Question on tip tool material...

The old willards in my case does a fine job, replace a tip about once a year because I feel like it. Pretty sure I could get 3 or 4 years out of a tip if I wanted.
 
I am going to start off with a disclaimer . I hardly ever touch my tips with anything but chalk . Most of my cues still have whatever the factory put on them. Some cues are 10-12 years old with the original tip.

I do have one cue that I had a kamui clear soft put on about 2 years ago and have only scuffed 3-4 times. I bought the gator grip and like others on here was not really impressed with it and put it I the bag and forgot about it. After reading this thread I looked up the you tube video and watched how to use it.

I was still not impressed after trying the rolling method. I then tried rolling and dragging the tip across...if that makes any sense and was happy with the results.

Again...i hardly ever scuff my tips and a cue cube has always been my main scuffer but the gator grip works alright after I modified how the video shows how to use it. Really dont think its worth the price though.
 
81bBS24bglL._SL1500_.jpg




Sorry for the increased page size, guys, but I wanted to show the surface area better
so someone might know where to source this stuff. That one is the Kamui which is apparently stainless steel.



Jeff Livingston
 
chefjeff said:
Thanks. According to the posters there, it is very aggressive, not like what the Kamui thingy is at all.

The design of the material looks similar, though, so maybe this stuff comes in various grades?

Anyone know where a guy can get some of that stuff in sheets or rolls or whatever?


Jeff Livingston
Click to expand...
I got the Sandman Jeff for about half the cost of the Kamui.
I flattened it out, cut it in half, gave 1 to a friend.
It measures 2.25 x 1.5 after I cut it in half.
I use it as shown in this video and it works better than another friends Kamui. Hope this helps some of y'all ~
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...68AAF216E75F0AF6B1F468AAF216E75F0AF&FORM=VIRE
 
Amazon sells it as well. They say it's 400 Grit. If you use it the way it's intended as per Kamui(rolling,not scuffing), it will work just fine.

It may be just as easy to get a sandman, as JohnnyR stated, and flatten it out/cut in half. I've had mine at least 5yrs.

I Still prefer the tip-pik. Easy to use, just don't go nuts with it.
Lightly perforate.
 
Tooler said:
Amazon sells it as well. They say it's 400 Grit. If you use it the way it's intended as per Kamui(rolling,not scuffing), it will work just fine.

It may be just as easy to get a sandman, as JohnnyR stated, and flatten it out/cut in half. I've had mine at least 5yrs.

I Still prefer the tip-pik. Easy to use, just don't go nuts with it.
Lightly perforate.
Click to expand...

I ordered some of that shark skin stuff from StewMac. The video where they use it on guitars shows it to be quite aggressive, not anything llike that "roll the tip on it" stuff in the Kamui.

Like I said, I'll see how it compares and get back here.

Thanks for you input,



Jeff Livingston
 
The Kamui tool works just fine although I've seen them completely worn out. The Sandman tool is courser than the Gator Grip but also works just fine. The advantaged the Sandman has is its curved for shaping a new tip, but you can also roll the tip for periodic dressing.

The comments related to ideas such as "it doesn't seem to do much" IMO can be discounted. You don't need to do much.

In the early days of the Tip Pick, it was found that the original was damaging to layered tip, so they designed one for layered tips. No needles.

The old Tip Tapper was much more aggressive but was designed before layered tips and not exactly appropriate, but if used properly it will do a nice job. The original Tip Tapper is sharper than the knock-offs.

If you insist on something akin to the Gator Grip (flat tool) but much more aggressive use the old 4 sided wood rasp or what I did, get a 14" Bastard file and cut a 2" section out of it. This becomes a very sharp Tip Tapper.

In the old days players would carry a small piece of 100 grit sandpaper. For dressing the tip they would hold the paper against their case, a book, beer bottle, anything hard and roll their tip across it. Cost about 25c. I don't like sandpaper. It just seems there's a risk of the grit coming off and embedding in the tip. Likely too much thought here.

The key is to roll the tip not sand the tip. All you need is a surface that holds chalk. Take any glaze off. That doesn't require much.
 
OK, I just got the order and opened the package and tried on my personal cue:

I first rolled the tip against the material and it did take away the glaze very well.

Then, I used the material as a scraper/shaper and it took away as much leather as I desired, even though the material doesn't feel rough like sandpaper feels rough. It's strange stuff, for sure.

With the shipping and all, the costs came to $27.41 for 4 pieces of material:

2 rectangles, each about the size of a really big playing card.

and 2 circles, each about the size of a bottle cap.


Thanks everyone....I love this place.



Jeff Livingston
 
If you have one of those shapers where you can grind the tip into it to shape it, try this:

After it is shaped OK, chalk it good, then carefully place the chalked tip into the shaper. Then hit the butt of the shaft (or one piece cue) with the butt of your hand so it schmooshes the chalk into the tip, rather than rotate it as in shaping. This really impregnates the chalk into the leather.

I give this advice as king of the draw shot misuces, so take it for what it's worth. Perhaps I'll quit miscuing after experimenting with this new sharky stuff.



Jeff Livingston
 
chefjeff said:
If you have one of those shapers where you can grind the tip into it to shape it, try this:

After it is shaped OK, chalk it good, then carefully place the chalked tip into the shaper. Then hit the butt of the shaft (or one piece cue) with the butt of your hand so it schmooshes the chalk into the tip, rather than rotate it as in shaping. This really impregnates the chalk into the leather.

I give this advice as king of the draw shot misuces, so take it for what it's worth. Perhaps I'll quit miscuing after experimenting with this new sharky stuff.



Jeff Livingston
Click to expand...

CJ, I hate reading about miscues, because they should not happen unless it's user error. For that reason, I'm offering you a FREE box of Magic Chalk. Give it a whirl.
I think you will like it. If you don't, give to a friend ;)

PM your address or any address you want it delivered too.

RJ
 
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