Silver in cues

Still want to shoot

Still want to shoot

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
I am looking for information on silver used in cue building.
I know that Black Boar and McWorter use it a lot.
I see in some cues silver used as a veneer or outline for ring work or boxes.
I am assuming since most of what i am looking at are not cheap production cues that it isnt silver colored wood or paint.
So is it similar to what is used for jewelry?
Is it a pain for cue makers to work with it?
How much does it add to the cost of a cue? and yes i know that could change depending on the maker.
If there is a previous thread discussing this can you point me in the right direction.
Thank you.
Dan
 
Still want to shoot said:
I am looking for information on silver used in cue building.
I know that Black Boar and McWorter use it a lot.
I see in some cues silver used as a veneer or outline for ring work or boxes.
I am assuming since most of what i am looking at are not cheap production cues that it isnt silver colored wood or paint.
So is it similar to what is used for jewelry?
Is it a pain for cue makers to work with it?
How much does it add to the cost of a cue? and yes i know that could change depending on the maker.
If there is a previous thread discussing this can you point me in the right direction.
Thank you.
Dan
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Silver is silver, yes. It has a value as a precious metal

You can buy it as sheets and wire

It is a softer metal and cuts easily on a CNC or pantograph. What are you hoping to do with silver?
 
Well I am working with a cue maker in the design phase, and was wondering if it was an easy or annoying material for the builder to work with.
As a veneer layer. and ive also seen it used in ring work.
Was also on my mind whether or not it was a crazy increase in price or not.
 
Sorry if that was vague ideologist. i guess what i mean is if you added silver as one of the veneer layers into points. would be an extra 100, 200, 500.
Thats what i mean really.
 
Silver is pretty soft, I've used it for veneers without much trouble. I don't think we're supposed to discuss prices, and even if we did it wouldn't do you much good.
Some makers will demand a much higher price for their work than others. It's up to you to decide if it's worth it to you.
 
Sheldon said:
Some makers will demand a much higher price for their work than others. It's up to you to decide if it's worth it to you.
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Yeah I expected a response like this, I will discuss it with the person i am working with. I was just hoping to get a vague idea of cost increase.
Well i guess i could look up current price of silver online, but that doesnt give me much to go on. (was thinking outloud)
But thank you for the response sheldon. At least that helps me understand that it shouldnt be an annoyance to work with.
Dan
 
guess what i mean is if you added silver as one of the veneer layers into points. would be an extra 100, 200, 500.
Thats what i mean really.
Click to expand...

I've never used silver in a cue, but have used mixed materials in other applications and furniture.
If your cue maker has never used silver himself, before; it might not be a quick/easy learn for the app you suggest - veneered points.
So it depends how deep your pockets and patience are to indulge him to learn on your cue. :)
If he is enthusiastic, that might be in your favor. If not, i would not press the point with him, so to speak.

Any metal bonds differently than wood.
Metal shrinks and expands with relatively minor changes in heat, but not with ambient MC. Wood shrinks and expands all the time with ambient MC but almost not at all with changes in temperature.
Deciding how to acquire &/or manufacture relatively expensive precious metals is a cost & labor factor.
For instance, can ribbon be bought in the size needed, or will he have to roll wire (in a rolling mill) to do the work.
What skills & experience does he have already working with wire/ribbon cutting and fabrication?
etc.

good luck - it ought to be spectacular but probably not cheap.
:)
 
I think most manufactures of production cues use aluminum as the shiny silver in a cue, it is easy to cut and will polish out nice. Having used aluminum, stainless, nickel silver as well as sterling I have found they can all be used and polished satisfactory to have a nice shine. The difference in color is very subtle but comparing side by side is noticeable. Having said all that, price aside real silver is far and away the nicest to work with. Cuts like butter and polishes out the best. Just recently having built a cue with all silver rings and inlay, the cost of material was significant.
 

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Canadian cue said:
I think most manufactures of production cues use aluminum as the shiny silver in a cue, it is easy to cut and will polish out nice. Having used aluminum, stainless, nickel silver as well as sterling I have found they can all be used and polished satisfactory to have a nice shine. The difference in color is very subtle but comparing side by side is noticeable. Having said all that, price aside real silver is far and away the nicest to work with. Cuts like butter and polishes out the best. Just recently having built a cue with all silver rings and inlay, the cost of material was significant.
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I agree it does look great
 
I think most manufactures of production cues use aluminum as the shiny silver in a cue
Click to expand...

don't know anything about production cues, i have used it for rings; it is easy to work & looks good (to me) but tricky due to the different expansion rates mentioned in my other post above. after acclimatizing for a few weeks, you can feel ridges between wood and metal. Esp if it was ever left in sun. Rightmost cue:

DSC_0060 - Copy.JPG



However, your note reminded me: In my day job i make woodwork parts, tooling, & other components, sometimes for other shops, including hardware. A while back i made some for a curiosity chest for another wood/furniture shop, and they got back to me about a different problem: There was a "silver room" in the larger chest, there were problems with the dimensions not matching plans, and some other bad details. The maker was apparently a prima-donna, and they wanted to know if i could fix it, cost no big object, just so they wouldn't have to beg him. It was maybe 4" x 5" x 8" or something (going by bad memory) had a couple doors, needed an edge trimmed off maybe 1/2". I had asked if they wanted the scrap before they shipped it at fairly large expense & they said keep it. When it came in, it was something of a relief and also kind of sad/funny, that is was all aluminum. Fixed it, they loved it, i never said a word.

smt
 
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Canadian cue said:
I think most manufactures of production cues use aluminum as the shiny silver in a cue, it is easy to cut and will polish out nice. Having used aluminum, stainless, nickel silver as well as sterling I have found they can all be used and polished satisfactory to have a nice shine. The difference in color is very subtle but comparing side by side is noticeable. Having said all that, price aside real silver is far and away the nicest to work with. Cuts like butter and polishes out the best. Just recently having built a cue with all silver rings and inlay, the cost of material was significant.
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Oh, i just noticed something relooking at the cue. Your logo in the butt cap also looks to be silver, Do you normally do that? or special for that cue?
 
Still want to shoot said:
Oh, i just noticed something relooking at the cue. Your logo in the butt cap also looks to be silver, Do you normally do that? or special for that cue?
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Still want to shoot said:
Oh, i just noticed something relooking at the cue. Your logo in the butt cap also looks to be silver, Do you normally do that? or special for that cue?
Click to expand...
I trade work with a jeweler friend of mine, he cast and rolled a piece for me thick enough to inlay my logo. It is about an 1/8th thick. The rings I cut from 1/32" sheet stock. The cue supply wholesalers ask a bit of a premium for silver rings. Especially after I have it shipped to Canada. I have used Brass, copper, and aluminum as well for my logo.
 
So theres other people that work with the premadonna, and they didnt want to ask them to fix it. And even they didnt know it wasnt silver?
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There was not an easy way to find out, without spilling the beans if they didn't already know.
There were enough people involved on both coasts as well as a subcontractor for another (successful!) component in Ireland.
I did not know enough of the multiple contract details to get involved in politics.
Designed and made my parts, did some other requested items, got paid well, and a bit later a local wine merchant showed up at the shop to hand deliver (what i later learned was about a $120) bottle of wine that had a gift card from the coordinator of the project in California.

But this is getting pretty far from the OP. :)
 
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