Recommendations for black cue

[Kim Bye]

My personal issue with painted cues and even some stains is that it doesn't penetrate into the wood. It also creates a barrier to prevent a sealer if one is being used to actually bond. It may bond to the paint or stain, but that doesn't mean it's bonded to the cue. Both Predator and McDermott come to mind on both these methods.
That's a big problem down the road.

I very much agree, not a fan of painted cues in general, but I do suspect it's both a cost issue and a estetic behind the customers request. Why waste perfectly good ebony or African blackwood for someone who want's a cue that looks like the body of a strat or other jet black instruments or other products? If done right adhesion of paint want be an issue (atleast not in my experience...) but ofcourse if (and when) the customer gets a ding in the laquer, it's not an easy fix in the same way as a cue with basecoat and clear, but we see production cues sell at a premium with what is essentially the same as a car or music instrument paint job, it's obviously a trendy thing now..

 

[Kim Bye]

When you can't tell which is jet black ebony and which is jet black paint it begs the question of why we don't forget about the ebony and buy a 5 dollar piece of katalox in it's place and paint it black.

Yes, why waste the good stuff, when it's not the feel or weight of ebony or African blackwood the customer wants?
If some of the big brands can get away with using cheap materials painted black or other colours and charge a premium, why fight it?
Build a quality cue from a construction standpoint with well seasoned woods, then give the customer that jet black cue he or she wants. just be sure to inform the customer about issues further down the road if the cue gets dings or scratches.

 

[PariahZero]

Build a quality cue from a construction standpoint with well seasoned woods

Off topic and ignorant question: what are “well seasoned woods”, and why do I want them? I have a feeling it doesn’t mean sprinkling with oregano and pepper...

Does it refer to woods that have effectively sat on the shelf for a long time, to give it a chance to finish warping (so it won’t warp after being turned)? Or does it mean something else entirely?

 

[Kim Bye]

Off topic and ignorant question: what are “well seasoned woods”, and why do I want them? I have a feeling it doesn’t mean sprinkling with oregano and pepper...

Does it refer to woods that have effectively sat on the shelf for a long time, to give it a chance to finish warping (so it won’t warp after being turned)? Or does it mean something else entirely?

Wood needs to have no more than 10% humidity, prefreably alot less. It needs to be made of woods well suited for cue making and beeing worked in a fashion that let's the tension in the wood realease after each pass of tapereing. That's why it takes time to build a cue.