Sand papering brand new shafts ?!

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fr3nzy

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Hello, I recently bought a brand new Mezz Ec7 cue. I am extreemly satisfied with it. A friend of mine told me that almost all new shafts are varnished for protection of moisture in the warehouses. And the first thing you should do on a brand new cue is to remove the varnish from the shaft with 800 or 1000 sand paper then polish and burnish it with for example with 2000. And there rose the argument ... I insisted that the shafts from factory are just polished very well and do not have any lacquer coating on them and sandpapering is not recommended on new shafts. What do you think?
 
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fr3nzy said:
Hello, I recently bought a brand new Mezz Ec7 cue. I am extreemly satisfied with it. A friend of mine told me that almost all new shafts are varnished for protection of moisture in the warehouses. And the first thing you should do on a brand new cue is to remove the varnish from the shaft with 800 or 1000 sand paper then polish and burnish it with for example with 2000. And there rose the argument ... I insisted that the shafts from factory are just polished very well and do not have any lacquer coating on them and sandpapering is not recommended on new shafts. What do you think?
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First of all, if your friend believes all shafts are varnished, he's wrong. Some people do it that way, and some don't. Most of the cheaper junk cues you see at pawn shops have some type of coating on them because sometimes, it isn't even maple.

If you bought a Mezz, I would not sand it at all. I would play with it as is and if it needed to be maintained, I would take it to a cue repair person.
 
Thank you for the fast response. The problem is that this friend is also a known pool figure here in Bulgaria. Here are no qualified persons who do that job and everyone I ask tells me different things. So I have to seek knowledge from foreign forums for almost everything and I have to know how to maitain my cue by myself :smile:
 
SK Custom Cues said:
First of all, if your friend believes all shafts are varnished, he's wrong. Some people do it that way, and some don't. Most of the cheaper junk cues you see at pawn shops have some type of coating on them because sometimes, it isn't even maple.

If you bought a Mezz, I would not sand it at all. I would play with it as is and if it needed to be maintained, I would take it to a cue repair person.
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Yeah, and pay $35 - $50 for them to do what any person with an arm can do with a little elbow grease. Standard reply from a CUE REPAIR PERSON. Whatever happened to D.I.Y?

If you don't like the way it feels from the factory, sure you can sand it with high grit sandpaper to make it smooth or take off the varnish (if any applied by the factory). Just make sure to burnish it really well. Try a good piece of leather in your hand and go at it. You will like how smooth you can get it.
 
Sanding is part of a repair process. Is your cue looking dirty, does it have shaft dents, or is it feeling sticky? If so, each requires a slightly different repair, please ask.

If it is just new, I rub in dome cue wax. Others burnish with untreated leather, many just shoot until it feels sticky. For me, maintenance is clean, repair dents, sand and then wax. Sanding done is very minimal.
 
fr3nzy said:
Hello, I recently bought a brand new Mezz Ec7 cue. I am extreemly satisfied with it. A friend of mine told me that almost all new shafts are varnished for protection of moisture in the warehouses. And the first thing you should do on a brand new cue is to remove the varnish from the shaft with 800 or 1000 sand paper then polish and burnish it with for example with 2000. And there rose the argument ... I insisted that the shafts from factory are just polished very well and do not have any lacquer coating on them and sandpapering is not recommended on new shafts. What do you think?
Click to expand...


He's both wrong and partially right! Any decent quality cue does not have a clear spray paint coat on the bridging area of the shaft. If there was a clear coat, the shaft would stick to your closed bridge fingers.

Shafts are sometimes sealed with wax, silicone, or just burnished. If the cue maker used wax, it can get a little sticky, so your friend probably thinks the wax is varnish. If you sand the shaft without sealing it, the wood fibers will raise again and again, leading to more sanding and a worn out shaft. As you play, chalk and friction will wear off any sealing coat and the shaft will get dirty and a little rough feeling.

The idea is to first remove then flatten the fibers that will be raised when the shaft is exposed to sweaty hands.

Here is a safe way to clean, seal, and burnish your shaft - and it will stay smooth and clean for a long time afterward if you follow the instructions exactly:

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=188985

I use a wetting, sanding, and sealing technique to clean the wood cells, raise and remove the fibers, then seal the shaft. I do it about once a year.

