Repairing a Richard Benson sneaky pete

[millcityfats]

This is fairly important to me and would mean the world if I could actually repair this cue myself.. so here is my issue.

I purchased this cue awhile ago directly from the hands of Richard Benson himself. It has a lot of sentimental value as my grandfather who recently passed away helped me pay for this cue, and the fact that it's a Benson. The cue was stolen a few months back from a Tournament I was playing in and thank god a local pawn shop was nice enough to call and inform me it was in their possession.. except one major problem. The person who pawned it broke the butt of the cue. It is cracked in multiple spots and the butt cap screw/weight screw no longer tightens down. I would like to attempt to repair this on my own. I do not own any major wood working tools such as a lathe. So I was wondering if any cue makers here could give me some insight on how to go about this repair. I've included pictures below.

 

[bdcues]

Why don't you send it back to Benson, I am sure he can do something for you.

Bob Danielson
www.bdcuesandcomix.com

 

[millcityfats]

Why don't you send it back to Benson, I am sure he can do something for you.

Bob Danielson
www.bdcuesandcomix.com

Last I heard he no longer works on cue's since he got sick. I have not seen him come to the Cue Ball in Salem, OR in a long while.

 

[masonh]

sending you a PM

 

[millcityfats]

sending you a PM

Thank you, looking forward to your idea.

 

[JerrysCues]

sneaky pete

Thank you, looking forward to your idea.

I think his son makes the cues

 

[jayman]

I could be wrong, But it looks to me as though the weight bolt must be wedge shaped judging from the tapered cut in the screw head area. That seems like it would almost be designed to split wood. I think I would consider a modified design if this is the case. maybe a screw/bolt that is flat on the area of contact.

 

[cueman]

A easy semi-fix is to spread open the cracks and work some epoxy into them. Then wrap with some wax paper and hose clamp around that until dry. Then put a butt plate ring of phenolic on the end of the cue. Re-tap the weight bolt hole and put it back together. Another poster was dead right when he said that the stove bolt type of screw is just like a splitting maul. Slam the rubber bumper into the floor and split goes the wood. A cue should never have that style of weight bolt without a butt plate ring to reinforce the wood. I built some conversion cues just like that over 20 years ago and had some split just like that also.

 

[millcityfats]

A easy semi-fix is to spread open the cracks and work some epoxy into them. Then wrap with some wax paper and hose clamp around that until dry. Then put a butt plate ring of phenolic on the end of the cue. Re-tap the weight bolt hole and put it back together. Another poster was dead right when he said that the stove bolt type of screw is just like a splitting maul. Slam the rubber bumper into the floor and split goes the wood. A cue should never have that style of weight bolt without a butt plate ring to reinforce the wood. I built some conversion cues just like that over 20 years ago and had some split just like that also.

Far as I know, or from all the Benson's I have seen, they all have the conical shaped bolt.

What I ended up doing was getting a wood dowel, filling the cavity with epoxy, shoved the wood dowel into the bolt hole as far as I could till it opened the cracks and oozed the glue out, removed the dowel, then clamped it with 2 rubber coated hose clamped that I dipped the night before. Now I just need to sand it all down and refinish the cue. Not the best fix in the world, but I done it myself and I used what means and advice I received.

 

[ratcues]

I can help you with that, if needed.

 

[cueman]

Far as I know, or from all the Benson's I have seen, they all have the conical shaped bolt.

What I ended up doing was getting a wood dowel, filling the cavity with epoxy, shoved the wood dowel into the bolt hole as far as I could till it opened the cracks and oozed the glue out, removed the dowel, then clamped it with 2 rubber coated hose clamped that I dipped the night before. Now I just need to sand it all down and refinish the cue. Not the best fix in the world, but I done it myself and I used what means and advice I received.

Your fix is fine for getting the epoxy in the cracks. I am not saying Bension uses a bad bolt. All my cues also have the angled head bolt if they have a weight bolt also. But they also now all have a butt plate ring to give some strength back there. That is the common weight bolt 90% of cuemakers use. I am just saying that it makes the cue not strong enough to put up with any abuse, without a butt plate ring to reinforce it.

 

[Arnot Wadsworth]

I could be wrong, But it looks to me as though the weight bolt must be wedge shaped judging from the tapered cut in the screw head area. That seems like it would almost be designed to split wood. I think I would consider a modified design if this is the case. maybe a screw/bolt that is flat on the area of contact.

I think the problem with this cue splitting is NOT the weight bolt but the idiot slamming it on the floor. No cuemaker can build a cue to withstand all the abuse some players exhibit.