Stories of people whose cues were either damaged in a case or protected by a case.
Wasn't my cue, but still pretty funny - Today, 11:12 AM - http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2151028&postcount=111
It was somewhere between '77 & '80 that Bob Meucci introduced a one butt - two shaft case with the guts being of some high density foam. They worked ok for cues with smaller than normal butt diameters (like the Meucci's), but put a Joss, Scruggs, McD or others in, and the case formed a death grip around the butt.
Anyhow, I'm at Marino's room in Bridgeville PA just as the first shipment arrives. Either Tubby, Earl Robinson, or Calcane sees a burgundy case - which did look good - and grabs Tom S's top of the line Joss West (the ebony one with ivory windows, joint, and buttcap) to make sure it will "fit".
They jammed that poor cue so far in, less than 1" of the butt was visible. Then the Hoover vacuum principle took over. We tried everything to get that cue out, to no avail, it wouldn't budge.
Jimmy then remembered that his dad had some tools in the back. He disappears for a minute, then returns with at least 2 pairs of channel locks and a pipe wrench.
Well, after about 20 minutes, the butt did come out, but it took pouring some lighter fluid into the case (to loosen the foam), then grabbing the butt with the pipe wrench and pulling like hell.
The cases were returned to Meucci shortly thereafter.
FAIL
Missing them just as well today as I did 25 years ago.
Remember, it takes considerable diligence to put the turd back into the dog.
Phil
Atlanta GA
____________________________________________________________________________
Yesterday, 11:41 PM- http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2149684&postcount=3
yes I did. I had a 3x6 pro lite. I put the case on the back seat of my truck when I left Magoos in Tulsa, when I got to All American Billiards in Muskogee 45min later there was achip in my clearcoat. Im not rough with my stuff and take care of my cues..So I know I didnt bump my cue on anything before it was put in my case.. When I first got the case I woudl always hear the the rattling inside the case and it always made me cringe...I guess I shoulda just not used it when I first heard that sound
I will have to find my original post on what happened and post it on here simply because I dont have the time to put it all down here right now since I have like 14 Vets waiting to see me and I am typing this in between seeing them.
________________________________________________
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2149707&postcount=6
I find using the full capacity of a 2x4 It's George to be a very, very tight squeeze. If you're not super careful about putting cues in and taking them out, you can easily end up with a scratch. It's happened to me.
-------------------------------------------
Once - Yesterday, 11:59 PM - http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2149711&postcount=7
I purchase a cue at VF one year that came in a inexpensive imported case. When I got home and removed the cue there was a scratch about 1 inch on the butt cap. Apparently one of the nails missed the intended target. The cue maker refinished the cue for me, signed to to my wife and put a leather wrap on it for me.
Don P.
---------------------------------------------
Today, 12:01 AM - http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2149716&postcount=9
I was showing cues to a friend. After a couple of cases, I was on my Mezz NPC-35 hard exterior and soft partition case. When I pulled a cue out, I forgot to clip the case in between my legs... bang it goes into the carpet... Cues and shafts all over the floor... &^#$%^%$@#@... Fortunately, what was inside this case where Production cues.
On another day, another friend was in town. I was holding a JB case and showing cues. Took my other hand that supported the case off and bang it goes on the carpet. Cues and shafts are still inside the case... What a sign of relief... Check the cues and shafts inside one at a time... No nicks, dings, etc... Now I own 3 JFlowers JB cases. I had JB custom made 2 x (4x8s) no frills case. Had a custom canvas case to put them in for traveling. All with that Memory Foam interior that JB uses. I'm sold.
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Today, 12:06 AM - http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2149728&postcount=11
One time a few years ago my girlfriend and I were at a beach cottage over the summer and as we were leaving I handed her my cue case to take down the steps so I could grab the heavier stuff... about her second step down her foot slips, she drops the case, the lid unsnaps and all of my cues and shafts roll down the steps (in slow motion) till they hit the bottom of the cement. We stand there watching, frozen in horror, and then she looks up at me, sees my face and immediately grabs her ankle and goes "owww". Naturally I can't be mad at her now because she (allegedly) hurt her ankle but if the case had had a better latch and/or had a more snug interior the cues would have never met those steps and the cement... Thank God my Ginacue was not in that case.
I won't comment on what brand of case it was...
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Today, 12:57 AM http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2149828&postcount=27
My first custom case caused deep severe scratches on the butt plates on couple of my custom cues. I contacted the case maker about this and he had me send the case back to him so I could see what was causing this. What he found out there was a 1/16" drill bit broken off in the bottom of my case. I he paid for the refinish of my cues with no questions asked. So he made everything right with me.