Chris
 
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Blue Hog ridr said:
Cue repair men just love guys like you, its what keeps us in business.
Keep em comin.
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You're kiddin', right? You really don't think there are any capable DIY-type people anywhere on this planet? You really think that we can't manage to sand our shafts down with 1500-2000 grit sandpaper and burnish it without butchering it up? FWIW, this DIY'er made himself a nice little homemade lathe out of a drill motor, a crutch tip, a stove bolt w/washers & nut, and some lumber. About a $40 investment. Turns a shaft true enough that there's no wobble at the joint or tip area. Great for replacing tips. Great for polishing up a shaft. One or two trips to the cue repairman would've cost me more than I've got invested in my lathe. Cue repair for polishing up a shaft :rolleyes:? Get out of town!!!

Give people a little more credit :thumbup:. We're not all doofusses!!!

OTOH, I will need you guys if I ever want some ferrule or joint work done :o.

Maniac
 
As you can see your going to get a lot of answers from a lot of people.

Here's the bottom line. . .

It doesn't sound like it but , do you have any problem with the shaft as it is right now ?

If not then don't touch it.

:) See how easy ?
 
Blue Hog ridr said:
Cue repair men just love guys like you, its what keeps us in business.
Keep em comin.
Click to expand...

Amen...lol

Any one "can" do it, but should they?

If it is a new Mezz it does NOT need sanded. Most "quality cues" come with a sealer on the shaft and are ready to play out of the box.
 
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RRfireblade said:
As you can see your going to get a lot of answers from a lot of people.

Here's the bottom line. . .

It doesn't sound like it but , do you have any problem with the shaft as it is right now ?

If not then don't touch it.

:) See how easy ?
Click to expand...

I like this answer a lot. Basically it's saying that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Now, moving on, here's the best advice you're going to get.
Ask your question again in the 'Ask The Cuemaker' section and get responses from professionals, not DIYers.
 
KJ Cues said:
Now, moving on, here's the best advice you're going to get.
Ask your question again in the 'Ask The Cuemaker' section and get responses from professionals, not DIYers.
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Not to be argumentative here, but if a DIY'er has been doing it RIGHT and doing it a LONG TIME, the only thing that separates him/her from the professional is that we are not getting paid to do it. For the most part, weren't the "professionals" at one point in time a DIY'er?

Case in point: My dad, in his prime, could fix/work on a firearm as well as any qualified gunsmith. He did it as a hobby. He was not only good at it, he was DAMN GOOD at it. I 've seen him make parts (firing pins, extractors, etc.) from scrap metal using only a grinder, files, and sandpaper/honing stones. I've seen the days when he cut walnut from trees on his East Texas property, form blanks, let them dry for a few years, then masterfully cut/shape/inlet the wood into beautiful rifle stocks. Made quite a few for me. Saved me LOTS of money on gun repair too. I never had to take my guns in to a "professional" to have them worked on. He never made one single dime for all his wonderful work. He was a DIY'er whose work was as good as many of the so-called "professionals" in that field!

Now Kevin, cue repairmen are like "guitar players in Texas". They're a-dime-a-dozen. Don't sit so tall in your "high-horse" to think that a DIY'er cannot be up to the task. Inlaying, joint installing, etc. needs a true expert, but tip installation and shaft polishing are really simple procedures that most anyone can accomplish without paying a "professional" to do them.

DIY's have knowledge too!!!

Maniac
 
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Don't get bent outta shape Maniac. My response as I'm sure KJs answer was in part made in light of Donkeys statement: "Typical response from a cue repair person".

I would think most cue repair men got their start hand tipping cues and doing whatever repairs they could do without a lathe just like most dedicated players do who like to maintain their own equipment.

Sometimes theres a bit of wrong info that can be thrown about. I'll give you one example. An AZer asked about cleaning his 314 shaft. One of the answers given was to clean it with "Acetone". Thats why KJ mentioned that if you want an answer from a cue maker/repair person, ask in the Ask the Cue Maker forum.

Donkeys statement that repair men charging $35-$50 for something that can be done with a little elbow grease is kinda giving the impression that
we're out to hoop anyone we can.

Myself, I give a free dent removal, shaft clean and wax with every tip install that I do. Just part of the service for me. If someone were to bring a shaft to me for a cleaning, it would include some minor dent removal clean and wax for $10. Thats a far cry from $55.

One can do an absolutely great shaft clean by hand, but I can guarantee you that you're not going to get the same job as when done on a lathe.

My statement in part, was toward people who may be a little over zealous with the wrong grit paper or perhaps using the green pot scrubber and even steel wool. Those are the ones that keep me in partial business.

Not meant to be rude and hope everything is square.
Terry.
 
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d'y'all catch the part where he's in Bulgaria ? How many "qualified cue repair people" you figure their are in Bulgaria ?
Bet there's a buncha real fine finish carpenters , though .
Maybe some of you cue repair experts should give him a little advice ?
Or are you that afraid of losing American customers ?

