safe for my shaft?

N

nick55

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
i know there is a lot of posts about this and its a lot of opinions, but this is a specific question: is this product safe for my predator 314 shaft (will it wear it down over time or affect the life of the cue?) http://www.tigerproducts.com/store/product.php?productid=16163

my friend uses it and it works well, i never wanted to use anything that sands it down so i have always used a piece of leather and a smooth towel as recomended by many on this website and it works ok but this seemed to work as well or better, much faster, i was hesitant but the back of the package says they reccomend it for the tiger x shaft so i'm wondering... thanks
 
I would think that if it was not safe for the shaft the people at Tiger would not have put it on the market. I am certain it won't hurt any shaft you were to use it on. Unless you burnish sooo fast you start a fire, then it might be a little damaged.

Eric
 
Personally i wouldnt use anything that removes wood from your shaft no matter how fine it is. After a period of time the chalk and oil from your hand seals the shaft, kinda like a cast iron skillet gets broken in after it has been used for a while. Have you ever tried cue silk or anything like that?
 
if you want glass, get some plastic paper type stuff they use to "sand" silicone chips. it's the same stuff as the red/white/blue paper kits,,,,only finer. it's made by 3m and they're called "imperial lapping film", and it makes the red/white/blue stuff look like 100grit sandpaper. they grade the blue paper stuff(which i believe is the finest of the cue shaft papers) at "3" on a scale that goes to "30"!!! http://www.techoptics.com/pages/3M Films.html

however, if you're wiping down your shaft often during a match, that's all you need.
 
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Funny

Well I have been using the same thing that tiger has on their website, and I got mine at the home depot. All tiger is selling is a sanding sponge, so yes that will wear down your shaft over time. As will most of the sanding and burnishing products.

The best thing that I have found for cleaning the shaft (if your like me you clean it often.) is the Q care products. The cheapest place I have found them? On Seybets.com there burnishing films are very mild, but they get the job done, and they send you a sealer that you put on the shaft afterwards, so it keeps the oils and chaulk from getting into the pores on the wood. It's a great little kit for like $18.

That guy that says your oil from your hand, and the chaulk will seal it up. That may be partially true, but only if you burnish it with something else to keep the sticky stuff off the cue. Oil from your hand and chaulk make a sticky residue. If it didn't they wouldn't sell so many products to keep oil and chaulk out of the cue pores. They also wouldn't sell things like gloves to keep the oil from your hands out of the cue pores.

That deal from tiger will basically sand your cue down, so yes it will wear it down over time. If you want the same thing for less money get them at home depot, and they come in all different grits.

If you want something perfect to keep your shaft bermished and smooth that won't wear it down then go to Hobby Lobby and purchase a piece of leather.

Burmish your shaft with the piece of leather everytime you play, and you will be amazed at how silky smooth your shaft will stay. It won't wear your shaft out either.

Then when your shaft gets dirty you can use the Q-kit I told you about.

This is probably one of the lease abrasive combinations you can use.

Just my opinion, but you do what you want.
 
txplshrk said:
... The cheapest place I have found them? On Seybets.com there burnishing films are very mild, but they get the job done, and they send you a sealer that you put on the shaft afterwards...
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Seyberts rules, but if your referring to Q-Slick when your talking about the sealer, I've had nothing but problems with it. I found it appeared to raise the grain considerably when I used it. Of course, I could have been using it incorrectly.
 
catscradle said:
Seyberts rules, but if your referring to Q-Slick when your talking about the sealer, I've had nothing but problems with it. I found it appeared to raise the grain considerably when I used it. Of course, I could have been using it incorrectly.
Click to expand...

Q slick did not work for me; But Slip Stic does.
 
