Refinish

winners07

winners07

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Does anyone know of a better way to remove old finish from a cue.what I am talking about is like schon predator, they use either uv or an epoxy base an it so thick an hard to remove. I just use a urathane finish on my cues and its not hard to remove if you need to do a refinish job.
 
I'm not sure if the 2 previous posters are pulling your leg or not but using any type of sharp edge to remove a finish can be a very risky operation to say the least. Nick or gouge an inlay or delicate veneer and you've just created a monster repair job for yourself. There's no quick method or substitute for the time tested method of sandpaper. NEVER use a chemical stripper either.

Everybody's looking for the quick & easy way to do things but 'quick & easy' usually comes at a price. If you're not willing to put in the time & effort to do the job right, the end result will look like you weren't.

Depending on whether or not you have finish compatibility issues, you may or may not have to sand down to bare wood. Sometimes, you have no choice.

In the overall approach, I think that one's initial mind-set has a lot to do with it. I do at least my share of re-finish jobs and when I set out to do one, I strive to make the cue look AT LEAST as good as it did when brand new, or better. Tricks and short-cuts can take a backseat when it's my rep that's on the line.
 
yeah, but this one is in really bad shape so i have to bring it down to the bare wood. its just the ones with the real thick finish that is the problem. and thats why it needs refinishing because it was put on so thick that it didnt stick. i dont put on an epoxy finish for that same reason.
 
Sometimes if the finish is thick and not sticking well, It can be peeled off. I had one that peeled off the cue in a pattern similar to unreeling a used wrap from a cue. I did use a razor blade to get a grip and peel upwards with, but didn't need to use It to strip with. You still have to be careful not to nick the cue with the razor, and It took some patience, but by the time I was done all the finish was peeled off cleanly.

Greg
 
Be careful tearing off thick epoxy. It can attach to the wood so that you end up pulling fibers out of the cue.
Patience is a time saver in the long run.
 
You have to peel It carefully, and again this is when It's not sticking well to a sealer or base. There was no tearing of fibres. Basically what I did was work a bead loose as It bubbled, I worked a very small area at a time. If the finish is not peeling off easily, then I would try a different method.It worked for me because in My case the finish was already starting to bubble and peel off. The surface that was left afterwards was so smooth, It actually needed sanded for a new finish to adhere well to the cue.
 
KJ Cues said:
I'm not sure if the 2 previous posters are pulling your leg or not but using any type of sharp edge to remove a finish can be a very risky operation to say the least.
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Nope.
I just refinished two cues by stripping the old finish down to the wood with a box cutter blade. Chuck the cue up in the lathe so you can work the blade down it in long smooth light strokes.
Works very good and is way faster than sand paper.
I would strongly suggest practicing on an old house cue to get the hang of it.
 
WilleeCue said:
Nope.
I just refinished two cues by stripping the old finish down to the wood with a box cutter blade. Chuck the cue up in the lathe so you can work the blade down it in long smooth light strokes.
Works very good and is way faster than sand paper.
I would strongly suggest practicing on an old house cue to get the hang of it.
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I've used the razor method quite a few times, but some of the cues had what appeared to be a heavy laquer based finish, I actually used the back of the razor to strip it. the finish was very brittle, so it shaved right off with no damage to the cue.( and no sanding dust in the air:D )
Dave
 
I'm a razor blade user as well. I'm not crazy about sanding anything for more than a few seconds.
 
winners07 said:
Does anyone know of a better way to remove old finish from a cue.what I am talking about is like schon predator, they use either uv or an epoxy base an it so thick an hard to remove. I just use a urathane finish on my cues and its not hard to remove if you need to do a refinish job.
Click to expand...


Wetsand with a heavy duty grit... this will reduce the chance of scarring the wood with a blade....

If you don't like sanding more than a few seconds than mabey that's not a good thing since sanding is a necessary part of cue repairs....

Also wetsanding keeps the surface cool and stops the urethane from melting due to friction.... and you end up with a very smooth finish then just dry the wood out with a paper towel at a higher speed.....

of course my suggestions are just going to be ridiculed but they do work and are quite effective ! and after 18 yrs. of doing this professionally what I tell you DOES work quite well !

Just wanted to share some useful suggestions with you !!!



Sincerely, Eddie Wheat
 
WheatCues said:
of course my suggestions are just going to be ridiculed but they do work and are quite effective ! and after 18 yrs. of doing this professionally what I tell you DOES work quite well !
Sincerely, Eddie Wheat
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18 years as a professional cue maker?
Never heard of you before.
Where are you located?

Nice looking CNC machine from what I can see of it in your avatar.
 
WilleeCue said:
18 years as a professional cue maker?
Never heard of you before.
Where are you located?

Nice looking CNC machine from what I can see of it in your avatar.
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I'm out of Cocoa, Florida.... I'm just now going National with my cues !


Thanks for the compliment ! it's the CNC Mill from Align-Rite tools out of Arizona it about 14 thousand + shipping and worth every nickel.... it's very solid and well built and this machine is not limited to just building cues, it will pretty much mill anything you feed into that computer... and yes it's a true CNC with a 4th axis as well... and those boys at Align-Rite are fantastic people to do business with too !

Jerry Powers of Jerico Cues is the technical support and a wizard behind the machine... he's a really great guy and offers alot of genuine help and advice and extensive knowlege about cuemaking as well !



- Eddie Wheat
 
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Eddie,
what did you get for $14k. When they quoted me a price it was $12500 + shipping..
 
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Align Rite CNC invoice.jpg
JBCustomCues said:
Eddie,
what did you get for $14k. When they quoted me a price it was $12500 + shipping..
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I uploaded my original invoice it shows a breakdown of all the goodies !


The vaccuum table is really cool because the Mill also cuts out your inlay parts as well as the cavities to insure precise fit !



- Eddie Wheat
 
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I just could not believe that they charge for the bob cad program and for the tech support. For $12500 It should come with the machine.. But thats just my 2 cents...
 
JBCustomCues said:
I just could not believe that they charge for the bob cad program and for the tech support. For $12500 It should come with the machine.. But thats just my 2 cents...
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When buying a new car a lot of the items you would believe would be included are extra. Base price to get your attention - out the door price to get your wallet.

Dick
 
I'm not going to squabble over spending a few more bucks when considering the out of pocket cost for that kind of machine in the first place...

I feel that's a very reasonable price considering the capabilities and virtually unlimited possibilities and applications this machine can perfom.... it's bsically a scaled down version of the 250.000.00 commercial CNC mill ....

It will pay for itself 10x over in the upcoming years... just as my Porper model -B lathe did when I bought his 36th machine back in the early 1990's dropping 3500.00 for that machine was a deal becasue it paid for itself in repairs in less than 3 months....

Some equipment is worth its weight in gold... others are a necessity and should be bought discriminatley....

I have nothing but excellent things to say about both machines and the companies that stands behind them....


- Eddie Wheat
 
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