Cues: Cochran, Scruggs & Olneys
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Today, 01:52 AM - http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2149959&postcount=47
The only damage I have ever had I'll blame on myself. My cue slipping out and chipping the collar of the shaft. I was still a newbie and it wasn't a real expensive cue, I am much more careful now. I do not own a justice or JB, but would like to have one in the future. I guess I have been pretty satisfied with the protection of my mid-range priced cases, as I usually am not carrying my customs around. I keep them locked up at home.
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Today, 02:07 AM http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2149987&postcount=55
I had a mcdermott case, which i believe was made by porper but I could be mistaken. It was a 2x4 hardcase. I had a few cheap cues in it, and it would travel in the car with me, but never left it in there all day or anything too extreme. I found one day one of the cues was stuck and after much trying i finally got it out, it seemed that the glue somehow became attached to the cue. The inside fluff of the case was all stuck to the cue and I never figured it out, ended up throwing the case away...was glad it was just a cheap cue in there. Even if it did end up getting hot inside my vehicle, i would think it should not be hot enough to make it do something like that, just bad engineering if you ask me.
Grey Ghost
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Today, 04:32 AM http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2150299&postcount=76
Many years ago I had a 2x4 leather case from a guy who no longer makes them. It had plastic tubes for the butts and shafts. For some reason I installed the shaft joint side down - normally I would do it the other way, but this time I didn't for some reason, can't remember why.
This cue was a Schuler, and the Schuler joint is a little bigger than standard. Well, once the shaft was in the case I couldn't pull it out. It was really wedged in there tight and my finger strength wasn't enough to get it out. I could have used a pliers but that would have destroyed the shaft, or at least the ferrule.
I sent it back to the casemaker and he got it out, but the shaft came back with a new ferrule and tip and some kind of black mark on the wood, so I guess he had to use a pliers.
Since then I've learned never ever to put a shaft in joint side down. If the joint is up and there is a problem, you can always screw the butt into the shaft and lift it out
Name: Rich Klein
Cue: Ray Schuler (1982)
Fave game: 14.1
Years Playing: 48 on and off
Home Rooms: www.illinoisbilliardclub.com, Red Shoes Billiards
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Today, 04:35 AM http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2150309&postcount=78
Fellini case/cue in car trunk, drove to Olathe Kansas. Went to practice and found a cut in the wrap. With a flashlight looked inside the case, I found the seam of the fabric had come detached near the bottom. The constant bouncing on interstate 70 for about 500 miles did the trick. Never put a cue/case in a trunk again on a long trip unless I shimmed it with some type of foam.
www.worldbilliardtour.com
Bill Meacham
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1st time ever... - Today, 06:42 AM - http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2150580&postcount=94
when i started back playing almost a year ago now...
i ordered 2 custom cues, and needed a new, bigger case.
i bought a 3/6 porper, that required the cue butts going in pin-first. after a week, i realized that i had scratches on the finish of my new cues. come to find out...the felt-covered holes that i slid them into, were rubbing them on those areas and scratched them up.
needless to say, i immediately bought another new case, a 3/5 with springloaded sleeves for the butts.
i have owned these porper cases before, and never had this problem. so this was a 1st ever experience for me. i now look at these things more closely, as it has never even come to mind before.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today, 08:07 AM - http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2150729&postcount=100
Yep, an old Brunswick case would scratch the linen grip. The rivets for the handle weren't knocked down.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today, 09:53 AM - http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2150887&postcount=103
Mark Smith of Mark Smith Custom Cues refinished my one of a kind Joss Cue. He can be reached at www.marksmithcues.com
He will verify that I brought him a Joss cue to be refinished and that he had seen the Joss a few days prior and it had the normal dings and scratches from normal play. The ivory joint was also cracked and he was scheduled to replace it.
On the day that I was taking the Joss to him I was in a hurry and grabbed the nearest case to me which happened to be a Vincintore Whitten knockoff that was brand new and unused. I had recieved several of these in a trade deal with Leonard Bludworth at the Windy City Open earlier in the year.
I watched in horror as the bottom came out and my Joss slid through a ring of nail points on the way out of the case. I when it had reached the floor I pulled it the rest of the way out gingerly.
Starting at the buttcap and extending almost all the way up the wrap were fairly deep scratches.
