question about a shaft repair...

ChrisOnline

ChrisOnline

4 8 15 16 23 42
Silver Member
question about a shaft repair...

i have a shaft that has a crack in it.. and its a shaft i would really like to keep as it is a heavy one and plays pretty well.. even with the crack in it..

the crack in it is from the base of the ferrule (ivory ferrule) about
is about an inch long.. and it deffinatly goes all the way through dead center
of the shaft.. i assume it goes through the entire shaft because its exactly
the same on both sides....

what i would like to do is have this shaft repaired and save the ferrule.. the shaft is about 20 years old..

so i was thinking about trying to widen the crack and then shoot some glue into it.. but the more i thought about it.. i figure i will send it out to a professional..

anyways.. i believe what would need to be done is to remove the ferrule and the tennon and repair the shaft from the end with the ferrule removed.. and then have the ferrule put back on and slightly sanded flush....

would this be possible? and would this be the best way to do it?

i would also prefer to keep the shaft thickness or as close as i can withought making it thinner..

i will try to post a pic...

lemme know.. thanks..
chris
 
Last edited:
It doesn't sound like a repair I would attempt. It really sounds like new shaft time. Had you caught the crack when it was just beginning, it might have been worth trying to save, but a crack 1" long that goes all the way through is just too much for me to put my name on. You may want to talk to the guy from Mueller's, Rat Cue. He's supposed to be the miracle worker when it comes to cue repairs.
 
I would try the way you mentioned. Open it up and run some glue into the crack. Make sure you close it tight because you've got one shot at it.
 
Hi,

I repaired a shaft that way that was split in two pieces and the grain and roundness lined up incredibly well before and after removing the clamps. After the glue cured I looked at the cue and thought what if this guy is breaking and it split again? This may be dangerous because the split was very sharp and thin.

For liability protection reasons, I drilled two 3/16" holes and glued in dowels and flushed them to the OD before reconditioning the shaft. It is still out there playing and I sleep at night. I did this job free for a friend just to see how it would turn out.

For the record you would be better off to just having Ryan build you a new shaft to match your cue. You will be happy in the long run.

Rick
 
Last edited:
i believe the crack was made when the cue was send out to be refinished by the person who refinished the cue... he had my cue almost 2 years and then "Lost it" and it just happened to turn up after 5 years....

see what happened was.. i sent the cue out to be redone.. and after almost 2 years of having it.. this person sent the cue back after finanly finishing it.. but really made a mess out of the cue.. so he convinced me to send it back so he could fix it.. so i sent it without the shaft.. and the cue vanished... so like i said.. 3 years after that... which was basically 5 years of not having the cue, it turned up and i got it back.. when i took the shaft out of the case, i noticed the crack.. i am positive it wasnt there when i got the cue and i never played with it before i sent it to get refinished...

anyways.. i think when i have it fixed, i will deffinatly send it to somebody i know knows what they are doing...

i was just looking for opinions... keep em comming :)

chris
 
If I had it to work on, there would be a progression of repairs to stabilize the shaft. First, I would glue the crack as I stated in my first post. I would test it out to make sure it feels right. Next, I may remove the tip to see how the ferrule was installed.

-If a through ferrule, I might drill a 1/4" hole, 1/2"deeper than the crack, install a dowel, and replace the tip. That should prevent and further damage. It may also change the playability of the shaft.

-If capped, I'd stop and consult the owner. I could remove the ferrule and go forward with the same type of process outlined above, replace the ferrule, replace the tip. Again, it may change the way the shaft feels.

Understand the shaft is broken and isn't playing the way it is supposed to anyway. I can get the shaft to play as close as possible but it will never be the 'same.' Also understand that 90% of the players would not be able to tell the difference.
 
shaft repair

Ryan's repair technique with a dowel is what I have used a couple times. I'd send it to him...it's a straightforward repair.
The two I did are still OK after years of play. The hit was fine; whether it was changed by the repair I can't say as I never hit with these shafts before the repair.
 
I should also state my prefered method would be to build a new shaft. I would only attempt a repair like this if the player is hell bent on having it done.





<~~just because I can fix it doesn't mean I should.:embarrassed2:
 
shaft repair

I've also made this repair without the dowel, just epoxy: so far so good. But Ryan is right...the best fix is to replace the shaft.



Ryan, your footnote is all true true.
 
Last edited:
i have tried to take a picture several times.. it seems with my lighting and my camera i cannot get one of it.. its very thin crack and i wouldnt even have noticed it if i didnt hold the shaft close and put some pressure on it... honestly.. i think it would be real hard to get some type of glue inside the crack... would need to use a super fine syringe or something....

its not a large split or anything.... thats why my idea of removing the ferrule and trying to insert the apoxy from the flat side of the end

chris
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top