're not burnishing on the tube's glue). Then do the Renaissance Wax. I apply it very lightly while in the lathe while spinning very slowly. Buff lightly with cotton at a quicker speed, repeat. If you go through the films, it will be a better finish than you'll get on a brand new cue. I'll put an hour into making a custom cue/shaft I get actually perfect. My guess is that not many cuemakers are going to spend an hour on the shaft but I do.
If you have dents, clean the shaft with the magic erasure/alcohol. Let dry. Find the dents. Use feel and light to find them. Use the very corner of a paper towel dipped in water. You don't want to soak the whole shaft, just the dented area. Put the corner on the dent, then hit it with a soldering iron right on the dent. The largest tip with the largest flat you can get. Mine is a bench top style, it's temp controlled and I do it at 450F, don't know if that's right or wrong but it works and no burns or discolorations on the wood. Check frequently, the dent will come out, even bad ones with repeated steaming. Let it dry. Follow it up by burnishing with paper towel tube, then do the micro films and follow the rest of the above.
Bad gouges like from dropping on cement, where the wood is gouged/tore can sometimes be steamed out mostly. If they are super deep you can build up thin layers of super glue and sand any small overfill. I use a small diamond knife sharpener stone as it's perfectly flat and not super aggressive. It's about an inch wide. You don't want to touch the wood at all, just get the glue perfectly flush. If you get it perfectly flush you won't have any issues with it ever. There might be other methods but this works and you won't feel it ever when stroking.
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