Kind of an ironic thing to happen to a case maker. Mark was as disgusted as I was.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wasn't my cue, but still pretty funny - Today, 11:12 AM - http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2151028&postcount=111
It was somewhere between '77 & '80 that Bob Meucci introduced a one butt - two shaft case with the guts being of some high density foam. They worked ok for cues with smaller than normal butt diameters (like the Meucci's), but put a Joss, Scruggs, McD or others in, and the case formed a death grip around the butt.
Anyhow, I'm at Marino's room in Bridgeville PA just as the first shipment arrives. Either Tubby, Earl Robinson, or Calcane sees a burgundy case - which did look good - and grabs Tom S's top of the line Joss West (the ebony one with ivory windows, joint, and buttcap) to make sure it will "fit".
They jammed that poor cue so far in, less than 1" of the butt was visible. Then the Hoover vacuum principle took over. We tried everything to get that cue out, to no avail, it wouldn't budge.
Jimmy then remembered that his dad had some tools in the back. He disappears for a minute, then returns with at least 2 pairs of channel locks and a pipe wrench.
Well, after about 20 minutes, the butt did come out, but it took pouring some lighter fluid into the case (to loosen the foam), then grabbing the butt with the pipe wrench and pulling like hell.
The cases were returned to Meucci shortly thereafter.
FAIL
Missing them just as well today as I did 25 years ago.
Remember, it takes considerable diligence to put the turd back into the dog.
Phil
Atlanta GA
____________________________________________________________________________
Yesterday, 11:41 PM- http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2149684&postcount=3
yes I did. I had a 3x6 pro lite. I put the case on the back seat of my truck when I left Magoos in Tulsa, when I got to All American Billiards in Muskogee 45min later there was achip in my clearcoat. Im not rough with my stuff and take care of my cues..So I know I didnt bump my cue on anything before it was put in my case.. When I first got the case I woudl always hear the the rattling inside the case and it always made me cringe...I guess I shoulda just not used it when I first heard that sound
I will have to find my original post on what happened and post it on here simply because I dont have the time to put it all down here right now since I have like 14 Vets waiting to see me and I am typing this in between seeing them.
________________________________________________
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2149707&postcount=6
I find using the full capacity of a 2x4 It's George to be a very, very tight squeeze. If you're not super careful about putting cues in and taking them out, you can easily end up with a scratch. It's happened to me.
-------------------------------------------
Once - Yesterday, 11:59 PM - http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2149711&postcount=7
I purchase a cue at VF one year that came in a inexpensive imported case. When I got home and removed the cue there was a scratch about 1 inch on the butt cap. Apparently one of the nails missed the intended target. The cue maker refinished the cue for me, signed to to my wife and put a leather wrap on it for me.
Don P.
---------------------------------------------
Today, 12:01 AM - http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2149716&postcount=9
I was showing cues to a friend. After a couple of cases, I was on my Mezz NPC-35 hard exterior and soft partition case. When I pulled a cue out, I forgot to clip the case in between my legs... bang it goes into the carpet... Cues and shafts all over the floor... &^#$%^%$@#@... Fortunately, what was inside this case where Production cues.
On another day, another friend was in town. I was holding a JB case and showing cues. Took my other hand that supported the case off and bang it goes on the carpet. Cues and shafts are still inside the case... What a sign of relief... Check the cues and shafts inside one at a time... No nicks, dings, etc... Now I own 3 JFlowers JB cases. I had JB custom made 2 x (4x8s) no frills case. Had a custom canvas case to put them in for traveling. All with that Memory Foam interior that JB uses. I'm sold.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today, 12:06 AM - http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2149728&postcount=11
One time a few years ago my girlfriend and I were at a beach cottage over the summer and as we were leaving I handed her my cue case to take down the steps so I could grab the heavier stuff... about her second step down her foot slips, she drops the case, the lid unsnaps and all of my cues and shafts roll down the steps (in slow motion) till they hit the bottom of the cement. We stand there watching, frozen in horror, and then she looks up at me, sees my face and immediately grabs her ankle and goes "owww". Naturally I can't be mad at her now because she (allegedly) hurt her ankle but if the case had had a better latch and/or had a more snug interior the cues would have never met those steps and the cement... Thank God my Ginacue was not in that case.
I won't comment on what brand of case it was...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today, 12:57 AM http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2149828&postcount=27
My first custom case caused deep severe scratches on the butt plates on couple of my custom cues. I contacted the case maker about this and he had me send the case back to him so I could see what was causing this. What he found out there was a 1/16" drill bit broken off in the bottom of my case. I he paid for the refinish of my cues with no questions asked. So he made everything right with me.
