Shaft Cleaning,Smoothing?
- Thread starter Brain71
- Start date
1) Find a competent cuesmith in your area.
2) Call or meet him/her and get a price on the work you want done.
3) Let cuesmith do his/her magic.
4) Meet again to inspect work.
5) Pay cuesmith and go play pool with your like-new shaft.
My 2 cents,
Gary
Not what I meant.but thanks anyway.
On a real pig shaft......
I put in the lathe
spin it
sand it with 220 lightly to open up the grain
clean it with bathroom cleaner with bleach
dry it with a heat gun
sand it with 220
put on a coat of lacquer based sanding sealer
dry it with a heat gun
lightly sand it with 220... feel the shaft
sand it with 600 until it's all smooth
wax it with carnuba wax
buff with a paper towel
burnish it with a leather patch
it's smooth as a baby's ass..................
Kim
I put in the lathe
spin it
sand it with 220 lightly to open up the grain
clean it with bathroom cleaner with bleach
dry it with a heat gun
sand it with 220
put on a coat of lacquer based sanding sealer
dry it with a heat gun
lightly sand it with 220... feel the shaft
sand it with 600 until it's all smooth
wax it with carnuba wax
buff with a paper towel
burnish it with a leather patch
it's smooth as a baby's ass..................
Kim
Take it to your local repair man as suggested.
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Gary is right Buddy.
If a shaft gets that dirty, a lathe is an easier fix.
If you want to try it yourself, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and alcohol will do the cleaning for the most part, altho other cleaning methods might also be in order if it is that nasty.
If it is ding ridden, you can do the wet bandage method. Fold a paper towel several times, cut of a square and wet it. Squeeze out excess water and lay it over the ding. See if it pops. If it pops even, ok, if it raises the grain, then you will have to sand it down and that is better done on a lathe if you have that many dings. You will run the risk of sanding flat spots into your shaft if you aren't experienced at doing it.
Sometimes the dings are too deep and the repair man will use other methods as a steam gun and filling in the dents.
Without seeing the shaft and considering your description, thats why Gary suggested a repairman.
But, there is a couple of things you can try on your own.
If a shaft gets that dirty, a lathe is an easier fix.
If you want to try it yourself, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and alcohol will do the cleaning for the most part, altho other cleaning methods might also be in order if it is that nasty.
If it is ding ridden, you can do the wet bandage method. Fold a paper towel several times, cut of a square and wet it. Squeeze out excess water and lay it over the ding. See if it pops. If it pops even, ok, if it raises the grain, then you will have to sand it down and that is better done on a lathe if you have that many dings. You will run the risk of sanding flat spots into your shaft if you aren't experienced at doing it.
Sometimes the dings are too deep and the repair man will use other methods as a steam gun and filling in the dents.
Without seeing the shaft and considering your description, thats why Gary suggested a repairman.
But, there is a couple of things you can try on your own.
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I fully understand why Gary suggested what he did. I do apologize I should have been more elaborate in my original posting. I have a lathe and I do cue repair for the town I live in. I do a good job, alot of times for free and always with no complaints. I'm wanting to see if I can do better. I was wanting to see what methods other repairmen use to get their shafts smooth as silk and see if that works for me. Thats all.
I use a sponge with hot water to get dings out . I NEVER use sandpaper to clean a shaft.
Getting dings out should involve steam or water of some type. Getting a shaft cleaned and smooth afterwards are different stories. I agree using Sandpaper to clean a shaft is a waste, as the paper will clog with the grease,oils, dirt that we put on the shaft, and then have to throw out it out. I use magic erasier with denatured alchol, then steam any dings. Then use 400 gritt then Blackheart's sanding prep and then 600 gritt, more prep, then 1000, prep, then 1500, prep, then 2000 grit. then burnish, seal with a sealer, rebuff it, then wax it. If a shaft was properly sealed previously, cleaning is much easier, but what about those shafts that have not been cleaned in about 10 years,.....how do you get those clean?
Anyone that uses any of the ready made liquid cleaners for shafts should realize they are using more abrasive cleaners that will leave a more lasting residue than magic eraiser, as they are made with ground pumice in most cases and contain bleach. I have tried all the brandname shaft cleaners availible and they are all abrasive, most are either watered down Soft Scrub or Comet with bleach (which is bad for the wood). try getting that residue out. And they don't clean worth a damn, IMO. My customers expect the shaft to be clean when they get it back, no green spots stuck in the pores, Some people here recently put down using magic erasier as equal to sanding a shaft to clean it. I have since measured 3 shafts before and after, and lo and behold, no diameter change, no sawdust, but the shafts were much cleaner.... A light sanding after cleaning with magic erasier with denatured alchol, if done properly, will not make a difference in the diameter that anyone will notice. Considering alot of poolplayers that wont use sandpaper, will then turn aroiund and use the green scrubbies, and all the pre-fabed cleaning pads and think those are better....
