Shaft wax / sealant

[Aristo]

Hi, I've been cleaning my shaft with the magic eraser + alcohol with amazing results. Although after I'm finished cleaning, the pores of the wood open up and within a week or two my shaft turns blue again. I was wondering if I applied sealant or some sort of wax, would it protect my shaft better and prolong the need for cleaning it? If so, which brand sealant / wax is the best on the market?

 

[Fast Lenny]

Hi, I've been cleaning my shaft with the magic eraser + alcohol with amazing results. Although after I'm finished cleaning, the pores of the wood open up and within a week or two my shaft turns blue again. I was wondering if I applied sealant or some sort of wax, would it protect my shaft better and prolong the need for cleaning it? If so, which brand sealant / wax is the best on the market?

Good question,i would like to know also but i dont use alcohol to clean it,i just use warm water and the magic eraser,why do you use alcohol?

 

[Str8PoolPlayer]

I've been cleaning Shafts with Alcohol for years with very good results ... I then burnish the shaft with leather and seal it with Mother's Car Wax (paste) ...

This method has successfully kept the "blue" out of my shafts and ferrules and also provides an extremely smooth surface ...

 

[JoeyInCali]

Good question,i would like to know also but i dont use alcohol to clean it,i just use warm water and the magic eraser,why do you use alcohol?

Never use water. It might make the shaft warp or expand.
Use mineral spirits ( cheap and not quite as toxic as denatured alcohol ).
Seal with shellac sealer thinned out with thinner.

 

[Fast Lenny]

Never use water. It might make the shaft warp or expand.
Use mineral spirits ( cheap and not quite as toxic as denatured alcohol ).
Seal with shellac sealer thinned out with thinner.

OK thanks for the tips!I only make the sponge damp but not wet or soaked,just enough to get the sponge to work.Will Grey Goose work on the shaft?

 

[cuejoey]

Hi, I've been cleaning my shaft with the magic eraser + alcohol with amazing results. Although after I'm finished cleaning, the pores of the wood open up and within a week or two my shaft turns blue again. I was wondering if I applied sealant or some sort of wax, would it protect my shaft better and prolong the need for cleaning it? If so, which brand sealant / wax is the best on the market?

The various pool related stores sell the wax...A few years ago i started using a product made by Kiwi called "Wet Pruf" Walmart sells it in the shoe dept.....The whole trick/secret with any wax is to use the very thinest of film when putting it on...A common complaint from people that have used a wax is that little flakes fall off...That means you are useing too much...Again just use the slightest film on your cue let dry for a couple minutes then buff with a very soft cloth ..I use it on all my cues and they look like new and i play alot ...............Good luck to you...

 

[cuejoey]

Never use water. It might make the shaft warp or expand.
Use mineral spirits ( cheap and not quite as toxic as denatured alcohol ).
Seal with shellac sealer thinned out with thinner.

Take JoeyInCali's tip NEVER use water......Your cue is a fine piece of furniture...You wouldn't want to pour water on any of your household furniture made of wood....

 

[Fast Lenny]

Take JoeyInCali's tip NEVER use water......Your cue is a fine piece of furniture...You wouldn't want to pour water on any of your household furniture made of wood....

Im not talking about pouring water,lol,its like a damp rag or paper towel,the magic eraser is damp,not wet,dont know if it makes a difference but i squeeze all the water out of the sponge before i use it and then right after i dry it off with a paper towel over and over again.

 

[cuejoey]

Im not talking about pouring water,lol,its like a damp rag or paper towel,the magic eraser is damp,not wet,dont know if it makes a difference but i squeeze all the water out of the sponge before i use it and then right after i dry it off with a paper towel over and over again.

I understand i was just trying to make a point and compare it to furniture about the dampness...

 

[Varney Cues]

Butcher's Bowling Alley Wax.....works wonderful. Hard to find at the hardware stores....just Google it & you'll find many vendors. It cleans & seals nicely & works well by hand for those without a lathe. Its a clear paste wax. If used often...it'll keep the chalk blue off your shaft and seal the pores....and make your shafts smooth as butter. Just put a generous amount on a soft clean rag and rub until the shaft starts to get warm....then buff with another clean rag. Trust me...you'll have the slickest shaft in your poolroom. I pretty much use it every time after I play. Everyone who hits a ball with my cue always ask how I get my shafts so slick.

 

[Aristo]

Seems like theres plenty of different waxes I can use. Car wax, shoe wax, and bowling ball wax. The waxes made especially for shafts, how do they compare? I have no experience at all with any of them. But I dont know if I feel safe putting car wax on my shaft haha.

