Step by Step, with photos, easy and safe shaft cleaning
- Thread starter TATE
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Get information, but what I have done for years is use a damp towel to clean my shaft, nothing else. When playing a match, I get a towel from my case, damp it a bit and just stroke if over my shaft once. This works like nothing else I have found. This is even better than powder. Just my 2cnts.
And no, my shaft is not a pretzel now, still straight as an arrow.
And no, my shaft is not a pretzel now, still straight as an arrow.
Cudos for a very good thread. Speaking as a former friendly neighborhood cue repair person, your treatise here is excellent advice for do-it-yourself shaft maintenance.
Also, remind the good folks who use alcohol that it should be the 91% variety, which is available at the local Walgreens for about a buck and a half.
Also, remind the good folks who use alcohol that it should be the 91% variety, which is available at the local Walgreens for about a buck and a half.
Great tip, Chris.
Magic Eraser is definitely the way to go. If anyone is worried about using water on wood, denatured alcohol to dampen the M E, works good too. Also, I've been told that it's a good idea to reseal the wood, using a wood sealer or cue wax.
*Edit-seems like a few others beat me to the punch
P.S.- I've used silicone spray, for years, to seal my shafts. Works really well, for me.
Eric
Magic Eraser is definitely the way to go. If anyone is worried about using water on wood, denatured alcohol to dampen the M E, works good too. Also, I've been told that it's a good idea to reseal the wood, using a wood sealer or cue wax.
*Edit-seems like a few others beat me to the punch
P.S.- I've used silicone spray, for years, to seal my shafts. Works really well, for me.
Eric
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I've not used it yet, so this got me wondering. How much are we talking about dollar-wise for a years supply of Magic Eraser, assuming you clean your shaft weekly? Is it that expensive that money is an issue?
Thanks.
Hey Daniel
Got any pics of this GO JO w/pumice? Thanks
I`m always looking for new ways to do things.
Jeff
Chris, one thing I've noticed about about shafts that have just been waxed is that they can be so slick that the friction coefficient is actually greater than it would be with just burnished wood. In other words, even though on a cellular level the surface may be smoother with wax, the shaft doesn't slide through your fingers as easily as it would have without the wax. Sort of like the fact that your grip hand slides much more easily on a linen wrap than on the wrap area of a wrapless cue.
I do use wax from time to time with some shafts and when I do, I finish off by taking a well used piece of 2000 grit sandpaper and lightly stroke the shaft in the bridging area maybe 10-12 light strokes. The end result is a shaft that is pretty well sealed by the wax but which feel super smooth and glides very easily through your bridge hand.
Why these simple steps work so well
Just to be clear, Magic Erasers do not work by sanding off the surface.
While they feel like a sponge, they are really glass-hard fibers the microscopically press into the pores of the surface and scrape out the trapped grime. For example, if you have stained melamine ferrule, Magic Eraser will remove the stains without sanding the surface. So, while they are a mild abrasive, they do not clean by removing the surface like sand paper would.
Cost wise, it's about $7 for 4 sponges. Eash sponge is good for multiple cleanings, probably 5 or more (although they are not very durable).
If you follow my simple steps, the shafts will be pretty well sealed, so you should only have to clean the shafts every couple of months at most. Most of the chalk will just wipe off.
Many paper towels and shopping bags are treated with silicone or polyester resins to make them more resistant to moisture (so they won't disintegrate) and this transfers to the shafts especially if you rub them to the point where you can feel warmth. This seals them pretty good. Then you can just wipe off most chalk with a cloth or slighly dampened cloth.
Like Eric mentioned, silicone works well to seal shafts but leaves the shaft without sticky residue.
Chris
ps. I think I'm going to experiment with silicone papers to see if they work without gumming up the shafts.
Just to be clear, Magic Erasers do not work by sanding off the surface.
While they feel like a sponge, they are really glass-hard fibers the microscopically press into the pores of the surface and scrape out the trapped grime. For example, if you have stained melamine ferrule, Magic Eraser will remove the stains without sanding the surface. So, while they are a mild abrasive, they do not clean by removing the surface like sand paper would.
Cost wise, it's about $7 for 4 sponges. Eash sponge is good for multiple cleanings, probably 5 or more (although they are not very durable).
If you follow my simple steps, the shafts will be pretty well sealed, so you should only have to clean the shafts every couple of months at most. Most of the chalk will just wipe off.
Many paper towels and shopping bags are treated with silicone or polyester resins to make them more resistant to moisture (so they won't disintegrate) and this transfers to the shafts especially if you rub them to the point where you can feel warmth. This seals them pretty good. Then you can just wipe off most chalk with a cloth or slighly dampened cloth.
Like Eric mentioned, silicone works well to seal shafts but leaves the shaft without sticky residue.
Chris
ps. I think I'm going to experiment with silicone papers to see if they work without gumming up the shafts.
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That's a good idea, Bill. In woodworking, to get a smooth surface sometimes it's necessary to use "filler" which is a paste that presses into the open pores of the wood, then that's sanded off once dried. Basically you are filling these pores with wax, which will definitely help seal the wood.
Chris
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Thanks for the info. So if you only need to clean your shafts about every couple of months then a $7 package will last 3-4 years, or around $2 to $3 a year. So I'm not sure how Go-Jo is way cheaper. Even if it's free it's not way cheaper. :grin-square:
Early 70's...
Early 70's, Ray Martin told me, "If your shaft feels sticky while you're playing, wash your hands". The first step.
Early 70's, Ray Martin told me, "If your shaft feels sticky while you're playing, wash your hands". The first step.
Thanks for the thread. By the way, Best Choice brand erasers work quite well.
Thank you very much for the step by step for shaft cleaning. I did all mine (12 of them) this way and they all came out almost like new. Johnnyt
Hi TATE. I believe in magic eraser also. I use denatured alcohol though. I believe the material magic eraser is made out of is meant to break down in an alcohol based substance. I believe this actually helps even more in the cleaning process by creating more little fingers that clean between the pores.
I'm not saying what you are doing isn't broke...the pictures speak for themsleves...just offering my experience as a few asked about alcohol instead of water.
Kelly
I'm not saying what you are doing isn't broke...the pictures speak for themsleves...just offering my experience as a few asked about alcohol instead of water.
Kelly
I've not tried it with alcohol, but I will.
One issue I want to mention is this about why I use water. Water raises the wood grain, small fibers like hairs that are cut from all the tooling etc. The water raises the fibers and once it dries, they are sanded off and the shaft is burnished. Once this happens, after the fibers are raised and removed once or twice, the fibers will not raise again with water - so sweat will not make the shaft bumpy again and the shaft can be subsequently wiped clean with a moist cloth.
So, this is basically why I have used water.
By the way, I have also found that Parchment Paper (bakery release paper) used for cooking (on the store shelf near the aluminum foil) is excellent for burnishing the shaft. It has polymer compounds coating it - this rubs off on the shaft to seal it and make it like glass.
Chris
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