Tip on My Break Cue Shattered

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Stickman9

Active member
Has anybody ever had a phenolic tip shatter? That happened to me the other night when I was breaking (see photo), and I would appreciate hearing people’s thoughts.

My break cue is a Dufferin D901 jump/break cue with a Navigator hybrid break tip. I have used it almost exclusively for breaking (only a few jumps), and it works well for me. At the tip end, the shaft is hollowed out and filled with a foam-like material (see picture), and I am wondering if this could have contributed to the tip shattering. My thinking is that there may have been some additional stress on the tip because it was not supported in the center.

Should I be thinking about getting a different break cue? Any other suggestions?

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R

Renegade_56

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Put a Samsara break tip on it and forget phenolic, there are better uses for it in cues than on the tip.
 
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boogieman

boogieman

It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
Stickman9 said:
Has anybody ever had a phenolic tip shatter? That happened to me the other night when I was breaking (see photo), and I would appreciate hearing people’s thoughts.

My break cue is a Dufferin D901 jump/break cue with a Navigator hybrid break tip. I have used it almost exclusively for breaking (only a few jumps), and it works well for me. At the tip end, the shaft is hollowed out and filled with a foam-like material (see picture), and I am wondering if this could have contributed to the tip shattering. My thinking is that there may have been some additional stress on the tip because it was not supported in the center.

Should I be thinking about getting a different break cue? Any other suggestions?

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It looks really odd to me that there is a void in the center. I'd think for a break tip they would at least cap it. I'd bet it has everything to do with the void in the center, no support there.
 
T

tim913

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The only time I ever shattered a tip, and it wasn’t phenolic, is when I pulled a cue out of the trunk of my car to play an unexpected match. The outside temp was around 8 degrees
 
S

Stickman9

Active member
Renegade_56 said:
Put a Samsara break tip on it and forget phenolic, there are better uses for it in cues than on the tip.
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I had a Samsara tip put on the cue when I bought it. I liked it, but the layers started separating after about a year or so. I may give it another try.
 
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PracticeChampion

Well-known member
You got a mean break! Phenolic is some tough stuff.
Maybe there was a flaw in the material and it finally let loose who knows. I recently switched to a odega tip and will stick to it or similar from now on just for the better control
 
Michael Webb

Michael Webb

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
There is a chance, the tip had stress cracks or the surfaces weren't flat when glued. But besides that, synthetic tips are very demanding and C/A may not be the best choice.
Epoxy them.
 
S

Stickman9

Active member
Thunder Thighs said:
That's like saying, I had a flat tire.. should I replace the car?

The tip broke. Replace the tip. No need to overthink it.
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In my area, it is expensive and inconvenient to have the tip replaced. If there is an issue with the cue that causes me to replace the tip every few months, I'd rather get a cue that doesn't have that problem. That said, I will try filling the void with epoxy and try again.
 
boogieman

boogieman

It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
Stickman9 said:
Any suggestions on filling the void?
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I'd ask in the Ask a Cuemaker forum, I really don't know. A total guess would be CA glue built up in small layers, then sanded completely flat, but again, not a cuemaker so no clue if this is a correct fix. Epoxy might be an option but would probably make it a real bastard to replace the ferrule if it was ever needed.
 
Michael Webb

Michael Webb

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Stickman9 said:
I will make sure that is done when I get the tip replace (or will do it myself).
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Better yet, epoxy a wood plug in that hole but looking at a blown up picture, I agree with Jimmy. It looks like a crack. Seeing your using it for breaking, change the ferrule and be done with it.
 
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H

Hits 'em Hard

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Renegade_56 said:
Put a Samsara break tip on it and forget phenolic, there are better uses for it in cues than on the tip.
Click to expand...
PracticeChampion said:
You got a mean break! Phenolic is some tough stuff.
Maybe there was a flaw in the material and it finally let loose who knows. I recently switched to a odega tip and will stick to it or similar from now on just for the better control
Click to expand...
The Navigator break tip is not a solid phenolic tip. It’s much like a Samsara tip, phenolic impregnated. The Navigator tip is softer than a Samsara tip too.

A combination of no structural integrity at the center, what appears to be a cracked ferrule. And that thin of a ferrule for a break cue. Any tip will fail at that point. Unless something solid is used to plug that hole, or a capped ferrule, no amount of epoxy will prevent that section from flexing as it is now.
 
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