Sil Kleen damage my shaft :(

CurvedCue

CurvedCue

Registered
I got Sil Kleen (the liquid version) and used it according to the directions.

But it raised the grain on my shaft so now it's not smooth anymore. :(

I used a leather burnishing pad, but to no avail.

Then used Nick's Edge, but it was sanding away the wood.

What should I do?

Do I need to take it to a shop and have someone professionally sand it?

This really sucks as I don't want the diameter to change. Arrrhhhg!

Why do they sell junk like Sil Kleen if it does this? And is the powder version much better?

thnx!
 
Going to a pro is your best bet. If you were closer I would make it the best that it could possibly be. Try Ernie Gueteriez, Ariel Carmelli, Richard Chuddy or any of the other fine cuemakers out your way. Good luck.
 
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Going to a pro is your best bet. If you were closer I would make it the best that it could possibly be. Try Ernie Gueteriez, Ariel Carmelli, Richard Chuddy or any of the other fine cuemakers out your way. Good luck.
 
cuemaker03 said:
Going to a pro is your best bet. If you were closer I would make it the best that it could possibly be. Try Ernie Gueteriez, Ariel Carmelli, Richard Chuddy or any of the other fine cuemakers out your way. Good luck.
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Agree. When you get it cleaned, the repairer will also lightly sand down only the raised grain and then seal it properly. A lathe gives you a little speed to ever so slightly generate heat that helps to seal the wood. This will keep chalk and oils from building up quickly. Now, you can carry a small microfiber cloth and wipe it down after each day. You should be good for six months.

Here's a tip that some disagree with me. Never place your cue flat on the playing surface, instead place the butt on the end rail. Placing it flat on chalky cloth will cause the shaft (either waxed or oily from hands) to pick up chalk. Believe me, there is a lot of chalk on the cloth, even if they claim to clean their tables daily. You'll be surprised at the difference this makes.

I used to hand clean mine for 20 years before I found this out. I had to work with it weekly. Now, I just wipe it down at the end of play.
 
I use cue silk and i love it,but someone told me they use biosilk and its the same thing for much much less. Gonna give it a shot but the cue silk works wonders, best thing i've found.
 
I had the grain raise on a shaft before and I just used a Q Wiz and then micro burnishing papers from McDermott. These all sand the shaft but do so very very lightly and with a light touch you aren't doing any more then sanding off the raised grain. Then I used a bit of Q Slick and burnished with leather. Worked fantastically for me, super smooth now and feels great.
 
SilKleen is supposed to raise wood grain, and one can not get the wood clean without raising the grain actually. Proper way to proceed after that is lightly sanding the grain down, then seal the wood pores with a good shaft sealer, and then make last sanding and polishing with fine grit sandpaper. In this last step you actually sand the sealer rather than wood.
In DIY home conditions I suggest one only sands the grain down and applies some shaft wax like carnauba. It won't last as long as a properly sealed shaft, but sealed or not it will absorb chalk with time and extense of use, so be ready to get it cleaned once in a while. Sanding the rasied grit is not going to hurt your shaft if done carefully.

As good as SilKleen you could use Mr.Clean Magic Eraser or similar product. But it raises grain also (because is supposed to be applied slightly damp to work its magic) so calls for sanding again. Don't be too afraid of that.
 
Been laying my custom cues on the pool hall tables for years and nary a problem with dirt acquisition ever......but I also regularly treat my shafts with a cue wax from a snooker company in England. There's always a perfectly smooth finish too since I steam treat any detectable scratch even ever so light and then sand rub the shaft with 2000 grit sandpaper, then Croakus Cloth and then at least 2 coats of cue wax.

My cues' shafts are better than when first arrival from the cue-maker. In fact, I treat brand new shafts with Croak us Cloth and then several coats of wax. Laying my curs regularly across the table when racking balls or just when pausing play does not dirty my cue shafts at all and there's also minimal chalk stains on my cues' shafts too. If you take care of your cues, you haven't any reason to be concerned about placing your cues on the table's felt.

Matt B.
 
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