Shaft Wax ( Discussing methods of shaft maintenace )

j2pac said:
Mike,
Try this...P21S. I think you can still find it on Amazon. It is a Concourse grade wax. It is a hybrid combination of Carnauba and beeswax. Apply it, give it a few minutes, and then buff it out with a CLEAN microfiber towel. The stuff isn't cheap, but there is a reason for that. ;)
Best regards.
Joe P
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My apologies. I didn't give you the specific wax
This is what you're looking for imo. Hands down, the best there is.

P21S 12700W.

Good luck.
Joe P
 
Get a Revo.
No waxing, cleaning, scratches or dings........no nothing....just keep shooting....
Yeah yeah......I know.
But I'm seriously liking mine and this coming from someone who literally HATES LD shafts.
 
I don't usually dig up old threads,but I contributed when this first came up and wanted to update things based on my own experience.

If you like to use wax and haven't tried it,the new stuff from McDermott is a REALLY good product. It's also cheap and plentiful :cool:. Tommy D.
 
i have never done anything to maintain mine
but jack Potter aka jackpot on az

the guy who made Libra cues

is the most amazing person in the world

he borrows my cues and when they come back they are so smooth and perfect,i can hardly believe it

if someone were to reach out to him to explain how he does it,you might be happy

i did not read any of the replies so someone on here may be better,but jack is amazing

dean
 
Hopefully someone has paid attention to my advice previously posted regarding cue wax.

The best around is from Craftsman Cues in Birmingham, England but is hard to get and expensive
due to international shipping cost. Sometimes you see it on eBay and if you do, be sure to get some.

The next best was is the one I now use and it is Renaissance. Do yourself a favor and forget about
these home remedies like lighter fluid, Mr. Clean, blah ....blah....blah......Renaissance is the real deal.


Matt B.
 
To wax or not to wax ? Been floating here for years. My shafts are sealed, protected, buttery smooth like 'glass'.... no wax. No glove.

I am going to snag a jar of 'Renaissance' to try for my Butt ends, Guns and heirloom items.

Have a good day:thumbup:

-Kat,
 
Renaissance wax is the only wax that Milt Sparks authorizes for use on their holsters. Any other type will void their warranty. Milt Sparks holsters are some of the finest made. That says a lot about Renaissance Wax...
 
IDK, wax sure acts as a barrier to chalk and it is easier to remove the chalk when it sticks to the wax, imo. But I respect your opinion. I like using wax on wood shafts because it saves on "sanding" the shaft to remove the dirt and chalk imbedded in the shaft.

Joeya


WinnerBreaks said:
After reading this I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds the idea of waxing a cue shaft silly and the opposite of a good idea.
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The greatest shaft treatment ever

They have not made this product in several decades. If you find it, buy it at any price
 

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Tommy-D said:
I don't usually dig up old threads,but I contributed when this first came up and wanted to update things based on my own experience.

If you like to use wax and haven't tried it,the new stuff from McDermott is a REALLY good product. It's also cheap and plentiful :cool:. Tommy D.
Click to expand...

I just tried the McDermott wax, which is a combination of beeswax and olive oil, on a shaft that already had a very smooth feel due to having been sanded a bit with Cue Wiz and then burnished. The wax created some drag that wasn't there before and I immediately removed it with some water and scrubbing.

A couple of days later I received a can of Renaissance wax and tried it on the same shaft. This time the wax did not add any drag. It had the same smooth feel with the wax that it had without it. Hopefully with the wax that smooth feel will last longer than without it.

I'm very pleased with Renaissance and I wasn't with McDermott.
 
WinnerBreaks said:
After reading this I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds the idea of waxing a cue shaft silly and the opposite of a good idea.
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Sorry for the necro revival, but I wanted to add a few additional thoughts.

I've been using a product that was mentioned early on in this thread, for more than 25 years on every shaft I service including my own, my teammates and others who bring their shafts to me for service or tip replacement.

It's called Boston Polish Butcher's wax, again, mentioned on the first page of this thread. It is a paste wax and contains no wood darkening oils (As explained and recommended by antique furniture specialist Karen Keane of Skinners Inc. out of Boston and also an expert consultant for the antiques roadshow. Oils will oxidize. Oxidation is bad for wood, at least for the purpose of antique quality or cue shaft wood. You do NOT want to use it on your shaft or any piece of wood you value.) or water that is likely to cause the grain to rise.

This has been used for DECADES (Butcher's wax/Bowling alley wax are synonymous with each other. They are the same thing.) if not longer, by bowling alleys to keep the wood that the lanes are constructed of in like new condition for decade after decade. You don't see bowling alleys replacing the wood in their lanes very often and usually only due to "dropped balls" that were flung from people's hands and has dented the wood to the point where it cannot be removed.

Butchers wax is a blend of carnauba and microcrystalline waxes with mineral spirits as a softening agent. It will not stain, discolor, swell, dry, warp or otherwise harm furniture or cue shaft wood and can be buffed to a very smooth, slick finish.

