PKM said:
I know this topic has been discussed many times, but there is a lot of different advice and is normally in the context of a complete cleaning away from the table. How about if you just want to keep the shaft smooth while playing and you notice it giving you a little resistance? Would you wipe it down with a towel and use the rough side of Q-wiz, for example. Or is that only after you've given it a proper cleaning, so that you're not just pushing in any dirt (I'm not talking visibly dirty except for some bluing from chalk). Q-wiz claims you can use it as much as you want, but it still feels abrasive so I don't know how careful I need to be.
Just started playing with a new cue (a low-end Viking), and it feels pretty smooth without treating it with anything and keeping it clean, so just hoping to keep it that way.
PS: Remember, cardboard is wood fiber and when you rubb a softer wood on a harder wood the harder wood is polished and sealed.
Hopefully that's not too rambling, thanks for any advice.
The best thing to do is to just keep your shaft clean in the first place. When you shaft gets that sticky feeling, it is from one of three things sweaty hands, dirty hands, or over / not correctly chalking your cue.
If your chalk has a hole worn in the center of it, you are not using the chalk correctly. The chalk should be brushed on your tip not ground into it in a circular motion. Chalk is an abrasive, if you are one of these people who grind the chalk on your tip, you will also have a blue line ground into your ferrule. When grinding the chalk in this manner, chalk residue will fall down on to your shaft, where it will be ground into the wood making the surface rough to the touch, and worst of all the chalk will cause your shaft to wear as you stroke.
This can be avoided, by brushing the chalk on to your tip, when applying chalk in this manner your chalk will wear smooth and last a lot longer. Another thing that will help keep your shaft feeling smooth is to wipe the shaft off with a damp paper towel after play. This will remove any chalk on the surface of the wood so that you are not contaminating the inside of your cue case. Which also with time will allow the chalk to build inside your case until you are grinding chalk into your shaft every time you put your shafts in and pull them out. Also do not forget to wipe the chalk off your tip before placing it in your case, do not do it, under the rail, on the carpeting, or any where else other than a dry paper towel or dry cloth. The reason I say this is because one, it is disrespectful to owner of the business, and two the floor's with carpeting are so dirty and contaminated with who knows what, which will absorb into your tip.
Do Not use anything abrasive to smooth the shaft!!!!!
All you need to do is clean the material that is built up on it from your hands, or from chalk by using a damp paper towel to wipe down the shaft, and then use a clean piece of cardboard to burnish it. By using a little moisture, and by burnishing with a piece of cardboard you may never have to have your shaft cleaned.
PS: Remember, cardboard is wood fiber and when you rubb a softer wood on a harder wood the harder wood is polished and sealed.
Before you laugh at what I have written above try it, you may be surprised.
Manwon
