problem with a new cue I just recieved

If the cue plays great , don't sweat it ... If you can't play a lick , send it back , and next time purchase a picture ... Cosmetic flaws don't effect a cues playability ... People who expect perfection only get disappointment ... If you don't shoot the balls in the hole you don't get paid , what else really matters ... :eek:
 
Eric Wynne said:
If the cue plays great , don't sweat it ... If you can't play a lick , send it back , and next time purchase a picture ... Cosmetic flaws don't effect a cues playability ... People who expect perfection only get disappointment ... If you don't shoot the balls in the hole you don't get paid , what else really matters ... :eek:
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If the cue maker used marker pens to correct things like uneven points he has a legitimate complaint. You find this kind of stuff on cues and if I just paid $3800. for a cue and it had that kind of stuff on it, I would want my money back no questions asked.
 
For me, pool is a game which is highly inflicted by the way my head is affected and "used" or distracted....
If I have a tip which is not round and something is sticking out over the ferrule, it's enough to put my thoughts where they should not be.

The same apply for me in respect of cues. I need to feel comfortable that the cue is "right" and a streaked
ebony cue was for me annoying (when I received it) and I had to ship it back to the manufacturer. I then received a new cue and it looked much better
- hence my brain was not focusing on minor things, just playing pool and enjoying the game.

If the cue makes you focus on the wrong things and feel it's not according to what you like, I would try to have it fixed or looked at.
We spend $ on these things because we want the correct feel including the looks of a cue - not just how it mechanically is built up and physical playability.
We pay for a package :)

However as mentioned by Chris, some times the wood makes funny stuff which is not the cue makers "mistake" or "bad work".
My cue was simply affected some way and had a fairly bright portion of the wood glowing up under the table lights.
I learned that a black ebony cue is not something I would buy again since it's natural variations could be large.

I can add pics of "natural variations" in ebony and a pic of how a cue have been "evened out" by using a felt pen to make points "even" in length if this is of interest.

K
 
Eric Wynne said:
If the cue plays great , don't sweat it ... If you can't play a lick , send it back , and next time purchase a picture ... Cosmetic flaws don't effect a cues playability ... People who expect perfection only get disappointment ... If you don't shoot the balls in the hole you don't get paid , what else really matters ... :eek:
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i can appreciate where you're coming from here but for the amount of cash the guy paid he deserves better. he could get a great playing cue for under 500. the fact is he paid 3800 and he's finding marker on it and a rattel in the joint.

that's just not right
 
poolplayer2093 said:
i can appreciate where you're coming from here but for the amount of cash the guy paid he deserves better. he could get a great playing cue for under 500. the fact is he paid 3800 and he's finding marker on it and a rattel in the joint.

that's just not right
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Your opinion is duly noted but until proof is presented that a marker was used by the builder to hide any flaws, you're pretty much running on assumption. No one has yet seen this cue so basically you are offering an opinion rooted in hearsay.

Are you a cue maker? Do you have any experience working with ebony? Do you possess such a level of knowledge of ebony that you can say beyond any doubt, particularly in the absence of a pic, that the builder is guilty of any impropriety? Why would you want to know who the builder is before you know for sure that a wrong has been committed? The reason I ask is that a CM spends years building a reputation and I don't see any value in tearing this builder down until ALL the facts are in. The OP is aware of this. By exercising discretion in his initial post by deliberately omitting the builder's name, he is acknowledging that there is an element of doubt.
No CM, and I don't care who he is, is above the level of reproach. But how about we wait until the jury is in before the gallery pronounces judgment.

Not once has 'rattle in the joint' been mentioned anywhere in this thread until you brought it up. The OP didn't mention it so I'm wondering where you got that.

I'll agree with you on one thing, "that's just not right".
 
The only way to know 100% sure it's a marker is by destroying the cue. You'll need to strip finish & then cut or sand into the black streaks. Until you are ready to do that, you have very little or no justifiable purpose to question the builder's integrity. There simply is no other way to know.
 
I agree with Kj and Eric, It's way to early to give judgement, especially since no proof of any kind has been provided. Pics had been requested earlier, and not posted/not addressed. Someone described a way to use a special light to tell about the marker, but the OP has been pretty quiet since this thread started. I believe the ball is in the OP's court, as to was there foul play by the CM, or just a misjudgement of the customer. If one isn't familiar with the woods, and their nature, it's understandable to be concerned about the black streaks. The price paid was hefty and the cue shouldn't have a roll, but it's easily fixed with a facing more than likely. Damaging a CM's rep for the natural appearance of the wood is hard to undo. The OP said he was going to see the CM that made it, and until then, IMHO, all judgements should be put on hold.

Happy "T" day AZ'ers
Dave
 
qbilder said:
The only way to know 100% sure it's a marker is by destroying the cue. You'll need to strip finish & then cut or sand into the black streaks. Until you are ready to do that, you have very little or no justifiable purpose to question the builder's integrity. There simply is no other way to know.
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No other way? Not really. My wife buys art works and she can tell any repair, touch up or restoration. I mentioned in an earlier post that ink will show up under the right light. Ever see cops find blood stains no matter how much someone tried to wash them out? Even if the wood had just been stained you could tell.
 
I'm not sure what kind of light could tell, but a black light couldn't. Cops spray luminal on areas to light & the chemical reaction is what triggers the glow under black light.

I still think the only 100% way to be sure is by removing the finish & sanding or cutting the suspect area. Unless there is a scientifically proven method of determining one way or the other, it's still left up to human eyes & opinion. Human opinion wouldn't be good enough for me.
 
i would think certain chemicals or solvents would be hot enough to wipe off any type of ink out there.i would think reducer or stripper and maybe even acetone or MEK should take off any ink spots in the wood.maybe certain inks/dyes are more resilient though.

it is usually pretty easy to tell ink when you get under the finish.i have seen some cues with inked point ends buy some high end guys before.i am not going to name any names,but i was schocked.i have also seen an Ebony SW that wasn't Ebony,it was black ink/dye on Maple and a j/b cue that was painted black under the finish.
 
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i agree mason. before i was making a friend sent off a very dark stained predator (red stained maple. wine color) to a local guy to have it stripped and he took all that red out of the cue without cutting or sanding anything. he didnt ike the color and restained it honey or antique. no trace of red sye what-so-ever left on that BEM
 
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