Question about storing cues

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poolmyfinger14

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My collection of cues is starting to grow and I wanted to ask the experts on the forum their professional opinions on storing cues. First of all, my table/cues are upstairs and sometimes the temperatures reach around 82 degrees at the most. What is the hottest temperature before I should be concerned about warpage?

Second, if I displayed the cues in a case, what type of display case would you all recommend? Would you all recommend a display case that has the cues apart in two pieces or put together in one? Or would it be best to keep them in my cue cases (not a display case) with joint protectors? Any professional input would be greatly appreciate it.
 
poolmyfinger14 said:
My collection of cues is starting to grow and I wanted to ask the experts on the forum their professional opinions on storing cues. First of all, my table/cues are upstairs and sometimes the temperatures reach around 82 degrees at the most. What is the hottest temperature before I should be concerned about warpage?

Second, if I displayed the cues in a case, what type of display case would you all recommend? Would you all recommend a display case that has the cues apart in two pieces or put together in one? Or would it be best to keep them in my cue cases (not a display case) with joint protectors? Any professional input would be greatly appreciate it.
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The temperature you are taking about above is a little warm however, the problems that occur during storage are mainly associated with temperature fluctuations. In most cases I would recommend storage temperatures between 68 and 73 degrees, because they appear to be ideal for the preservation of pool cues. At these temperatures little if any expansion and contraction will take place and this is the main culprit when considering damage that occurs in most cases to pool cues.

For storage I would recommend any kind storage container that allows the cues to be stored disassembled, cues should never be stored for long periods of time assembled. The reason this is important is because it would almost be impossible to insure that an assembled cue can be stored perfectly straight up and down. If an assembled cue is stored where it is allowed to lean to one side or the other it will warp over a period of time due to the weight of the cue resting against the side of it's holder.

Another consideration when storing cues is to allow breathing room between cues. High humidity could allow moisture to build up in a sealed environment that doesn't allow air movement between objects in that storage container. So make sure what ever storage container you choose will make sure the cues can breath ( Even finished Cues Continue to Breath through the end grain at the joint and the cues butt) and make sure that your storage container allows the cue to be disassembled in two pieces.

What I have here is very important to protect your investment, and whether you choose to spend a great deal of money on storage or a small to moderate amount you must keep the information above in mind.

Take care
 
You should be aware that light also affects cues. I have a friend whom has a nice little collection of cues that he displays in the room with his table. He seldom plays with these cues. Last week he called me stating that he intends to put two (a Scruggs and a McDaniel) on e-bay and donate the proceeds to a woman on his team who has cancer. Anyway, he said that when he took the cues out of this cabinet he noticed that all of the cues with white joints were now two-tone as they now had a different color on the side that had been facing outward toward the lighted area.

I don't know if it is a sunlit room or what kind of lighting he has but it definitely affected the finish or joint material.

Dick
 
UV affects not just the plastics, but also the finishes, and the woods. Yellowing and/or fading of colors is a problem. I say store your cues in cases but if you must display them make sure the display case has "museum glass" that blocks the UV.

I am preparing my new office and my dream has been to display some cues on the wall in a case there, but I won't be doing it until I have a case with UV glass. I'm looking at a few options. In the mean time, my cues are hidden from the light.
 
Great information, I came across this an learned a few things. Very helpful thanks. Skip
 
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