Shaft Sealer

billy-ks

billy-ks

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Any opinions on what is the best shft sealer out there? I was at a tournament this weekend and a dealer and cue repair man was there. He had a mixture of his own but would not tell what it was. He guranteed that it would not blue up after he got done with your shaft.
 
You will probably get many opinions about what is best. Do a search of this forum for "shaft sealer" or "sealer" and you will find a lot of info. A lot of people use a thinned shellac. IMO anything that won't blue is a finish, not a sealer??
John
 
If the shaft won't blue then it is a finish and too thick for a sealer in my opinion or he was over selling his sealer. Which sealer is the best?? Mine is, of course. And that is just my opinion also. But there are others on here that would share that opinion and some that would disagree with it.
Chris
www.cuesmith.com
www.internationalcuemakers.com
 
I guess he would like to have brand names and the different possibilities:wax, thinned shellac, french polish...

(That's what I would like to know:D )
 
> Chris' sealer is good stuff,but I accidentally found some stuff that works better for me. A friends' father-in-law makes duck calls and while looking thru his wood pile,I saw a squeeze bottle of what looked like severely watered-down beer. He said it was a sanding sealer,and I could have some if I needed it. He gave me a 1/2 quart bottle of it,and the name of the company that made it. It's made by Woodwrite,a company that sells supplies and machinery for making exotic wood pens. It's called Turner's Magic CN-11. It's a friction-drying sealer,once you get it the slightest bit warm while burnishing,it's as dry as it ever gets,and builds up nice without stickiness. Rapid Pad,made by Mohawk,is also a common sealer. Tommy D.
 
Tommy-D said:
> Chris' sealer is good stuff,but I accidentally found some stuff that works better for me. A friends' father-in-law makes duck calls and while looking thru his wood pile,I saw a squeeze bottle of what looked like severely watered-down beer. He said it was a sanding sealer,and I could have some if I needed it. He gave me a 1/2 quart bottle of it,and the name of the company that made it. It's made by Woodwrite,a company that sells supplies and machinery for making exotic wood pens. It's called Turner's Magic CN-11. It's a friction-drying sealer,once you get it the slightest bit warm while burnishing,it's as dry as it ever gets,and builds up nice without stickiness. Rapid Pad,made by Mohawk,is also a common sealer. Tommy D.
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When you say it builds up nice, it makes it sound more like a shellac/wax mix finish instead of sealer. I have used friction polish and like it for shining up rings. But for a sealer I want to sand what is on the surface off and just leave the pores filled and wax over that.
 
> What I meant by that is I use real light coats,and let it gradually fill the pores by getting it warm enough to dry it after each application,as opposed to putting enough on it to finish the job and having a lot of wet excess. I don't use much at all,tipping the squeeze bottle over and just give it a light squeeze,a spot about the size of a nickel is almost too much for 3 coats the way I use it. I apply one full length coat,without going backwards and dry with a fresh towel then leather until warm,rotate the rag to a wetter spot and repeat,then use 2000 to knock off the surface if the customer prefers. For me,it makes the stuff left down in the pores harder,yet easier to clean later. I didn't mean it to sound like I was trying to build surface thickness up like clearcoat,LOL. When wet,it looks like beer,but dries damn near like water color-wise. It's not waxy,but man is it slick with my wax afterwards. I swab the shaft with denatured alchol to remove any sanding dust first,use 2-3 coats,then finish with Meguiar's #26. Tommy D.
 
Different players seem to like different finishes, so I do some differently, but with most,with the sealer I usually knock the top off anyway, and basically what's left only seals the pores. I burmish & polish after that, and use whatever other method I am using or products I may follow up with. They just seem smoother that way no matter how you cut It. They are clear for the most part also. If the shaft is amber then that may mean the top coat is still on the shaft. I don't feel that hurts anything, altough I usually don't go no thicker then what stays clear anyhow, I feel it can seal the cue from chalk better, but just not as smooth as when you knock the top off, and as long as It's sealing the deep part of the pores, then cleaning the shaft down the road should'nt be as tuff to do, even when the surface does blue. It's the stuff that's down in the pores that can be a nightmare to remove.
Ofcoarse If the customer overly sands their shaft or takes it upon theirself to use something that removes the sealer from the pores then it still may let chalk into the voids, and you still may have your work cut out for you to get It clean the next time.
Alot of times the first time I do shaft work for someone, their shaft has debri down in the pores, so I have to do somewhat of a deep clean, but after that they usually get easier, and a quick touchup is enough. It just depends on what I am given to start with, and how well they take care of their shafts inbetween. I thin My sealer quite a bit, because It seems to penetrate better, so I don't have issues with ambering, but I do have to do thin coats or It won't dry and burmish out correctly, so I can't go on too thick with each coat anyway, It would take many coats to build an actual finish up, and for that I would probably use a different product altogether.:)

Greg C
 
Sanding Sealers, Butt*
Deft sanding sealer works very well on the butt so colors don't run.

For the shaft,
Bulls eye by Zinszer works very well on the shafts but do not use it on the butt, it leaves a film if you don't get it all off.

Sealers for the shaft.
Mohawk is okay but you have to add linseed oil to it for it to be better.
wood turners finish also works very well.
Final for shafts SLIP STIC, then burnish with 2000.
 
