Reusing inserts and pins

M

Mase

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have a number of old Bunjee cues that are no longer usable but I would like to save the inserts out of them. I do a lot of snooker cues and make extensions for most of them. Because these are quick release they work great for the extension. I cut the inserts and pins out of the wood and trim them down as much as I can so there is very little wood left on them.

I have been soaking these in water to loosen up the wood. My question is: is there something that will break the wood down faster and not damage the brass and stainless? Thanks for your help.
 
Since your not worried about the wood., with the joint pins you could put the old bunjee in a vice and heat the pin then back it out with a pair of pliers or vice grips. This will melt the glue/epoxy and should leave clean threads. The insert I'm not so sure about because it is flush. Ya may have to keep trimmin them and get as much wood out as possible then maybe run a die with the same threads over the insert to clear out the excess wood. This might work
 
Mase said:
I have a number of old Bunjee cues that are no longer usable but I would like to save the inserts out of them. I do a lot of snooker cues and make extensions for most of them. Because these are quick release they work great for the extension. I cut the inserts and pins out of the wood and trim them down as much as I can so there is very little wood left on them.

I have been soaking these in water to loosen up the wood. My question is: is there something that will break the wood down faster and not damage the brass and stainless? Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...

When removing pin/insert from the old stock, don't turn all the way down to the metal but leave a little sleeve of the original material the the part is glued into and then install the entire plug into the new cue.

Dick
 
Morgantownfats said:
Since your not worried about the wood., with the joint pins you could put the old bunjee in a vice and heat the pin then back it out with a pair of pliers or vice grips. This will melt the glue/epoxy and should leave clean threads. The insert I'm not so sure about because it is flush. Ya may have to keep trimmin them and get as much wood out as possible then maybe run a die with the same threads over the insert to clear out the excess wood. This might work
Click to expand...

Please do not use pliers or vice grips on any part of a cue, especially the pin.
 
ratcues said:
Please do not use pliers or vice grips on any part of a cue, especially the pin.
Click to expand...

Good advice, since he will be reusing the pins. I did not think of this when I posted. I have used the method i mentioned when removing old pins for replacement
 
I would do it the way you do now, but I would sacrifice one pin, and use that to screw into the insert, then heat up the pin and using a steel pick or wire, etc, peel off the epoxy and wood on the outside of the insert as the heat loosens it. For the pins, again sacrifice one insert, use that in a vice, screw in the pin, then use a torch or flame to burn off the remaining wood/epoxy. It will discolor the base of the pin, but who cares, it will be covered when reinstalled. Just an idea.
Dave
 
Mase said:
I have a number of old Bunjee cues that are no longer usable but I would like to save the inserts out of them. I do a lot of snooker cues and make extensions for most of them. Because these are quick release they work great for the extension. I cut the inserts and pins out of the wood and trim them down as much as I can so there is very little wood left on them.

I have been soaking these in water to loosen up the wood. My question is: is there something that will break the wood down faster and not damage the brass and stainless? Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...

I'm not necessarily recommending this, I don't know how it'll affect the metal, but I once was experimenting with something and well this is what happened.
I had a new shaft all ready to turn down the ferrule on and at the time I had a few German Shepherds. One of then pissed on the shaft like it was a fire hydrant and I didn't see it till the next day. I tried to clean the yellow stain from the ferrule end to no avail. I was about to send it to the kindling pile when I decided to see what household bleach would do to the stain. It was just the last couple of inches and the ferrule covered part of it. Well I took out a bottle of bleach from the laundry which was about half full. I dipped the shaft in the bottle of bleach and wiped it down with a towell real quick. Couldn't see any improvement. I set the bottle on the floor and set the shaft into the bottle of bleach. As you would expect, it was time for the phone to ring. Had a customer on the other end who wanted to design his next cue. Well after an hour on the phone, I shut down the shop for the night, or should I say, weekend. lol Well when I walked into the shop Monday morning I smelled a faint bleachy smell and it dawned on me what I'd done. The shaft had been in the bottle at an angle, which is obvious when you look at the shaft. The ferrule looks untouched but the part of the wood that was under the bleach line from the ferrule to the angled line that showed the bleach level, looked like it had been turned down to about tennon size on a lathe. Well as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.
 

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use a heat gun right on the wood....since u dont care about the shafts, it might turn them a little black but it definitely loosens the epoxy.....if you do not have a heat gun you can buy one at home depot or order one online.
 
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