Using talc

J

JimSabatke

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I sweat a LOT. I've tried using a shooting glove, but even in cool weather it doesn't take long before the glove is absolutely drenched. So, I've gone back to using 100% talk that I buy at Wal-Mart. I avoid the "baby powder" that is mostly corn starch and perfume for two reasons: I've heard corn starch gums up everything it touches, and I have a high chemical sensitivity to most fragrances, especially petroleum based ones. I've also read that talc doesn't do much, if any, gumming. I use as little as possible and wipe my hands on a dry cloth so I'm transferring as little talc as possible to the table, balls, etc.

I play regularly with a gentleman who has a couple habits that can be a bit hard to take, but I still play with him because he provides good competition and is available the same odd hours I am.

I would imagine some of his habits will cause a lot of "head nodding" on the list:
- talks non-stop while we are playing, including when I'm shooting. He snaps at me if I'm saying something before he gets ready to shoot, then drops to the table and shoots quickly mid-sentence. I can generally control it this way: when I take my stance, and he starts talking, I stand up and wait for him to finish, then take my stance again. Often we repeat this 3-4 times on the same shot, but he gets the idea eventually.
- analyzes every shot I make, especially misses, like he's a TV announcer, telling me everything I did wrong. BTW, he insists that my stance is all wrong and that I need to "glue" my right arm to my side so as to take any motion out of it. On stop shots, he tells me I wasn't smooth enough and "jerked" at the ball. I am pretty good at stop shots and I use a couple different strokes depending on how far away I am and if I want the cue to move slightly right or left after the shot.
- constantly tells me I jerked and raised up, thus causing the missed shot. I have a torn rotater cuff and sometimes it just plain hurts bad to make a shot, and that will cause me to raise up from pain. Thing is, he knows this from explaining it lots of times.
- there are lots more examples, but he gets angry at times because he blames my talc use on his missing shots, as well as when the balls won't rack tight. It may have a slight effect, but the cloths on the tables, which were installed about 6 months ago, are torn, have lots of holes, and are dirty, and I've tried to point out that there's a lot of table abuse going on and that the cloths are pretty dirty. As annoying as playing with a "know it all" is at times, he's generally a good guy who has a few faults. Is there any consensus on the effects of talc on balls and tables? As much as I do try to control how much migrates to balls and tables, I'm sure a little bit does.

TIA
 
Is this really about talcum powder or about the toolbag you are playing?

If it's about the latter, find someone else to play. The talc isn't effecting anything.
 
To me, it sounds like he's coming up with excuses for the real problem. You playing too well for his comfort.

DAVE_M said:
Is this really about talcum powder or about the toolbag you are playing?

If it's about the latter, find someone else to play. The talc isn't effecting anything.
Click to expand...
 
I just go all KG on him

KG.jpg
 
If you have to use talc, then use it, but please clean up after yourselves if you make a big mess. I wish I had taken a picture one time when I was assigned to a table used by talc and Kamui chalk abusers. That's right, I said ABUSERS. The table look like it had been hit with a full sack of flour, then sexually assaulted by a gang of pervs in smurf makeup. The talk is easy enough to clean up with ones towel, but the Kamui chalk...There were long streaks of the stuff where they had hit power shots and the stuff won't come off. It sticks to the stick, your hands and every piece of clothing that touches it. It should be BANNED.
 
The question was really meant to be about talc, then I started getting irritated as I was writing. It felt good to vent. It's hard to find "perfect" people, and he's basically a good person, but just drives me a little nuts at times. It was also a little background on him to preface his complaints about talc. Truth is, I couldn't play without it, so it doesn't really matter. The pool hall knows they have a heat/humidity problem during all seasons. It's a large venue, where the bar is very comfortably heated and cooled, but the adjoining pool hall is always uncomfortable. I know the owner is trying to find solutions, and I've heard others there talking about how they can't stop sweating. I always used a glove before playing there, but after a short while, I can wring sweat out of it.

Now, about Kamui chalk, I'm using Blue Diamond, but I'm not convinced that it's any better than Master, especially for the price. How does Kamui chalk play (other than messy)?
 
Hand chalk does mess up the balls pretty bad, I always clean them off if I'm playing a guy that uses it.

One time there was a family of a father and his two kids, not very young kids, maybe mid 20s, they joined the weekly tournament I play in with my son. You can tell they all learned to play the same way because all 3 used enough powder to leave track marks all over the table and you can see the coating of it on the balls. That is not good for the playability of the balls, that's where skids come from.

They also all played at the same pace and selected the shots the same way. Was a bit funny to watch in not a bad way funny, a bit like watching a mom duck and watching the baby ducks try to immitate what she does LOL
 
Straightpool_99 said:
If you have to use talc, then use it, but please clean up after yourselves if you make a big mess. I wish I had taken a picture one time when I was assigned to a table used by talc and Kamui chalk abusers. That's right, I said ABUSERS. The table look like it had been hit with a full sack of flour, then sexually assaulted by a gang of pervs in smurf makeup. The talk is easy enough to clean up with ones towel, but the Kamui chalk...There were long streaks of the stuff where they had hit power shots and the stuff won't come off. It sticks to the stick, your hands and every piece of clothing that touches it. It should be BANNED.
Click to expand...