Such an awesome thread!

Just a question left:
When applying a sealer on a shaft, how long does it take before you need to put a new coat?
 
Sensation said:
Such an awesome thread!

Just a question left:
When applying a sealer on a shaft, how long does it take before you need to put a new coat?
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Next time you have it cleaned. That is up to you as to how long you wait. I tend to let my shaft get pretty dirty and only clean it if it needs a new tip or gets a dent that needs removed.
Chris
www.cuesmith.com
www.internationalcuemakers.com
 
How long before it disappears?

What's the exact purpose of a sealer? I find it gets the shaft slicker... but...
 
Last edited:
Michael Webb said:
Sanding Sealers, Butt*
Deft sanding sealer works very well on the butt so colors don't run.

For the shaft,
Bulls eye by Zinszer works very well on the shafts but do not use it on the butt, it leaves a film if you don't get it all off.

Sealers for the shaft.
Mohawk is okay but you have to add linseed oil to it for it to be better.
wood turners finish also works very well.
Final for shafts SLIP STIC, then burnish with 2000.
Click to expand...




"Alright":D It took you mentioning them to drag it out of me, and It's no big secret, so here's My take- You already know this Mike, But I have tried or use everything you mentioned except for the Mohawk. I have'nt tried that yet. Slip Stic is the nuts when used correctly, and I'm still using It on most shaftwork. I prefer to knock the topcoat of sealer off before using It, because It does'nt seem to work as well otherwise. I have used It with no sealer as suggested in the instructions I believe, but It's harder to get the chaulk out the next time the shaft comes back in for work. It does work very well if you only seal the pores beforehand though, and still helps with the next cleaning. True story, but I had one guy (good Player too) tell Me I got his shaft too slick, and It took a week for him to get used to It, that was a first for me.;) :p I use It on My personal cue also, and I can go for a good while before needing to freshen the shaft up again. I still use just a slight bit of powder on My bridge fingers, from My little powder sack, and knock it off before stepping to the table, that's only on ocasion though, and after It's getting near time to clean the shaft again, but not even a quarter of what I used to have to use before trying the stuff out. I've been happy with It, best treament or polish I have used, mainly because It lasts better & holds up longer then most others I've tried.:)

Greg C
 
rhncue said:
Where is the best place to get Slipstick in quantity?

Dick
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Its made about 3 hrs from me in Rochester but i cant fined a # or Address for the company. If I find out Ill let u know. Thanks Dave
 
Cue Crazy said:
"Alright":D It took you mentioning them to drag it out of me, and It's no big secret, so here's My take- You already know this Mike, But I have tried or use everything you mentioned except for the Mohawk. I have'nt tried that yet. Slip Stic is the nuts when used correctly, and I'm still using It on most shaftwork. I prefer to knock the topcoat of sealer off before using It, because It does'nt seem to work as well otherwise. I have used It with no sealer as suggested in the instructions I believe, but It's harder to get the chaulk out the next time the shaft comes back in for work. It does work very well if you only seal the pores beforehand though, and still helps with the next cleaning. True story, but I had one guy (good Player too) tell Me I got his shaft too slick, and It took a week for him to get used to It, that was a first for me.;) :p I use It on My personal cue also, and I can go for a good while before needing to freshen the shaft up again. I still use just a slight bit of powder on My bridge fingers, from My little powder sack, and knock it off before stepping to the table, that's only on ocasion though, and after It's getting near time to clean the shaft again, but not even a quarter of what I used to have to use before trying the stuff out. I've been happy with It, best treament or polish I have used, mainly because It lasts better & holds up longer then most others I've tried.:)

Greg C
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If you ever try the Mohawk, let me know and I'll give you the do's and don't's plus the ratio to cut it with.
 
Two Questions

I'm a little surprised by this thread - it seems that all shafts are getting a coat of sealer these days. Do any of your customers ask you not to put a sealer on the shaft? I got a couple of new shafts recently and couldn't wait to take the sealer off. To me a sealed shaft just doesn't feel right, and is stickier through the fingers than a bare shaft with Slipstic. Magic Eraser will clean the chalk out well enough for me.

Second question - Speaking of Slipstic, whatever happened to Pete Lafond (owner of Slipstic)? I used to enjoy his posts.
 
Michael Webb said:
If you ever try the Mohawk, let me know and I'll give you the do's and don't's plus the ratio to cut it with.
Click to expand...




Thanks, I'll do, always open to try new products:)
 
Rich93 said:
I'm a little surprised by this thread - it seems that all shafts are getting a coat of sealer these days. Do any of your customers ask you not to put a sealer on the shaft? I got a couple of new shafts recently and couldn't wait to take the sealer off. To me a sealed shaft just doesn't feel right, and is stickier through the fingers than a bare shaft with Slipstic. Magic Eraser will clean the chalk out well enough for me.

Second question - Speaking of Slipstic, whatever happened to Pete Lafond (owner of Slipstic)? I used to enjoy his posts.
Click to expand...

There is a difference between a properly sealed shaft and a shaft with a surface finish. You want the pores and open cells to be sealed but you don't want any left on the surface or it will act like you mentioned and cause a drag especially when it is humid.

Dick
 
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