Satin smooth butt material/finish?

S

sneaky_pete

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I've got a Mac Cue wrapped cue and a ebony/burl plain Jane with high gloss finish from Al Bautista at Black Pearl. Does anyone ever get a full satin slick finish for more of a slip stroke, maybe even all carbon fiber? The satin wouldn't look as nice as high gloss but might help play.
 
sneaky_pete said:
I've got a Mac Cue wrapped cue and a ebony/burl plain Jane with high gloss finish from Al Bautista at Black Pearl. Does anyone ever get a full satin slick finish for more of a slip stroke, maybe even all carbon fiber? The satin wouldn't look as nice as high gloss but might help play.
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Satin looks fine, it's all I do on cues I send out. High gloss finish requires significant equipment that I don't want to deal with

You can get a satin finish a number of ways. My favorite is a highly burnished beeswax seal, and a liquid wax finish on top. Buff to a nice shine.
 
ideologist said:
Satin looks fine, it's all I do on cues I send out. High gloss finish requires significant equipment that I don't want to deal with

You can get a satin finish a number of ways. My favorite is a highly burnished beeswax seal, and a liquid wax finish on top. Buff to a nice shine.
Click to expand...
I've heard of tung oil being used as well. Some people like that it more of a natural product.
 
Had an ebony full splice finished with oil.

The cue maker told me he used a product for high end shotgun stocks. It has a very nice, smooth satin finish.

Lou Figueroa
 
ideologist said:
Satin looks fine, it's all I do on cues I send out. High gloss finish requires significant equipment that I don't want to deal with

You can get a satin finish a number of ways. My favorite is a highly burnished beeswax seal, and a liquid wax finish on top. Buff to a nice shine.
Click to expand...
Nice.

I'm not a fan of the automotive type finishes everybody uses.

Best feeling (to the back hand) cues I've owned were wrapless and oil rubbed.
 
I just bought a new Predator cue, and the butt is finished partially satin, partially high gloss. I love the look! However, when my grip hand goes in the satin section, it definitely slips. So if you are after that feeling, I think it might work well for you.

It's this cue. You can see the points are satin, and the wrap area is high gloss. When I choke up on the grip and my hand falls on the satin area, it slips.

www.predatorcues.com

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Edits:
I think my cue is more flat than satin. But it slips for sure.

I don't like the slip. It's the whole reason I prefer wrapless cues, as the high gloss is "sticky" and my hand doesn't slip at all. I haven't shot a linen wrap in many years, but from memory, I'd say the slip on this cue in the flat section is slightly more than linen, because it does not have the texture that linen does (even well pressed linen has some texture).

I think this cue was made flat by sanding the high gloss finish to about 1000 grit, and not polishing it afterwards. You could probably do it on your own to any cue by wet sanding it from 320 paper all the way to 1000 paper with silicone carbide wet/dry paper. IMO, and not a cue maker
 
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For anyone who plays with a satin finish, does it resist stickiness well (I assume it would?). Here in Florida, my cues tend to get sticky certain times of year and it's one of those things that gets in my head when playing.
 
axejunkie said:
For anyone who plays with a satin finish, does it resist stickiness well (I assume it would?). Here in Florida, my cues tend to get sticky certain times of year and it's one of those things that gets in my head when playing.
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Yes, it resists stickiness.

Just played with a satin finish cue in Mexico in 87 degree heat with little ventilation and the cue butt was almost too slick.

Lou Figueroa
 
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iusedtoberich said:
I just bought a new Predator cue, and the butt is finished partially satin, partially high gloss. I love the look! However, when my grip hand goes in the satin section, it definitely slips. So if you are after that feeling, I think it might work well for you.

It's this cue. You can see the points are satin, and the wrap area is high gloss. When I choke up on the grip and my hand falls on the satin area, it slips.

www.predatorcues.com

Predator High-Performance Pool Cues | Low Deflection Cue Sticks

Shop Predator pool cues and get the best performance, low-deflection pool sticks to bring your game to the top! Free USA Shipping & Returns on all cues!
www.predatorcues.com www.predatorcues.com

Edits:
I think my cue is more flat than satin. But it slips for sure.

I don't like the slip. It's the whole reason I prefer wrapless cues, as the high gloss is "sticky" and my hand doesn't slip at all. I haven't shot a linen wrap in many years, but from memory, I'd say the slip on this cue in the flat section is slightly more than linen, because it does not have the texture that linen does (even well pressed linen has some texture).

I think this cue was made flat by sanding the high gloss finish to about 1000 grit, and not polishing it afterwards. You could probably do it on your own to any cue by wet sanding it from 320 paper all the way to 1000 paper with silicone carbide wet/dry paper. IMO, and not a cue maker
Click to expand...

If you want to change a gloss finish, you don't start out with coarse sandpaper. You start with extremely fine and work backwards until you achieve what you want. Anything under 800 is for flattening a fresh finish. Starting with 320 will yield a very bad day for most people.
 
axejunkie said:
For anyone who plays with a satin finish, does it resist stickiness well (I assume it would?). Here in Florida, my cues tend to get sticky certain times of year and it's one of those things that gets in my head when playing.
Click to expand...
I presume we're talking oil-rubbed finishes vs lacquer type...

In my experience, oil rubbed is less sticky.
 
DeeDeeCues said:
If you want to change a gloss finish, you don't start out with coarse sandpaper. You start with extremely fine and work backwards until you achieve what you want. Anything under 800 is for flattening a fresh finish. Starting with 320 will yield a very bad day for most people.
Click to expand...
Tell um
 
You can use rottenstone and rubbing oil to make a gloss finish satin also. If you use the rottenstone with water instead of oil you will get a semi gloss look.
 
Black-Balled said:
I presume we're talking oil-rubbed finishes vs lacquer type...

In my experience, oil rubbed is less sticky.
Click to expand...
In relation to tung oil this is my belief also.

I originally did finishes like that and it really worked best after you play with the cue regularly for a couple months. Let it interact with your hands. Body oil, little sweat, condensation from a drink etc. after a few months the finish mellows out and reminds me a well broken in guitar neck. Comfortable and smooth. Like a dirty house cue.
 
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