Cues: Cochran, Scruggs & Olneys
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Today, 01:52 AM - http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2149959&postcount=47
The only damage I have ever had I'll blame on myself. My cue slipping out and chipping the collar of the shaft. I was still a newbie and it wasn't a real expensive cue, I am much more careful now. I do not own a justice or JB, but would like to have one in the future. I guess I have been pretty satisfied with the protection of my mid-range priced cases, as I usually am not carrying my customs around. I keep them locked up at home.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today, 02:07 AM http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2149987&postcount=55
I had a mcdermott case, which i believe was made by porper but I could be mistaken. It was a 2x4 hardcase. I had a few cheap cues in it, and it would travel in the car with me, but never left it in there all day or anything too extreme. I found one day one of the cues was stuck and after much trying i finally got it out, it seemed that the glue somehow became attached to the cue. The inside fluff of the case was all stuck to the cue and I never figured it out, ended up throwing the case away...was glad it was just a cheap cue in there. Even if it did end up getting hot inside my vehicle, i would think it should not be hot enough to make it do something like that, just bad engineering if you ask me.
Grey Ghost
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today, 04:32 AM http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2150299&postcount=76
Many years ago I had a 2x4 leather case from a guy who no longer makes them. It had plastic tubes for the butts and shafts. For some reason I installed the shaft joint side down - normally I would do it the other way, but this time I didn't for some reason, can't remember why.
This cue was a Schuler, and the Schuler joint is a little bigger than standard. Well, once the shaft was in the case I couldn't pull it out. It was really wedged in there tight and my finger strength wasn't enough to get it out. I could have used a pliers but that would have destroyed the shaft, or at least the ferrule.
I sent it back to the casemaker and he got it out, but the shaft came back with a new ferrule and tip and some kind of black mark on the wood, so I guess he had to use a pliers.
Since then I've learned never ever to put a shaft in joint side down. If the joint is up and there is a problem, you can always screw the butt into the shaft and lift it out
Name: Rich Klein
Cue: Ray Schuler (1982)
Fave game: 14.1
Years Playing: 48 on and off
Home Rooms: www.illinoisbilliardclub.com, Red Shoes Billiards
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Today, 04:35 AM http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2150309&postcount=78
Fellini case/cue in car trunk, drove to Olathe Kansas. Went to practice and found a cut in the wrap. With a flashlight looked inside the case, I found the seam of the fabric had come detached near the bottom. The constant bouncing on interstate 70 for about 500 miles did the trick. Never put a cue/case in a trunk again on a long trip unless I shimmed it with some type of foam.
www.worldbilliardtour.com
Bill Meacham
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st time ever... - Today, 06:42 AM - http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2150580&postcount=94
when i started back playing almost a year ago now...
i ordered 2 custom cues, and needed a new, bigger case.
i bought a 3/6 porper, that required the cue butts going in pin-first. after a week, i realized that i had scratches on the finish of my new cues. come to find out...the felt-covered holes that i slid them into, were rubbing them on those areas and scratched them up.
needless to say, i immediately bought another new case, a 3/5 with springloaded sleeves for the butts.
i have owned these porper cases before, and never had this problem. so this was a 1st ever experience for me. i now look at these things more closely, as it has never even come to mind before.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today, 08:07 AM - http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2150729&postcount=100
Yep, an old Brunswick case would scratch the linen grip. The rivets for the handle weren't knocked down.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today, 09:53 AM - http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2150887&postcount=103
Mark Smith of Mark Smith Custom Cues refinished my one of a kind Joss Cue. He can be reached at www.marksmithcues.com
He will verify that I brought him a Joss cue to be refinished and that he had seen the Joss a few days prior and it had the normal dings and scratches from normal play. The ivory joint was also cracked and he was scheduled to replace it.
On the day that I was taking the Joss to him I was in a hurry and grabbed the nearest case to me which happened to be a Vincintore Whitten knockoff that was brand new and unused. I had recieved several of these in a trade deal with Leonard Bludworth at the Windy City Open earlier in the year.
I watched in horror as the bottom came out and my Joss slid through a ring of nail points on the way out of the case. I when it had reached the floor I pulled it the rest of the way out gingerly.
Starting at the buttcap and extending almost all the way up the wrap were fairly deep scratches.
Kind of an ironic thing to happen to a case maker. Mark was as disgusted as I was.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
