Re-Tip Yourself or Send Out? Tip Recommendations?

I dont like the idea of re-using a plastic ferrule. Its because the plastic deteriorates with age.
I can make new brass or bronze ones quite quickly on my lathe so Id prefer that and then I can size it how I like, I assume they can be purchased quite inexpensively. some drill into he chalk with the tip leaving a blue stain on the white ferrule. Minor thing, do what you like. I'm sure it bugs some and others not at all. something to think about if you do borrow someone else's prized cue. Then if it has a white ferrule you might thing to use the edges of the chalk rather than drilling it as to not had it back to them all blue.

I'm not sure why any are plastic, maybe someone has a resason besides just cheapness. If you re-tip a really old one don't be surprised when the plastic ferrule breaks ( often splits lengthwise) as the plastic goes hard and brittle from age. If it's a cheap cue from the 70's I'd chuck that ferrule in the garbage. Some may indeed be be made from a better material , like that of a cue ball.

there are a bunch of different tools on the market for hand repairs. I was admiring an antique one and found this which is basically a replica of it. it holds the sandpaper square to flatten the end of the cue/ ferrule, and do it squarely.. hand work is of course never concentric, You can get close enough that you may not be able to note a difference. you can have the best cue in the world and some guy that plays better is still going to kick your ass with a bent cue and smile.. because he can.. I do think concentricity has some effect and maybe also affects your confidence to have it all nice and perfect.

I think there is a difference between a serious player and his thousand dollar cue and replacing tips for the 70's kids table in the basement.

www.y2playstores.com

Tweeten Rapid Cue Tip Tool Sander Ferrule Repair Pool Billiard Cue Stick

www.y2playstores.com www.y2playstores.com
 
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Island Drive said:
OP.....Always use a new razor blade each install.
Shaft vertical, tip on a hard surface.
Take your time, have a good light....only trim with downward razor cuts.

You'll have to retrim it after tip break in.
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This is very good advice. Hate to say it, cause I'm in the same boat, Bill comes from a time when cue repair guys were few and far between. He's also an ex-pro. Sorry Bill!

I like the Longoni tool vs Tweeton for sanding the ferrule. The Longoni tool also prepares the tip for gluing. I use Loctite Gel in the Blue bottle. Formulated for impact. Lowes and Home Depot... Maybe Walmart. Never had a tip fly off because of the glue.

The Japanese Kiridashi knife is also a good suggestion. I watched a Japanese guy at the Adams booth do a tip. Pretty amazing. He simply turned the shaft in his hands and the tip just pealed off in a thin strip like it was on a lathe. I've since purchased one but haven't had the occasion to use it.

No matter how hard you try, you're going to have to sand the edge.
I use Painters tape and wrap the shaft so I can only sand the side of the tip.
Wrap the tape Exactly where the tip meets the ferrule.
Then
Depending on how good you are and how sharp your blade is, you may not have to do the wrapping more than twice Bring the tape right up to the bottom of the tip. Then finish the edge. Spit and a dollar bill, or better a piece of leather. Cut an old belt.

Yes of course the thickness of the tape won't allow you to be perfect. I don't think you'll notice if you pay attention.

Take Small Cuts. Don't try to cut to size from 14mm tip to 12.5mm. Just be patient and make dozens of small cuts. Keep rotating the tip and take a sliver and another and another......
 
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Renegade_56 said:
Replacing a tip on a cracked ferrule is a waste,,,,,,,, of everything
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See above. It's the same labor cost if I do the tip or the ferrule and tip. The plan is to take the one cue in with the cracked ferrule and do that up with new ferrule and tip.

The tip on the other cue, which I did, seems to be sticking for now (It's a Buffalo skin, 88 hardness). If it comes off again or I feel the tip isn't square, I'll take it in. I don't need to worry about combining shipping, so can do these one at a time.
 
loggerhead12 said:
Taking up more space next to the ammo reloading gear, the knife-sharpening gear, the tire changer, the scuba regulator rebuild station?
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I think my garage looks a lot like yours. That was exactly what I was thinking. Plus, the $400 you were going to spend goes a long ways when paying a pro do it.

Ummm,do you want to sell that tire changer!?
 
I always taper trim/finish the sides of the tip with flat files, I have 8 different ones, small medium/large.
I got rid of my bench lathe, then purchased a high speed hand drill that I set on foam, put a sock over my hand to hold the shaft, and roll up a towel to rest the shaft on.
 
Eric M. said:
I think my garage looks a lot like yours. That was exactly what I was thinking. Plus, the $400 you were going to spend goes a long ways when paying a pro do it.

Ummm,do you want to sell that tire changer!?
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Nah, five motorcycles makes it worth the price. Especially since it was a divorce special - dude had to get it out of his ex-garage before she threw it out. :)
 
Pretty much agree with you, except I took this to the next level. I found that my own replacement tips do not make a “click” or “tick” sound now. As any experienced cue mechanic will tell you, glue starved areas on the tip will cause this sound. I also help out my friends who can’t afford $40 for a new tip. I’m even finishing CF shafts. Having a lathe opens up more avenues for you. The big plus; I can try a new tip for just the cost of the tip.
 
Learn to DIY. As said practice with a junk cue. Learn from doing. Make mistakes to learn how to correct them. You’ll need some basic tools. I’ll post my favorite tools later.
 