Hey Fr3nzy - welcome to the forums !:welcome: good luck with your game !
 
Maniac said:
Not to be argumentative here, but if a DIY'er has been doing it RIGHT and doing it a LONG TIME, the only thing that separates him/her from the professional is that we are not getting paid to do it. For the most part, weren't the "professionals" at one point in time a DIY'er?

Case in point: My dad, in his prime, could fix/work on a firearm as well as any qualified gunsmith. He did it as a hobby. He was not only good at it, he was DAMN GOOD at it. I 've seen him make parts (firing pins, extractors, etc.) from scrap metal using only a grinder, files, and sandpaper/honing stones. I've seen the days when he cut walnut from trees on his East Texas property, form blanks, let them dry for a few years, then masterfully cut/shape/inlet the wood into beautiful rifle stocks. Made quite a few for me. Saved me LOTS of money on gun repair too. I never had to take my guns in to a "professional" to have them worked on. He never made one single dime for all his wonderful work. He was a DIY'er whose work was as good as many of the so-called "professionals" in that field!

Now Kevin, cue repairmen are like "guitar players in Texas". They're a-dime-a-dozen. Don't sit so tall in your "high-horse" to think that a DIY'er cannot be up to the task. Inlaying, joint installing, etc. needs a true expert, but tip installation and shaft polishing are really simple procedures that most anyone can accomplish without paying a "professional" to do them.

DIY's have knowledge too!!!

Maniac
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I'm very happy that you and your family have such DIY skills.
Is it safe to assume that the OP does as well? Would there not be a learning curve?
It sounds as though you're suggesting that the OP put together a Cowboy copy lathe and attempt his first shaft cleaning on a brand-new cue whose value may easily be $1,000 and on a shaft that is not yet known to have ANYTHING wrong with it (yet) to boot?
At least 2 posters have told him that if there is nothing wrong with it, leave it alone.
I don't know that you've provided this man much in the way of sound advice.
You may not be ready to hear this but there are considerably more differences btwn a professional and a DIYer and it ain't just the money.

FWIW, you sit ON a horse, you sit IN a saddle.
 
ridinda9 said:
d'y'all catch the part where he's in Bulgaria ? How many "qualified cue repair people" you figure their are in Bulgaria ?
Bet there's a buncha real fine finish carpenters , though .
Maybe some of you cue repair experts should give him a little advice ?
Or are you that afraid of losing American customers ?

Hey Fr3nzy - welcome to the forums !:welcome: good luck with your game !
Click to expand...

"d'y'all catch the part where" he states that he's extremely happy with it and hasn't made any reference to there being ANYTHING wrong with it?
Have chill-pills suffered a recent recall?

And no, I don't hold back advice based on the fear that I would lose some of my American clients. People send me their work because they know I can do it better than they can. I appreciate their wisdom.
 
Actually I used powder with the cue but at one moment the shaft got oily because that powder is attracting dirt and I had to apply powder every 20 minutes. Then I decided not to use powder and cleaned my shaft with Cuetec high tec spray and then burnished it with 9 micron aluminium oxide sand paper.
 
Blue Hog ridr said:
Sometimes theres a bit of wrong info that can be thrown about. I'll give you one example. An AZer asked about cleaning his 314 shaft. One of the answers given was to clean it with "Acetone".
Click to expand...

Yes, acetone is way too mild. I was thinking dipping it in muriatic acid might do the trick. Or, just sand down your fingers. At least they grow back. :smile:

Chirs
 
TATE said:
He's both wrong and partially right! Any decent quality cue does not have a clear spray paint coat on the bridging area of the shaft. If there was a clear coat, the shaft would stick to your closed bridge fingers.

Shafts are sometimes sealed with wax, silicone, or just burnished. If the cue maker used wax, it can get a little sticky, so your friend probably thinks the wax is varnish. If you sand the shaft without sealing it, the wood fibers will raise again and again, leading to more sanding and a worn out shaft. As you play, chalk and friction will wear off any sealing coat and the shaft will get dirty and a little rough feeling.

The idea is to first remove then flatten the fibers that will be raised when the shaft is exposed to sweaty hands.

Here is a safe way to clean, seal, and burnish your shaft - and it will stay smooth and clean for a long time afterward if you follow the instructions exactly:

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=188985

I use a wetting, sanding, and sealing technique to clean the wood cells, raise and remove the fibers, then seal the shaft. I do it about once a year.

Chris
Click to expand...

Chris will ALWAYS steer you straight. Period.
 
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