I hear alot about how a shaft gets better with age, hand oils, and a forming of a nice patina. I've also heard that you should take out your cues once in a while if you're not using it to let it breathe. I of course know that if a shaft is going to warp, it's going to warp due to it's moisture, storage and other factors, but I wonder if just using a shaft helps reduce this warping. I mean if you let oils nicely coat your shaft and by the nature of playing with it (letting it breathe) wouldn't that make your shaft a tiny bit stronger i.e. retard the warping process?
I came up with this idea when I noticed that my spare shafts were never as straight as the ones I played with. I never really used them. I also noticed that I have a cue that was built 20 years ago, that hasn't been played with but is warped slightly. The guy I got it from kept it in a case for years. I've also looked at ebay auctions and the ones that have a shaft that has a roll is usually the less played or unplayed shaft. Of course it's also possible they only play with the straight shaft. I have a custom cue coming in a few months and I was thinking it's resale would be nice if I left one shaft pristine, but it'd be as good if both were dead straight. Just a thought.
I came up with this idea when I noticed that my spare shafts were never as straight as the ones I played with. I never really used them. I also noticed that I have a cue that was built 20 years ago, that hasn't been played with but is warped slightly. The guy I got it from kept it in a case for years. I've also looked at ebay auctions and the ones that have a shaft that has a roll is usually the less played or unplayed shaft. Of course it's also possible they only play with the straight shaft. I have a custom cue coming in a few months and I was thinking it's resale would be nice if I left one shaft pristine, but it'd be as good if both were dead straight. Just a thought.