The problem with practicing tip replacement on old, beat up cues is you then have to play with them to see if you did it right. That isn't much fun and doesn't help improve my game. I'm more interested in improving my playing skills than tip replacement skills! I'm a DIY guy but for $15, heck, that's 3 cups of Starbucks coffee. To know it's been done right, with a lathe and won't pop off in the middle of a game with a friend, causing us to pass my Schmelke back and forth, is well worth it.

I am going to hold onto the one cue with the Buffalo skin tip which I've done twice now and have been playing with for 3 days, just to see if I did it right. If it comes off again, it's going to the shop.

The other with the cracked ferrule I'm going to take in. New ferrule and I want to see what all the hype is with the Kamui Black Med. Yeah, it's a house cue and probably a bit of a waste but for $30 I want to give it a try. I'm not ready (or good enough) to start swapping tips on my playing cue so is a good way to see what it feels like. You guys saved me that much in shipping fees by suggesting to find someone local so that's how I'm going to justify foolish spending!

Plus, if I can boast a top of the line Kamui tip on my house cue, it'll keep folks from asking to play with mine.

Thanks for the help, and suggesting looking for someone local. I've got to use to purchasing everything online.

Eric M.
 
A great tool.
 

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Eric M. said:
The problem with practicing tip replacement on old, beat up cues is you then have to play with them to see if you did it right. That isn't much fun and doesn't help improve my game. I'm more interested in improving my playing skills than tip replacement skills! I'm a DIY guy but for $15, heck, that's 3 cups of Starbucks coffee. To know it's been done right, with a lathe and won't pop off in the middle of a game with a friend, causing us to pass my Schmelke back and forth, is well worth it.

I am going to hold onto the one cue with the Buffalo skin tip which I've done twice now and have been playing with for 3 days, just to see if I did it right. If it comes off again, it's going to the shop.

The other with the cracked ferrule I'm going to take in. New ferrule and I want to see what all the hype is with the Kamui Black Med. Yeah, it's a house cue and probably a bit of a waste but for $30 I want to give it a try. I'm not ready (or good enough) to start swapping tips on my playing cue so is a good way to see what it feels like. You guys saved me that much in shipping fees by suggesting to find someone local so that's how I'm going to justify foolish spending!

Plus, if I can boast a top of the line Kamui tip on my house cue, it'll keep folks from asking to play with mine.

Thanks for the help, and suggesting looking for someone local. I've got to use to purchasing everything online.

Eric M.
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Buy Ultraskins here on AZ from Tom. Great tips and they're only around 3bux if you buy 10.
 
garczar said:
Buy Ultraskins here on AZ from Tom. Great tips and they're only around 3bux if you buy 10.
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What am I going to do with 10 tips? If I was practicing retipping, that makes sense. I'm at $30 plus shipping for the Ultraskin and now I'm ready to begin my retipping journey vs $30 for the Kamui Black and I'm done.

What's probably a smarter move would be to take the cue in and have them retip it with one of the $3 option tips. I'd be $27 ahead of either plan above. I'm not feeling that smart.
 
Eric M. said:
What am I going to do with 10 tips? If I was practicing retipping, that makes sense. I'm at $30 plus shipping for the Ultraskin and now I'm ready to begin my retipping journey vs $30 for the Kamui Black and I'm done.

What's probably a smarter move would be to take the cue in and have them retip it with one of the $3 option tips. I'd be $27 ahead of either plan above. I'm not feeling that smart.
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If you don't want that many then you can order a three pack of Ultraskin tips from e-bay. $20 free shipping. You will have a couple spares for later. 3 better tips, in mine and other's opinion, for still less than 1 kamui.
 
Do a lot of you think the UltraSkin is a better tip? I did see David Schmelke offers it as an upgrade along with the Kamui.

I wonder if the cost goes up for changing the tip if you bring your own in? I'll need to call.
 
Eric M. said:
Do a lot of you think the UltraSkin is a better tip? I did see David Schmelke offers it as an upgrade along with the Kamui.

I wonder if the cost goes up for changing the tip if you bring your own in? I'll need to call.
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I do and I know many others do too. I played with a Kamui and did not like the maintenance issues with it. I rarely have to mess with the Ultraskin tip and it plays just as good if not better.

Eric M. said:
Maybe this is a good idea. Do you think he could mix soft, med and hard tips?
How do I find Tom with the Ultraskins? Is it Tom1234 above?

Thanks,

Eric M.
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It is TomHay.

Post in thread 'Buy UltraSkin Layered Cue Tips'
https://forums.azbilliards.com/threads/buy-ultraskin-layered-cue-tips.542028/post-7233157
 
Thanks. I did it, 10 tips, I got a mix. I'll never need tips again!
I watched the video on Toms site of Cuejos Customs retipping a cue on a beautiful lathe with all sorts of custom attachments for just that. It didn't look cheap and it didn't look anything like the $400 cue lathe I see on Amazon.

I feel like I'm making the right decision having a pro do it.

Thanks again for the help and recommending UltraSkins.
 
I have retipped my own cues in the past with excellent results, and in a pinch I would do it again. However, because I am careful and fussy it takes me about an hour to do one. There are at least two places within 10 minutes of me that will do it on a lathe for $15 with a Triangle tip (my preferred tip), so I have them do it. I value my time at way more than $15/hr.
 
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