I bought a midsize from chris. Questions: Do you press your tips before you install them? Do you use the same glue for tips and ferrels? What do you use and in what order do you clean, polish a shaft? Cleaner, sand, dry, seal, wax?? Thanks for any info, The Pool Hall.
Tips and Shaft Cleaning
- Thread starter The Pool Hall
- Start date
Give me a call tomorrow afternoon. I will explain my methods! To lazy to type it all!
> For gluing a thermoset resin ferrule like the Ivorine family,Aegis,regular phenolics and Ivory,I use Titebond wood glue as it leaves less of a glue line where it meets wood. For the soft plastics like Meucci,I use 5 min epoxy on the tenon and inside the ferrule,but lock the ferrule down at the bottom with just a dab of thin CA when I can,careful to not let it get all over the wood. I let it cure before proceeding.
For gluing tips,I use a thin CA (Satellite City Hot Stuff) to seal the back of the freshly sanded tip,wiping off quickly and lightly re-sanding before using a thicker CA (Gorilla Glue CA) to actually install the tip. This is usually referred to (by me at least) as the Searing method.
You need a VERY flat surface for prepping tips. I have 2 ground steel plates,one with adhesive backed 150 grit paper,and another with 220 paper,careful to get the block clean and reapply fresh paper without humps or bumps. Wipe the ferrule surface clean with a dab of denatured alcohol AFTER facing,and the tip should stay put with good glue.
For cleaning shafts,a lot of it depends on who's work I'm following,if any,as well as how the customer takes care of their shafts.
If the shaft was reasonably well taken care of,and was reconditioned well at some point,not a lot of sanding is needed. This also applies to recently-new shafts.
In the case of MOST shafts I encounter,I start by using light pressure and 400 or 600 paper to just barely open the pores of the wood. I then use a Magic Eraser sponge lightly dampened with a citrus-based degreaser (some use plain or soapy water or alcohol),and power-clean while the shaft is spinning at about 1500RPM. This is usually enough to get 90% or better of the visible chalk and funk out. For additional deep cleaning I use a little of the powdered Q-Clean on the sponge,scrubbing with the grain and the lathe off.
I wipe off excess moisture with a clean paper towel,or let it air dry if the customer isn't waiting. I then evaluate the wood for deeper imperfections. In most of my cases,the depth of the cleaning removes minor nicks and dents,and am typically able to start with 600 paper from there,unless the grain is fuzzy,then I use 400 with light pressure. If the shaft had a new tip installed,I then seal the ferrule and the sides of the tip with thin CA in cases of linen-based ferrules with pores. Ivory and plastic ferrules get polished along the way with my sanding process.
I sand the shaft at speed,and not skipping grades until I get to 2000. I then use just a little of my liquid cleaner and wipe the wood down to get out sanding dust,as it attracts other junk. I seal with a couple coats of a friction-drying sealer called Turner's Magic,thin the sealer a tad with fresh 2000,and apply a couple coats of whatever wax I'm curently using. If time allows,I allow the wax to completely dry,then 2000 again and finish with white polishing compound.
Of course,this is all adjusted if the customer is one of those types that wants a new tip applied and shaft cleaned,but not sanded,etc.
That should help you,Tommy D.
For gluing tips,I use a thin CA (Satellite City Hot Stuff) to seal the back of the freshly sanded tip,wiping off quickly and lightly re-sanding before using a thicker CA (Gorilla Glue CA) to actually install the tip. This is usually referred to (by me at least) as the Searing method.
You need a VERY flat surface for prepping tips. I have 2 ground steel plates,one with adhesive backed 150 grit paper,and another with 220 paper,careful to get the block clean and reapply fresh paper without humps or bumps. Wipe the ferrule surface clean with a dab of denatured alcohol AFTER facing,and the tip should stay put with good glue.
For cleaning shafts,a lot of it depends on who's work I'm following,if any,as well as how the customer takes care of their shafts.
If the shaft was reasonably well taken care of,and was reconditioned well at some point,not a lot of sanding is needed. This also applies to recently-new shafts.
In the case of MOST shafts I encounter,I start by using light pressure and 400 or 600 paper to just barely open the pores of the wood. I then use a Magic Eraser sponge lightly dampened with a citrus-based degreaser (some use plain or soapy water or alcohol),and power-clean while the shaft is spinning at about 1500RPM. This is usually enough to get 90% or better of the visible chalk and funk out. For additional deep cleaning I use a little of the powdered Q-Clean on the sponge,scrubbing with the grain and the lathe off.
I wipe off excess moisture with a clean paper towel,or let it air dry if the customer isn't waiting. I then evaluate the wood for deeper imperfections. In most of my cases,the depth of the cleaning removes minor nicks and dents,and am typically able to start with 600 paper from there,unless the grain is fuzzy,then I use 400 with light pressure. If the shaft had a new tip installed,I then seal the ferrule and the sides of the tip with thin CA in cases of linen-based ferrules with pores. Ivory and plastic ferrules get polished along the way with my sanding process.
I sand the shaft at speed,and not skipping grades until I get to 2000. I then use just a little of my liquid cleaner and wipe the wood down to get out sanding dust,as it attracts other junk. I seal with a couple coats of a friction-drying sealer called Turner's Magic,thin the sealer a tad with fresh 2000,and apply a couple coats of whatever wax I'm curently using. If time allows,I allow the wax to completely dry,then 2000 again and finish with white polishing compound.
Of course,this is all adjusted if the customer is one of those types that wants a new tip applied and shaft cleaned,but not sanded,etc.
That should help you,Tommy D.
we dry-press our tips with a clamp overnight before installing them on our cues. 
?WHY PRESS BEFORE you install?
Did I forget to include a DVD with your machine? All of these questions are answered in the first 30 minutes. At least the way I do it anyway.
Yes you did include a DVD just asking how other people do it.
Its kind of like pre-mushrooming the tip before you put it on so it won't be as bad after a little bit of play. It actually works well on LePro's.