Uni-loc Joint issues

M

mnsneakypete

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have a custom cue made by a local cuemaker which has a Uni-loc joint (not radial). I use a predator shaft with it and had no problems for about six months. Over the last few weeks I have noticed the last turn to screw the cue together is very tight. I almost have to muscle it to get it to fully come together. I cleaned the shaft threads and pin with a Q-tip and alcohol and it was perfect for a week, then same issue - if not worse. Cleaned it again - good for a few days, then bad again. When I use a different shaft with it is just as tight, so it seems to be a pin side issue. The joint is perfectly straight when its together, so I don't think the pin is bent (also because a little alcohol isn't going to fix that).

I use joint protectors, so I don't understand how the threads can get gummed up in just a few days. Any thoughts? I have heard of people using some sort of anti-seize compound on the threads - don't know if that would help.
 
mnsneakypete said:
I have a custom cue made by a local cuemaker which has a Uni-loc joint (not radial). I use a predator shaft with it and had no problems for about six months. Over the last few weeks I have noticed the last turn to screw the cue together is very tight. I almost have to muscle it to get it to fully come together.
Click to expand...

Just my opinion, but if you only "almost" have to muscle it, seems to me you have got a good fitting Uni-loc joint. The only two that I have ever owned, one had to be replaced (with a 3/8 x 10), and the other never feels like I'm getting a tight enough fit. Just my opinion, but I will never own a cue with a Uni-loc joint. I'd rather take a few more seconds to screw on a shaft with a more conventional joint pin than to worry about my shaft loosening up on me during play, or it stripping out when tightening it.

But then, your opinion of what you think is "very tight" may be way tighter than I am imagining. Idk, but I'd rather have one a little tight than a little loose. Too tight though and there's always the possibility of stripping out a Uni-loc joint.

I totally agree with the advice of "call the cue maker".

Maniac
 
Last edited:
Are you sure that the problem isn't that somehow moisture has expanded the wood on the onside of the joint just enough, so the brass pilot on the shaft now touches the sides, making the shaft hard to screw down?
 
The pin may have come loose and you're actually turning the pin in the butt of the cue, put a pencil mark on both sides of the joint to confirm.


Neil
 
chrislie said:
wd-40 or sewing machine oil
Click to expand...

I use the smallest and thinnest dab of grease available to me.

Since I mainly use grease on the sliding parts of my guns, and since I have a paint brush with grease on it already, i just give the pin a light stroke with the already greased brush.

BTW; WD40 is not a lubricant, it is a water dispersant, and evaporates rapidly.
 
mnsneakypete said:
I have a custom cue made by a local cuemaker which has a Uni-loc joint (not radial). I use a predator shaft with it and had no problems for about six months. Over the last few weeks I have noticed the last turn to screw the cue together is very tight. I almost have to muscle it to get it to fully come together. I cleaned the shaft threads and pin with a Q-tip and alcohol and it was perfect for a week, then same issue - if not worse. Cleaned it again - good for a few days, then bad again. When I use a different shaft with it is just as tight, so it seems to be a pin side issue. The joint is perfectly straight when its together, so I don't think the pin is bent (also because a little alcohol isn't going to fix that).

I use joint protectors, so I don't understand how the threads can get gummed up in just a few days. Any thoughts? I have heard of people using some sort of anti-seize compound on the threads - don't know if that would help.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you may have a corrosion issue? You clean it up and no problem ... but you say that joint protectors are on it when not in use, so I guess there is no chance of something coming in contact with it and gumming it up.

So It sounds like it could be a corrosion issue -- Are the joint protectors a metal material that are different than the joint? -- Could be the cause of corrosion between dissimilar metals.

That's about all I can come up with. But it is revealing that after you clean and or lube it up it works fine, and after a while the problem returns.

Good luck.
 
From Predator Maintenance section

From Predator site - We recommend cleaning the Original Uni-Loc® Quick Release joint when you first receive your cue and every six months thereafter. These joints are precision manufactured to exact tolerances and even a modest amount of dirt can create a problem. You can use a Q-Tip dipped in Isopropyl Alcohol (90%) to clean the inside threads and bore of the shaft insert. Clean the joint pin and threads with alcohol and a clean rag. We recommend the use of joint protectors to help keep your joint clean and to protect it from damage.

Don't know if this helps but thought I'd share.
 
Let me revive an old thread. :D

Since the Uniloc quick release is a metal to metal joint I just put Hoppe's gun cleaner on a Q-tip and clean the pin and socket. I then wipe the pin with a clean cloth and the socket with the clean end of the Q-tip. I repeat the process with Hoppe's gun lube. I then mate/unmate the Uniloc a few times and then wipe off the pin. It leaves just enough of a thin film that the joint operates very smoothly. This lasts several weeks for me. I repeat the process as needed. I haven't had any issue with wood, carbon or urethane coatings but I am VERY cautious and I only use a LIGHT coat.
 
ironmaiden said:
Let me revive an old thread. :D

Since the Uniloc quick release is a metal to metal joint I just put Hoppe's gun cleaner on a Q-tip and clean the pin and socket. I then wipe the pin with a clean cloth and the socket with the clean end of the Q-tip. I repeat the process with Hoppe's gun lube. I then mate/unmate the Uniloc a few times and then wipe off the pin. It leaves just enough of a thin film that the joint operates very smoothly. This lasts several weeks for me. I repeat the process as needed. I haven't had any issue with wood, carbon or urethane coatings but I am VERY cautious and I only use a LIGHT coat.
Click to expand...
Hoppes #9.....good for anything that "shoots". (y)😄
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top