Tell me which oil finish works good

poolcuemaster

poolcuemaster

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I just finished a nice sneaky and the customer wants an oil finish and I first searched through the hundreds of AZ forum threads to no avail. Please give me some ideas as to what feels good on a cue after a few months of play, lemon oil,tung oil or something else.--Thanks--Leonard
 
Hi Cue just below center , sneaky with butterfly has Tung oil finish . Not sure if I like the feel. Different . Followed directions, looks nice, but after a month still has a tackey feel to it.

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Leonard,

Lemon oil really isn't a finish. Tung oil isn't particularly tough or durable and as Jim said, it doesn't have a good feel for a cue.

Danish oil such as Watco might do but after half a century of trying different finishes my best suggestion would be to use a dull polyurethane or laquer (flat or satin)and after it cures use some paste wax applied with #00 steel wool rubbing with the grain. It has a little sheen, protects the wood and feels great. You can even wet sand if you need to but I don't recommend it too highly, especially with the poly.
 
The way I do my snooker cues is with urethane varnish. Thin it down about 25% and put it on the cue with a soft cloth. Wait 5 to 10 minutes and wipe all the excess off. Let it dry and repeat until you have the finish you want. It usually takes 4 or 5 coats.
 
poolcuemaster said:
I just finished a nice sneaky and the customer wants an oil finish and I first searched through the hundreds of AZ forum threads to no avail. Please give me some ideas as to what feels good on a cue after a few months of play, lemon oil,tung oil or something else.--Thanks--Leonard
Click to expand...

Google.

If you snoop around how the Brits finish their Snooker cues, you should
get some good ideas.

Tung oil and RAW linseed oil are time consumming - lots of rub-on let-dry
wipe-off lather-rinse-repeat. But they seem to love 'em.

Boiled Linseed is faster due to additives that speed up the penetration
and drying time.

Wity(?) on the AZB snooker forum might know the specifics - he seems
to be quite knowledgeable on Snooker Cues.

If all else fails - most any old-timey wood working site should have
info on oil finishing.

Dale
 
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Thanks to all of you for the answers and suggestions and I think I'll try the flat polyurethane for a few coats first and try waxing after that to see what that feels like. I have these in supplys in the shop and while the finish is drying I'll look at the snooker cue forum.--Leonard
 
oil finish

poolcuemaster said:
I just finished a nice sneaky and the customer wants an oil finish and I first searched through the hundreds of AZ forum threads to no avail. Please give me some ideas as to what feels good on a cue after a few months of play, lemon oil,tung oil or something else.--Thanks--Leonard
Click to expand...

Birchwood-Casey gun stock oil.
 
pdcue said:
Google.

If you snoop around how the Brits finish their Snooker cues, you should
get some good ideas.

Tung oil and RAW linseed oil are time consumming - lots of rub-on let-dry
wipe-off lather-rinse-repeat. But they seem to love 'em.

Boiled Linseed is faster due to addatives that speed up the penatration
and drying time.

Wity(?) on the AZB snooker forum might know the specifics - he seems
to be quite knowledgeable on Snooker Cues.

If all else fails - most any old-timey wood working site should have
info on oil finishing.

Dale
Click to expand...


I'm pretty familiar with snooker cues....most are using some kind of linseed, tung or danish oil. Danish oil formulations can vary a lot, so often many different things are marketed as danish oil. Mostly you want pure oil and not any varnish, lacquer, or driers added as it will be sticky. Boiled linseed oil has driers and will make the shaft sticky. Raw linseed oil takes a very very long time to dry, I would not use it unless you have a few years to wait. The best I've used is pure polymerized linseed oil. It has no driers or added ingredients, but dries fast due to the polymerization. I use the 'danish oil' product from Tried and True Wood Finishes (http://www.triedandtruewoodfinish.com). It gives a very traditional finish and a lovely feel to snooker cues.
 
I am experimenting with mink oil.
I use it on my boots they repel water.
You can buy it where they sell boots.

It soaks into the wood evenly.

I apply a an generous coat then
work it into the wood with paper towels
 
Look up information on oil gunstock finishing. Some of the top guys use boiled linseed oil. Lasts a long time, easy to reapply should you need to etc.
 
For any such future requests, have the customer be more precise about what they actually want. 'Oil Finish' covers a lot of things, many of which might not be considered an oil finish depending on how picky the individual is. Tru-oil, for example, contains resins (aka varnish), with enough coats (20-30 are often done) it can look almost like a varnish or lacquer coating. 'Danish Oil' finish is similar, doesn't mean they are bad, but might not be what is being requested. For finishes which are strictly oil, I like walnut oil (for anything that might end up near food), polymerized linseed oil or pure tung oil. I avoid 'boiled' linseed oil (which has heavy metal additives), and pretty much anything else like 'teak oil', 'lemon oil', etc.

Thank You Kindly.
 
Formby's high gloss tung oil works for me. Rub it in on the lathe, it gets warm and drys in a couple of hours. Put as many coats on as you want.
Len Mitchell
 
Walnut oil or linseed oil (the natural one, not cooked).
I love linseed, but it takes a lot of time to dry (~1 week) and it tints the shaft very yellow.

Also the thinned urethane finish, with regular 000 steel wool rubbing and 4-5 coats.
Does wonders on guitar necks.

Cheers and good luck - you might want to take a different piece of wood to try the finished out first ;) And please post pictures?
 
You can use a super thin epoxy (like clear kote) applied like oil. Put a coat on and let it soak in for 10-15 minutes. If you see any dull areas put on more. Then wipe off with soft cloth. Let dry and repeat scuffing lightly between coats. Finish by applying a couple of coats of Renaissance etc. wax using 0000 steel wood and buffing.
 
You could try a Canadian made product my Friend.

Dr. Woodwell.
http://www.woodelixir.com/index.php/Home/Index

Have a look, read the testimonies and see what you think. I have used this on cheaper jump cues and others, just as favor for poorer players that I did work for free.

And a few Snooker Cues. A couple of coats of this product and then feel free to wax and polish the heck out of it.

Quite acceptable actually.
 
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