I've used Q-slick and it works great provide you get it toasty from friction...when I built the shafts for my personal cue I used sanding sealer then followed up with Q-slick...after that I let time do it's thing...as for cleaning, I just use the paper towels that I dry my hands with after washing....;) the slightly damp wipedown is all you should need...I carry a washcloth in my case to wipe the shaft with during a match...
________
 
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When I buy a new cue I will ask the cuemaker how to treat the shaft and the majority will say wipe off a damp cloth after using if needed baby powder. Has worked for me.
 
thanks guys, looks like exactly what i thought, i think i'll just stick w/ my piece of leather to burnish it and i use a soft baby's blanket to wipe it down afterwards, seems to work well but like i said it takes a few minutes and this pad seemed to smooth his shaft pretty quickly. thanks guys.
 
To me ....

The problem of keeping your shaft clean and slick should be a $5-7 solution, and no more. Spending $20-30 TO DO THIS is excessive, in my mind (but I am cheap ... lol).

I just clean mine with Orange, a Kroger natural product, with a paper towel, and use another paper towel with Pledge on it for smoothness. I usually do this at least twice a month (and always before a special or large tournament). Works pretty well, but I probably should get a piece of leather for burnishing sometimes while playing.

The Tiger product seemed interesting, and I asked them (awaiting a reply) if there product had a 'sanding' effect on the shaft, no matter how fine.

Also, Billiard equipment or apparel sites could benefit their customers by providing a transaction for acceptable payment methods without having to buy something first, some of us do not have credit cards, but can E-check or paypal.

They have a few neat hats, but their shirts leave something to be disired.
 
5-7 dollars?

The problem of keeping your shaft clean and slick should be a $5-7 solution, and no more. Spending $20-30 TO DO THIS is excessive, in my mind (but I am cheap ... lol).
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MMMMM, and to think most people spend $100 - several thousands on cues. I would think that being cheap would be an after thought at that point.

I mean people get cheap on tips too. I don't want to spend $13 dollars on a sniper tip, I would rather get this one for $7. Why? When the tip is one of the most important parts of the cue.

My cue is worth the $13 tip, and the $18 Q-kit. I know some people are cheap, but whatever there reason a cue is still an investment. If you don't want to put money into your investment and keep it in tip top shape, then that is your business.

Some people use synthetic oil, and others use conventional oil. Do both cars run? Yep, but some run a little better than others!!!
 
one more quick question---> i picked up a mr clean magic eraser to clean the blue residue off the shaft but i was wondering how to use it. the box says to get it wet and scrub but i'm pretty sure its a bad idea to put water on my shaft so should i just use it dry out of the box and scrub? thanks
 
Water

Nope, do what the directions say. You don't want it soaking wet, but you do want it damp so it will work effectively. After you get done you will need to burnish the shaft though as some of the grain will raise a bit.
 
wow thats surprising, i always thought it was never ok to put water on a wood shaft... well ya learn somthing new everyday.
 
wood floors

Do people mop wooden floors? I would think they use water.

Do people take a wooden boat onto the lake?

I am just being a smart ass. As long as you don't drench your shaft in water, you should be fine. I would never place it in a swimming pool, or bath tub.

However a damp cloth won't do much too it except raise the grain a little bit. If you burnish after then it will be fine.

Some cue makers even get a shaft wet, then use the steam from an iorn to get dings out of shafts. I haven't tried this one yet, cause I am too scared.
 
I cleaned up a dirty shaft last weekend with a Majic Eraser, I used a little water just to dampen the Majic Eraser then cleaned the shaft and rinsed off the Majic Eraser a few times while cleaning it. It was really dirty, now it look's brand new.

I used just the corner of the Majic Eraser just to clean the Ferrule of my Cue also, gets all the Chalk off and leaves it nice & white.:)

I forgot to mention in my original post, I keep a Cue Cube brand shaft slicker in my case also. While playing sometimes i use it, cause it is easy and a fast way to get the sticky stuff off your shaft while playing. It is very hot & humid here, and sometimes my shaft feels a little dirty or sticky during a set. So I grab it, wipe down the shaft with it, flip it over to the leather side and burnish the shaft. It is also great for burnishing the side of the tip.:)
 
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