Sugartree damage

[Servicky]

Well my 3 yr old son loves to play pool so much he thought he could sneek in my case and slide out one of my perfect condition shafts from my sugartree and play some pool ohh and use it as a hammer to put 5 huge dings in it..i wrapped it in wet paper towels hoping it would swell up enought where i can get it spun down a hair to like 12.75 .... any info would be great... Or if eric chimes in i could take a new shaft if thats an option.... hehehe thanks guys

 

[Dave38]

If it's fresh, that's good. I don't recomend a wet towel though, as that is a blanket fix IMO, which can cause all the area to swell, not just the damaged area. Then if you sand it smooth, then a little while later the non-dinged area will reshrink to pre wet diminsions and that can be a problem IMO. I use an electric tea kettle with tinfoil on the spout and a small hole in it for the steam to come out of. Steam just the dings themselves. Then sand with the grain as nessesary. then burnish and polish as you like. A lathe would be the best help. Otherwise any good repairman, or sending it back to Eric will do the trick.
Good luck,
DAve

 

[manwon]

Well my 3 yr old son loves to play pool so much he thought he could sneek in my case and slide out one of my perfect condition shafts from my sugartree and play some pool ohh and use it as a hammer to put 5 huge dings in it..i wrapped it in wet paper towels hoping it would swell up enought where i can get it spun down a hair to like 12.75 .... any info would be great... Or if eric chimes in i could take a new shaft if thats an option.... hehehe thanks guys

Another option would be to fill the voids with Super Glue let it dry and take it down smooth. It will be noticeable but you will not feel it when using the shaft. I have done this on a few occasions when I could not get dents out of a shaft for a customer because they were too deep. Another method that will helps pop out the deep dents is using a damp cloth and placing it directly over the dent, then pushing it down with the tip of soldering iron. The combination of wet and direct heat will make steam right where you need it, if that doesn't work not much else will. If you don't have a soldering iron, an Iron on the linen setting will also work, place the damp cloth over the dent and use the front tip of the hot iron to apply heat directly to the dent.

If that doesn't work you will have to fill the dent like I said above or reduce the shafts diameter which I don't recommend.

Oh and by the way, maple has a very good memory with the right amount of steam you would be surprised how deep of a dent can be brought back to it original form before the damage occurred.

Hope this helps

 

[rhncue]

I find it so hard to believe that so many people will take steam to dings as a first step. Many of these people are the same ones who will tell you never to leave your cue in a car where it might get up to 140 degrees (water boils at over 200 degrees--no matter what altitude you are at).

Put a drop of water in the dent. Let it sit until the water is gone. Repeat.

I have had very few dings that did not come out doing this. Usually if you can see that no wood fibers are broken, this will work. It takes a while, it might take several tries with several hours in between.

Save the steam and soldering irons until you have tried this. This is the twenty-two revolver method, steam is the nuclear bomb method.

dld

I've steamed out tens of thousands of dents and have never once done any damage to a shaft. A steaming pot of water is not the way to do it though, in my opinion and certainly no water.

Dick

 

[manwon]

I find it so hard to believe that so many people will take steam to dings as a first step. Many of these people are the same ones who will tell you never to leave your cue in a car where it might get up to 140 degrees (water boils at over 200 degrees--no matter what altitude you are at).

Put a drop of water in the dent. Let it sit until the water is gone. Repeat.

I have had very few dings that did not come out doing this. Usually if you can see that no wood fibers are broken, this will work. It takes a while, it might take several tries with several hours in between.

Save the steam and soldering irons until you have tried this. This is the twenty-two revolver method, steam is the nuclear bomb method.

dld

We can agree to disagree there are many methods that will work, however, I do not like saturating any wood used for cue building with water. The problem I see with you method is that the water does not just stay in the dented area. It is soaked up throughout the shaft, steam does not raise the moisture content of the wood nearly as much and you can achieve the same results.

Oh and by the way, I am also one of those idiots who tells people not to leave there cues in their car. Not because I am concerned about the moisture in the wood boiling though. The problems I see on regular basis with peoples cues left in cars is damage from expansion and contraction. Inlays pop materials swell where metal meets wood and a host of other problems occur, oh and this can and does happen when it is cold outside.