 

[Aristo]

Butcher's Bowling Alley Wax.....works wonderful. Hard to find at the hardware stores....just Google it & you'll find many vendors. It cleans & seals nicely & works well by hand for those without a lathe. Its a clear paste wax. If used often...it'll keep the chalk blue off your shaft and seal the pores....and make your shafts smooth as butter. Just put a generous amount on a soft clean rag and rub until the shaft starts to get warm....then buff with another clean rag. Trust me...you'll have the slickest shaft in your poolroom. I pretty much use it every time after I play. Everyone who hits a ball with my cue always ask how I get my shafts so slick.

I might look into this, What you're describing is exactly what I'm looking for. But I'd still like some opinions on waxes made for shaft sealing, just so that I can make up my mind before i go buying some wax, use it once and never use it again

 

[Varney Cues]

Seems like theres plenty of different waxes I can use. Car wax, shoe wax, and bowling ball wax. The waxes made especially for shafts, how do they compare? I have no experience at all with any of them. But I dont know if I feel safe putting car wax on my shaft haha.

Pretty much any quality paste wax is ok. The deal is get it in a clear or tan color. I've seen shafts where some used green or red paste wax and turned the wood a horrible shade.
Trust me....the Bowling Alley wax has something which makes it a very hard & long lasting wax...it works MUCH better than any of the other 100 types I've tried over the years.

 

[Aristo]

Okay, you convinced me haha. I'm gonna purchase one now.
Thanks for the great info.

 

[kaznj]

The wax is kanuba wax. It is the wax that pool dealers sell in small tubs. It is the same wax you can buy for your car. If you buy it for your car it is much cheaper, but you get so much you could wax your shaft for years. The pool size tub will probably last a couple of years. To get that really great smooth feel it is best to use a lathe. You get a lot of speed and generate heat which seals the shaft.

 

[Fast Lenny]

The wax is kanuba wax. It is the wax that pool dealers sell in small tubs. It is the same wax you can buy for your car. If you buy it for your car it is much cheaper, but you get so much you could wax your shaft for years. The pool size tub will probably last a couple of years. To get that really great smooth feel it is best to use a lathe. You get a lot of speed and generate heat which seals the shaft.

If you dont have a lathe and want to get the shaft hot i just do what i used to do in the old days with my little shaft,friction equals heat.

 

[Fatboy]

Butcher's Bowling Alley Wax.....works wonderful. Hard to find at the hardware stores....just Google it & you'll find many vendors. It cleans & seals nicely & works well by hand for those without a lathe. Its a clear paste wax. If used often...it'll keep the chalk blue off your shaft and seal the pores....and make your shafts smooth as butter. Just put a generous amount on a soft clean rag and rub until the shaft starts to get warm....then buff with another clean rag. Trust me...you'll have the slickest shaft in your poolroom. I pretty much use it every time after I play. Everyone who hits a ball with my cue always ask how I get my shafts so slick.

some guy named Barry told me this too. there is nothing better period.

 

[Paul Mon]

Clean and burnish

Hi, I've been cleaning my shaft with the magic eraser + alcohol with amazing results. Although after I'm finished cleaning, the pores of the wood open up and within a week or two my shaft turns blue again. I was wondering if I applied sealant or some sort of wax, would it protect my shaft better and prolong the need for cleaning it? If so, which brand sealant / wax is the best on the market?

First of all I try to wipe down the shaft after each session with the same damp loth I just washed my hands with. On the few occasions that I clean the shaft, usually after installing a new tip. I do the following:

1. wipe down the shaft with Mr Clean Magic Erasser, dampened with denatured alcohol.

2. Wipe down the shaft with a paper towel dampened in denatured alcohol.

3. burnish the shaft with a piece of leather, place a piece of waxed paper inside the leather, burnish till you feel some heat.

4. wet the side of the tip with saliva and burnish (without the waxed paper) till shiny.

This is all you should need. I do have some 3M burnishing films that I've used on scratched ferrules. They come in different grits (colors). I use the pink, I think they are about 2000 grit.

Paul Mon

 

[dmgwalsh]

Butcher's Bowling Alley Wax.....works wonderful. Hard to find at the hardware stores....just Google it & you'll find many vendors. It cleans & seals nicely & works well by hand for those without a lathe. Its a clear paste wax. If used often...it'll keep the chalk blue off your shaft and seal the pores....and make your shafts smooth as butter. Just put a generous amount on a soft clean rag and rub until the shaft starts to get warm....then buff with another clean rag. Trust me...you'll have the slickest shaft in your poolroom. I pretty much use it every time after I play. Everyone who hits a ball with my cue always ask how I get my shafts so slick.

Thanks for the tip. I just ordered some from ebay buy it now for 6.25 + 6.00 S + H. I'll give it a try.

 

[alpine9430]

Butchers was does in fact carnauba and other ingredients. One thing to note is that if your are not exactly sure what your rings or ferrules are made of keep the carnauba wax away from these pieces. It has been noted in other forums (wood working) that carnauba is know to cause swelling to certain types of plastic, especially polyethylene (I am not even sure if polyethylene is ever used in cue making). It is safe to say keep the wax on the wood!