I have read post here and there about be able to feel the rings or inlays along the finish. I had a Predator that I could feel the inlays raises. I have a cue that had no issues a month ago. I got a new cue so I place the old cue in a case that sits in the dinning room. I decided to pull it out and play with it last night. Well I can feel every ring now. I have heard this issue with cheap to expensive cues. Is it how it was made or how it was stored? I assume it can be refinished. If it's a storage issue. What's the best way to store a cue?
Raised inlays/rings
- Thread starter jburkm002
- Start date
i don't think it is a storage issue...imo.
i have about a dozen cues sitting in cases in my enclosed garage turned into a game room.
the oldest being a viking of about 10 years. none of mine have warped or have raised tings or inlays.
i take them all out every so often and play with them here at the house and occasionally pick one to take to league for a while and switch to another.i haul them strapped across my back when i ride my bike and have been caught in the rain a couple of times.
no issues what so ever so far. maybe i am just lucky.
Interesting post. Have a twenty year old Schon Six Windows cue. Was refinished several years ago to a very high standard. Only now can I feel the rings just above the butt plate. The rise in the rings is slight. Wasn't even sure it was actually happening till a firend mentioned he could feel the same thing. Not going to worry. Not going to have it reworked. Isn't going to affect playability.
Lyn
Lyn
Attachments
Although modern finishes do an excellent job of sealing out moisture, some moisture will enter the wood and some moisture will always be in the wood. Wood expands and contracts at different rates than the plastic and metals, and different species of wood move differently too. Given enough time, all cues with inlays will be able to be felt. A difference as thin as a human hair will seem like a major bump.
It's not an issue unless the clear separates or cracks. Don't even worry about it. Being able to feel an inlay, point or veneer tells you that it's real, not a decal and the finish is seasoned.
I have cues that are 50 years old. If I can't feel the veneers, inlays or rings, I know it's been refinished in the not too distant past.
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I notice this to occurring to rings and inlays that aren't made of wood. Because each of these materials expand and contract at different rates, they seem to stretch the finish with the fluctuations of temperature at the areas with more glue and different materials. I imagine this is what causes the raises/bumps in the finish
Has anyone experienced this as well? Does this occur with higher end cues that are not stored in controlled environments?
Has anyone experienced this as well? Does this occur with higher end cues that are not stored in controlled environments?
Metal rings do not rise....the finish and the components around the rings shrink.
There are different ways clearcoat finish is applied. Some are allowed to dry naturally and some are applied and cured with UV. I have no experience with UV methods.
Clearcoat shrinkage happens to all cues no matter how they're stored. A cue maker can minimize it by shooting several coats of clear over a time period and sanding in-between coats . As the finish cures, it also shrinks. The longer you allow the clear to cure, then sand and polish, the less likely popping will be. You're supposed to a allow a certain time period before color sanding the clear coat. It may take a month. UV curing causes this to happen instantly.
If a finish can be felt, in most cases, a simple polishing (by a pro with a lathe and pumice) will smooth it out again.
By the way, my playing cue is a 12 year old JossWest. The finish is original and perfectly smooth - none of the veneers or inlays can be felt. This tells me that Bill Stroud took his time and properly and patiently finished the cue, The clearcoat was 100% cured when he polished it out.
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it is a problem with all cues
top to bottom
metal rings in wood tend to seem to expand or retract
but it is the wood that moves
it can happen to any cuemaker regardless
many of the best admit this and put the metal rings into phenolic
or something similar
for the most part you must just live with it,it goes with the materials
i know this will go against the grain with some on here.
but i have had the best in the business privately tell me this
this is why i normally don't buy metal rings
but into phenolic when i do
dean
top to bottom
metal rings in wood tend to seem to expand or retract
but it is the wood that moves
it can happen to any cuemaker regardless
many of the best admit this and put the metal rings into phenolic
or something similar
for the most part you must just live with it,it goes with the materials
i know this will go against the grain with some on here.
but i have had the best in the business privately tell me this
this is why i normally don't buy metal rings
but into phenolic when i do
dean
yup
I do not order or design or make cues with mental rings..............................