Have a good night

 

[Cue Crazy]

I've steamed out tens of thousands of dents and have never once done any damage to a shaft. A steaming pot of water is not the way to do it though, in my opinion and certainly no water.

Dick

I use a hand held, and have also pulled more dents out with It then I would care to mention. I have never seen any damage from that either, not even to laminated shafts which may concern more, but I suppose if over done or done incorrectly then it's possible. However People leaving cues in a hot car I have seen damage from. I know one guy that warped 3 shafts in a row from leaving them in the car. The only shaft that I have ever made that warped was one of them, and It was from one of the most stable batches of shafts I have used (turned over several years time, and little to no movement between cuts, even early on in the process). The other 2 shafts were from different makers.

With the steamer I use, It gives a quick shot, and any wet spot left on the shaft dissipates fairly quickly, so It's not like It's soaking in water or anything like that. Bottom line for me is I get My share of beat up shafts, and not uncommon to get one with up to 20 or more dents. if not for the steamer pulling all those dents out would not be very cost effective, but that would also depend on the cost of the shaft involved, and what the owner is willing to spend..

 

[scdiveteam]

Hi,

Getting dents out is no big deal if they are dents and not gauges of cuts. Even then there are things that can be done to repair it.

Take it to someone who is expert in cue repair. It will be cheap and it will get resealed properly which is important.

Rick

 

[Paul Dayton]

I've been steaming out dents for over 50 years without any problems yet. If I can just go another 50 I won't care. Or I won't know I do.

Let the wood thoroughly dry before sanding smooth. Don't use anything coarser than 600 grit and you shouldn't have any change in the shaft diameter.

 

[qbilder]

Don't panic, it's no big deal. A new shaft wouldn't be necessary. It's a very simple repair that can be done by your local cue guy while you have a beer or smoke a cigarette. Everybody has their own method but it's easy & quick for most. A new shaft is ok if if it's just something you want, but it's certainly not necessary. I know the dings feel huge & it's easy to imagine that the shaft is trashed, but you'd be amazed how bad of a dent can be repaired in just a few minutes.

The way I pull dents is with a paper towel & clothes iron. I wet a corner of the paper towel & lay it directly over the dent, then apply the iron to it. The dent pulls up in a matter of a few seconds & it's ready for flush sand & seal. I have seen other ways that work just as well. While in VF last month, I was in the booth with Lomax when he pulled a ding & I thought he was crazy with his method but it worked well & worked fast. Learned something new.

 

[Dave38]

I now use the electric tea kettle because I went thru 3 of the $20 handheld steamers from Kmart in less than 2 years. with a tinfoil over the lip, and a small hole in it, it focuses the steam to a small area, works for me.
Dave

 

[Chopdoc]

Aren't children wonderful? I have some myself. Conveniently I have more cues than children...


Inconveniently, one cannot remove a dent from a child nearly as easily as from a cue shaft...

We have an understanding in my house. I provide shelter, food, and clothing, and they don't touch daddy's things. If they do they will be in the street, hungry, and naked....

As you have not mentioned the current condition of the child I must assume that at three years old he is an amazingly fast runner....

I am glad you got so much great assurance that your shaft will be just fine after appropriate attention. :thumbup:

As a man who has found cookie crumbs in a pool cue case...I feel your pain...


.

 

[cuesblues]

I rest cuetips dabbed in boiling water directly on the ding and keep repeating until the dent rises.
You may or may not get the dings completely out, but since it is already damaged, I would recommend something like this for your 3-year old.

 

[Servicky]

almost gone

Ok so i wrapped the spots in a wet paper towel and they are pretty much gone. I am letting the wood dry really good then sand and seal.. Thanks for all the info guys. my 3 yr old is like everytime i go to play in the garage hes ready to do more damage pool pool pool pool is all i hear all day i cant get near the garage before he sees me hes like pool daddy pool daddy... ahahahah no big deal i know eric would give me his 8 pointer if i needed it... cya...

 

[Chopdoc]

pool pool pool pool is all i hear all day i cant get near the garage before he sees me hes like pool daddy pool daddy...

