Steel Wool

[NitPicker]

I've never quite understood why folks would deliberately sand their shafts. Then again, I've never had to use talc or baby powder either, and I don't ever see myself wearing a pool glove. You know what they say about an ounce of prevention. Thorough cleaning of the shaft after play is really what's key to keeping your shaft smooth. If you're playing somewhere hot and/or humid, or if you just sweat profusely, then you may have keep your cue as well as hands dry with a towel during play, but that's it. Talc will just gum up in these situations, leaving sticky residue on your shaft. And if you don't wipe that crap off after play, it'll harden and leave the surface of your shaft uneven...causing friction.

Would you guys sand the shaft that's between your legs or would you rather just keep it clean?

 

[sfleinen]

So the moral of the story is to stay away from steel wool and sand paper. I'll still be using it on brass ferrules bit ill make sure to tape the shaft up good. Does say, any British notes to the same as a dollar bill?

Pidge:

I used to be a big proponent of steel wool over sandpaper. To me, the soft cushiness of a pad of steel wool (the really fine stuff, like 000 or even 0000) helps avoid any "ovaling" of the shaft from the uneven pressure that a pat of hand-backed sandpaper would give.

That is, until I noticed that one of the shafts that I'd given a steel wool treatment to, suddenly developed a case of the German measles. Tiny brown dots all over the shaft. These turned out to be rust, when the fine powder that steel wool leaves behind in the wood crevices starts to rust from the humidity and moisture from your hands.

Think about it. Steel wool is the BEST abrasive to use for prepping wood prior to sealing and painting. It's used in the boat industry all the time. But those are the key operative words: sealing and painting. Unlike boats and your kitchen cabinets, cue shafts are NOT sealed and painted. The wood is left exposed, and is handled with your moist hands a heck of a lot more. And no matter how well you think you wiped the shaft clean after a steel wool treatment, there WILL be bits of steel powder embedded in the wood fibers and crevices. No matter how smooth you think that shaft is, it has microscopic crevices that are chock full of steel powder. And that will rust.

So, the only abrasive that ever gets near my cue shafts (and I mean rarely -- almost never needs it with proper wipedown and care) is SYNTHETIC steel wool:

000 Grade:
http://homedepot.com/p/2-in-x-4-in-...20/203784023?keyword=000+synthetic+steel+wool

0000 Grade:
http://homedepot.com/p/2-in-x-4-in-...9/203783555?keyword=0000+synthetic+steel+wool

These are just as gentle on the wood as steel wool, but without leaving behind the steel powder that rusts. And again, you shouldn't have to use this all that much if you take care of your shafts -- i.e. wiping them down briskly (to generate a bit of heat) with a hand towel after you're done playing.

I don't even recommend bronze wool (e.g. like this), because bronze has copper in it, and those particles can turn green.

Hope this is helpful,
-Sean

 

[fastone371]

Don't worry I only have one and it is not for sale.
I do not play cue collecting/trading/flipping, I play pool.

Great answer:thumbup: (I still love the cat helmet picture)

I use worn out 600 grit paper for about 5 seconds of sanding probably once every couple of months when needed. It probably burnishes more than it actually sands the wood. I do it simply to clean up the gunk that seems to build up on my shaft, my hands rarely sweat, and also to clean up any rough spots that develop from the cue touching or sliding on the rails. I like to keep my shaft extremely smooth and slick, everyone who picks it up asks if this is my regular playing cue because the shaft is in such nice condition. At the rate that I sand my cue, I am not overly concerned about removing material, in the 20 odd years it may take to actually notice any material missing, I will probably be due for a new cue or shaft anyhow.

 

[RRfireblade]

Anything you "rub" on a shaft and does anything is an abrasive, it's just a matter of degrees. Magic Eraser (which I also use) is an abrasive known as melamine foam, it's just an extremely fine one but that it how it get's into the fine grain of a shaft. When you "burnishing" with paper, guess what....it's abrasion to a very fine degree. The chalk that get's on your hands and shaft is abrasive. You can actually shape your tip with consistent use of a certain cube of chalk. Stop using it.

I love this place, 50+ years or more of common practice and all of a sudden your $hits going to a$$plode on contact. Gotta love the internet.