It is not that all cues pop, but when they do I don't want them.
I bought about 15 cues from one maker, every cue he shipped me the rings popped in shipping ..
I do not order or design or make cues with mental rings..............................
It is not that all cues pop, but when they do I don't want them.
I bought about 15 cues from one maker, every cue he shipped me the rings popped in shipping ..
Mental rings? So that's why I was missing so much last night! It was all my cue's fault!
DJ, that's my story and I'm sticking to it
Respect, Courage, and Commitment!
mortuarymike-nv...That's because you're supposed to WEAR mental rings on your head, not put them in cues! LMAO 
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
http
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
http
Thinking of maybe having it refinished. It's not an expensive cue but I like it. I live in Maryland but guess that doesn't really matter. Who would be good to have it refinished and maybe a leather wrap. What would be the chances of the rings popping again?
I have a Palmer cue that I've owned for 43 years and there's no problems but there aren't any rings in its design. However, my Runde Schon is from 1985
and I've stored it in hard cue cases over the years and take it out to admire from time to time since I no longer play with the cue.......nary a problem of any kind
with the cue.....it still looks and feels like brand new.....totally smooth finish.
I have no way of knowing what caused your cue to lose it's shape but it seems logical that it one or two things or some combination of the two. The quality of
construction by the cue-maker is the most obvious...... what quality wood was used, how seasoned was it and how quickly was the cue build completed. The
other is environmental, i.e., cue storage. Even basements in many homes can exude moisture if the cue was stored there or anywhere with possible dampness.
Here's what I confirmed recently with two different cue-makers whom are making me a cue. The forearm & veneers are the first thing tackled in the manufacture
of the cue. This segment of the construction can happen quickly and early on in the total process. Then these veneers have to sit and dry for a very long time.
How long did you ask? Well, I really don't know but I doubt it's a coincidence that both cue-makers told me that the veneers had to sit for months before they can
work on the forearm. I'm talking 4-5 months sit time because even a well seasoned wood can slowly contract from any gradual but nonetheless slow loss of moisture.
At least that's my understanding of ta custom cue build process as it's been explained to me by four different cue-makers over the years.
Those are the two main reasons I can think of for your cue to develop problems with tis finish.
Matt B.
and I've stored it in hard cue cases over the years and take it out to admire from time to time since I no longer play with the cue.......nary a problem of any kind
with the cue.....it still looks and feels like brand new.....totally smooth finish.
I have no way of knowing what caused your cue to lose it's shape but it seems logical that it one or two things or some combination of the two. The quality of
construction by the cue-maker is the most obvious...... what quality wood was used, how seasoned was it and how quickly was the cue build completed. The
other is environmental, i.e., cue storage. Even basements in many homes can exude moisture if the cue was stored there or anywhere with possible dampness.
Here's what I confirmed recently with two different cue-makers whom are making me a cue. The forearm & veneers are the first thing tackled in the manufacture
of the cue. This segment of the construction can happen quickly and early on in the total process. Then these veneers have to sit and dry for a very long time.
How long did you ask? Well, I really don't know but I doubt it's a coincidence that both cue-makers told me that the veneers had to sit for months before they can
work on the forearm. I'm talking 4-5 months sit time because even a well seasoned wood can slowly contract from any gradual but nonetheless slow loss of moisture.
At least that's my understanding of ta custom cue build process as it's been explained to me by four different cue-makers over the years.
Those are the two main reasons I can think of for your cue to develop problems with tis finish.
Matt B.
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Differing materials in cues expand and contract at different rates has been mentioned and is spot on. Metal rings are particularly vulnerable to this effect.
as lorider mentioned...his Vikings are good :thumbup:.....
You really shouldn't have a raising issue with wood rings or inlays on wood butts...they should stay flush if done correctly.