Ah...well.....a prodigy of the highest order. You should have said so in the first place!

Fine looking young man as well. :thumbup:

It will soon be time to hand that Sugartree over to the boy anyway so just suck it up. They get everything we have in the end anyway.....


Glad you got the dents out!




(Except my JOSS of course, the heirs can't get that because I will be buried with it. And yes, it will be screwed together, I will have a cube of Master, and the Fellini will be in there with me to in case I need to take to the road.....)


.

 

[Blue Hog ridr]

They get everything we have in the end anyway

Not a chance, I am going to be buried in a Pyramid and all my crap is coming with me. No one and I mean no one is getting my Dale Perry's or my Harleys. Maybe I will will my Meucci to some lucky soul. My Tru Balance cues are my staffs of War and will accompany me to Valhalla.

I am tempted to try and use the water and electricity trick for dent removal at some point.
I do know that scissors and electrical sockets equals not cool due to my experimentation as a young scientist.

 

[Dave38]

First, I never said 'idiot'. Yes, inlays and rings can pop due to temperature changes, but I know that I have left cues in my car every month of the year in montana with no problems (temperatures from 105f to -20f).

Second, I am talking about a single drop of water in the ding. I fail to see how that will saturate a full shaft.

I am not against steam for removing dings--as a last resort. I'm also more in favor of someone well versed in the method doing it. I have seen people do some amazingly stupid things because an expert (no sarcasm here) told them how to do it and the layperson didn't completely understand. For instance, I have seen a shaft that had burn marks because he used the soldering iron method.

Maybe choosing your word better would be a good start. Your response to my post seemed a bit 'rude'? I don't know your experience level and wouldn't be rude to you about your methods, so why be that way to us without knowing our level? I used to do the water drop methoid about 15-16 years ago when I worked on 1-2 cues every couple weeks or so. Once your doing 5-7 a night, you need to find a better, faster way. Steam actually works very well when applied properly, much better that a wet towel draped over a much larger area than the actual dent, IMO, which alot of inexperienced people here advocate, but I don't see you jumping on them..... The steam dissapates very fast and evaporates. What is so wrong with this method, in your eyes? The drop method is good, but only if you need something to do while watching TV, like babysitting a dent for 3 hours. BTW, what does my steam method have to do with leaving a cue in your car??? I don't see the connection, only seems like you just want to put someone down, and elevate your self....I could be wrong, have been before.
Well, Happy Easter, and have a great Sunday,
Dave

 

[Blue Hog ridr]

The steam gun I use has a small round nozzle at the end. The intensity of the steam and how long you get a shot is generated by pumping the trigger.

I can generate an intense stream of steam for a couple of seconds and turn the nozzle away from the dent.

I still do the bandage method when I have a couple of dents to fix.

 

[ArizonaPete]

Don't panic, it's no big deal. A new shaft wouldn't be necessary. It's a very simple repair that can be done by your local cue guy while you have a beer or smoke a cigarette. Everybody has their own method but it's easy & quick for most. A new shaft is ok if if it's just something you want, but it's certainly not necessary. I know the dings feel huge & it's easy to imagine that the shaft is trashed, but you'd be amazed how bad of a dent can be repaired in just a few minutes.

The way I pull dents is with a paper towel & clothes iron. I wet a corner of the paper towel & lay it directly over the dent, then apply the iron to it. The dent pulls up in a matter of a few seconds & it's ready for flush sand & seal. I have seen other ways that work just as well. While in VF last month, I was in the booth with Lomax when he pulled a ding & I thought he was crazy with his method but it worked well & worked fast. Learned something new.

Of all the methods mentioned, I like using a damp cloth with a clothes iron. It's fast and if it doesn't work on the first try, then it's so simple to try it again.
Sounds like you've really bonded with your son over the pool table. My son is now 47 and we still shoot some eight ball every time we get together. Teaching your son how to play the game and seeing him evolve over the years into a good player is very rewarding. Glad you got the dents out.

 

[ridewiththewind]

When your son gets a little older, see if you can get Brent (BHQ) to make him one of these:

That way, while fostering his obsession with the game, you also teach him respect early for the equipment. Soon enough, he won't like people buggering with his cue either.