JMHO,
Dave
Anyone that uses any of the ready made liquid cleaners for shafts should realize they are using more abrasive cleaners that will leave a more lasting residue than magic eraiser, as they are made with ground pumice in most cases and contain bleach. I have tried all the brandname shaft cleaners availible and they are all abrasive, most are either watered down Soft Scrub or Comet with bleach (which is bad for the wood). try getting that residue out. And they don't clean worth a damn, IMO. My customers expect the shaft to be clean when they get it back, no green spots stuck in the pores, Some people here recently put down using magic erasier as equal to sanding a shaft to clean it. I have since measured 3 shafts before and after, and lo and behold, no diameter change, no sawdust, but the shafts were much cleaner.... A light sanding after cleaning with magic erasier with denatured alchol, if done properly, will not make a difference in the diameter that anyone will notice. Considering alot of poolplayers that wont use sandpaper, will then turn aroiund and use the green scrubbies, and all the pre-fabed cleaning pads and think those are better....
JMHO,
Dave
Very lightly sand with 800 grit, just enough to remove the glaze. Then I use Hightower's shaft cleaner. Based on how dirty the shaft is, I may re-apply 2-3 times or until no more dirt shows on the paper towel. Then I use a dry paper towel to completely remove any moisture on the shaft. When the shaft is completely dry, I again lightly sand with 800 just to remove the residue from the cleaner.
I then burnish the shaft with a paper towel. I used to use leather but found that a paper towel works just as well for me. The I seal the shaft with Hightower's shaft sealer. After the sealer is completely dry, I lightly sand with 800 to remove the glaze from the sealer. I then burnish again and wax the shaft.
Important point: be careful with the sandpaper. Don't reduce the shaft diameter. I'm proud to say that shafts that I have been working on for years still match up perfectly to the back of the ferrule.
As far as dents, I can usually remove those by applying a drop of water to the dent, covering it with a damp paper towel for about 3-5 minutes, and then spinning it in the lathe while holding a damp paper towel over the dent until I can feel it heat up. Then touch up with 800 grit. Occasionally, I have to use a steam gun.
I always tell my customers that cleaning would be mostly unnecessary if the they would keep a damp towel with them and wipe down the shaft every few racks. They rarely listen...
I have a soft bristled tooth brush. When I get a really funky shaft, which is most times, I use a cleaner and scrub a bit. It can help getting into the pores.
thanks for the info kim.
First step is to buy a lathe. (Preferably a Cue Smith Lathe.) 
Second step is to watch the DVD that comes with the lathe.
Or skip buying the lathe and take it to someone who has one.
If you already have a lathe here is what to do.
First buy some Cue Man shaft cleaner, sealer, and wax.
Sand shaft with 400 grit sand paper.
Apply cleaner while spinning shaft on lathe until no more dirt can be removed.
Sand again briefly with 400 grit.
Feel for dents.
Rough surface of dents with 320 sand paper.
Steam dents out with small fabric steamer.
Sand again with 400 and 600 grits.
Apply sealer and let dry for a minute or so.
Sand cue with 600 grit and burnish shaft with paper towel.
Burnish in the cue wax. Now you are done.
All this is done with the lathe spinning from 1200 to 2000 rpms.
Second step is to watch the DVD that comes with the lathe.
Or skip buying the lathe and take it to someone who has one.
If you already have a lathe here is what to do.
First buy some Cue Man shaft cleaner, sealer, and wax.
Sand shaft with 400 grit sand paper.
Apply cleaner while spinning shaft on lathe until no more dirt can be removed.
Sand again briefly with 400 grit.
Feel for dents.
Rough surface of dents with 320 sand paper.
Steam dents out with small fabric steamer.
Sand again with 400 and 600 grits.
Apply sealer and let dry for a minute or so.
Sand cue with 600 grit and burnish shaft with paper towel.
Burnish in the cue wax. Now you are done.
All this is done with the lathe spinning from 1200 to 2000 rpms.
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Black hearts sanding prep is the nuts for those that haven't tried it.