Consider, there are few places where a smooth, low friction surface is quite as critical as the lanes of a bowling alley, so any kind of tacky or friction causing product would be very undesirable for bowling lane maintenance, hence, Butcher's wax does not cause those things.

Again, 25 years, or more, of using this product whose composition hasn't changed in over 100 years, has never led to a single complaint or problem and so far as I know every shaft I've ever treated with it is still in straight, clean, serviceable condition to this day to the best of my knowledge. I'm sure I can't say it will prevent any kind of warpage, but I can certainly say it won't cause it and will keep the wood clean and free from external contaminants like oils, water and abrasive chalk powders far more than a simply wipe down could ever do.
 
I have updates based on personal use,AND feedback from repeat customers.

After using it for a few weeks,my opinion of the McDermott stuff has diminished,as the drag that Rich93 mentioned came up on my own shaft,but I live in NW Tennessee so it's humid here,but I compensated for it with baby powder on that occasion.

The next time I cleaned that shaft up,I went back to the Longoni for personal taste.

After the last 15 guys I did work for got their shafts back,they all agree that my current process is the best it's ever been.

Seal it,buff it out with white polishing compound,and what I've been using for customers is the 3M Show Car Glaze,but I saw somewhere that the Meguiar's #26 paste is available again,so I might check it out too. Tommy D.
 
This is all I ever use to clean my cues and I've never had any problems. Most of the time a lite wipe with alcohol and then wax and buff with microfiber cloth. If I ever use hand cleaner, I use just a small amount.
 

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For the guys and gals using LD shafts I would call the shaft maker up and ask how they clean the shafts an what wax they recommend .
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Here is what OB recommends:

Care and maintenance of OB Shafts is really not any different than that of other shafts.

If you’re not comfortable doing this yourself, then by all means find a competent cue smith and have it done for you. It usually doesn’t cost much and is money well spent.

Here’s how we do it:

We start by removing the surface dirt and hand oils. This is most effectively done with a mild abrasive like the dark side of a Q-Wiz.

It only takes a light touch and one or two quick passes. The goal here is to remove the dirt and grime, not wood.

Next we clean the shaft using a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser soaked with denatured alcohol. The magic eraser can be found at any grocery store, and the denatured alcohol can be found at most home improvement or hardware stores. We use the denatured alcohol instead of rubbing alcohol because it has much less water content. Rub the eraser up and down the shaft until it comes clean. This will raise the grain, which will need to be resealed afterwards.

Now, you will need to lightly sand and polish the shaft to smooth out the raised grain. We recommend the smooth side of the OB Q-Wiz for this. It is an abrasive, so don’t get carried away, but it is very light. This should make your shaft feel smooth to the touch, but it will still feel like wood as it hasn’t been sealed yet.

You really should re-seal your shaft anytime you clean it. Cleaning not only takes off any dirt and grime, but also the sealed surface that helps to keep your shaft clean and smooth. We recommend lacquer based sanding sealer. Some water based sealers will work as well, but the lacquer based sealer will dry quicker. It’s ok to put on 2 or 3 coats as long as you let each coat dry before applying the next one. Once the sealer is built up and dry, just polish the shaft again with the smooth side of the OB Q-wiz until your shaft feels smooth. You can add a paste wax if you like. Many use a carnuba floor wax with great results. Just wipe it on and let it crust up. Then rub it off with a paper towel. It should take some effort to do it right.
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https://www.obcues.com/care-and-repairs/ob-shaft-cleaning-and-conditioning/
 
I'll necro this thread again with some observations. I recently redid my nephew's cue, solid maple shaft. I ended up using those microfilm sanding films, had to use a slightly course one to remove dents from his friends when he was younger. I didn't take much off, but had to remove a tiny bit of wood, again, VERY minor amount. I followed up with the papers until I got to the 5 micrometer film. I followed up with some chemwipe paper lens wipes. It was SMOOTH. I used pure carnauba wax, but the liquid kind. Waxed and buffed on my little drill lathe thing.

Perfectly glass smooth, or smoother than glass actually.

I redid the finish on my hsunami kielwood shaft because, although it had a great finish, after feeling his shaft, mine felt... not so hot. I did the same process, but only with the really fine films as I didn't have to remove dings. I finished it up with renaissance wax. I did 3 layers of the wax, buffing in between. Upon comparing the shafts, mine had a tiny bit of drag, not bad at all, but it felt not as glidey. I rebuffed the shaft and used the burnishing side of a q-wiz and now it's perfect. I think I had a bit of wax buildup in one part of the shaft. If I were to do it over again, I would probably do one layer and let it fully cure before adding additional layers, not anything unfixable but too much too quick seems to be the problem.

Both products worked good, but It is much easier to get a high luster on the shaft with the renaissance wax. Really good stuff, though in my limited experience it takes a tiny bit more polishing than the carnauba.

I used to be a bare wood and burnish guy, no problems there, but my hands are more oily than they used to be so the shafts would require cleaning more often when not sealed.
 
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