LOL :grin-square::grin::thumbup:

That is a quote I will be sure to use.

I have not run across any Kamui chalk users, I don't live in the ritzy neighborhoods, but I have played with players that have to have their own color chalk that ends up leaving streaks on the tables.

I don't always leave Rep, but when I do, it's for these exact type of comments.
 
I avoid chalk and baby powder (the cornstarch kind) because I've heard they gum up the table. I've read that pure talc doesn't do that anywhere near as bad.

Jim Sabatke
Lucasi playing cue with OB pro taper shaft and Kamui super soft tip
Lucasi break cue with Predator BK2 shaft and White Diamond tip
Jacobi jump cue
A whole box of other jump cues. I'm a sucker for new ones.
 
I really don't care what people use as long as they are respectful of the equipment. One of the places I shoot out of has a guy that uses tons of powder and red chalk. They keep a brush on the light above the table, if you are going to mess up a table that much at least brush it off!! I know a lot of guys that use one form of powder or another but most of them use it sparingly and I don't even notice it on the table. I'm just glad so many pro's went to gloves because now a lot of people followed in their footsteps and there is a lot less powder. :)
 
I've read that is why some chalk manufacturers make it in so many colors, so you can match the chalk to the color of the table.
 
I still keep a glove in the bag for shooting in places that regulate heat and humidity well. I agree that we should respect the equipment.
 
Dude need's to talc his whiney ass. A little talc won't hurt playability. LOTs of top players use talc.
 
I didn't know Kamui chalk had that tendency to mess up the table cloth. Thank goodness it's not popular in Fresno's pool halls. It's already bad enough the way
some idiots apply house chalk & let's not talk about the rails. I have to damp wipe/clean the table rails all the time & the chalk & grime that comes off is startling.

Matt B.
 
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I know a guy who will pick up the hand chalk cone, and proceed to cover both hands with it. Then he'll rack the balls with his chalk covered hands, and get chalk all over the table. After he plays, I'll walk over to the table, brush away all the chalk, then wipe off the balls. Drives him nuts, like it's insulting to him.
 
A little powder is fine. Almost all Filipino's use powder and so do a lot of top players from Europe. The key is just use a little dab where the cue slides through your fingers. In most cases, the top players that use too much powder, do it to piss his opponent off. Too much powder is up to the room owner or houseman to monitor. Trouble is there too lazy or don't want to lose a customer, so they just ban it for all. Johnnyt
 
talc is poison

JimSabatke said:
I sweat a LOT. I've tried using a shooting glove, but even in cool weather it doesn't take long before the glove is absolutely drenched. So, I've gone back to using 100% talk that I buy at Wal-Mart. I avoid the "baby powder" that is mostly corn starch and perfume for two reasons: I've heard corn starch gums up everything it touches, and I have a high chemical sensitivity to most fragrances, especially petroleum based ones. I've also read that talc doesn't do much, if any, gumming. I use as little as possible and wipe my hands on a dry cloth so I'm transferring as little talc as possible to the table, balls, etc.

I play regularly with a gentleman who has a couple habits that can be a bit hard to take, but I still play with him because he provides good competition and is available the same odd hours I am.

I would imagine some of his habits will cause a lot of "head nodding" on the list:
- talks non-stop while we are playing, including when I'm shooting. He snaps at me if I'm saying something before he gets ready to shoot, then drops to the table and shoots quickly mid-sentence. I can generally control it this way: when I take my stance, and he starts talking, I stand up and wait for him to finish, then take my stance again. Often we repeat this 3-4 times on the same shot, but he gets the idea eventually.
- analyzes every shot I make, especially misses, like he's a TV announcer, telling me everything I did wrong. BTW, he insists that my stance is all wrong and that I need to "glue" my right arm to my side so as to take any motion out of it. On stop shots, he tells me I wasn't smooth enough and "jerked" at the ball. I am pretty good at stop shots and I use a couple different strokes depending on how far away I am and if I want the cue to move slightly right or left after the shot.
- constantly tells me I jerked and raised up, thus causing the missed shot. I have a torn rotater cuff and sometimes it just plain hurts bad to make a shot, and that will cause me to raise up from pain. Thing is, he knows this from explaining it lots of times.
- there are lots more examples, but he gets angry at times because he blames my talc use on his missing shots, as well as when the balls won't rack tight. It may have a slight effect, but the cloths on the tables, which were installed about 6 months ago, are torn, have lots of holes, and are dirty, and I've tried to point out that there's a lot of table abuse going on and that the cloths are pretty dirty. As annoying as playing with a "know it all" is at times, he's generally a good guy who has a few faults. Is there any consensus on the effects of talc on balls and tables? As much as I do try to control how much migrates to balls and tables, I'm sure a little bit does.

TIA
Click to expand...

It's been known for many, many years that breathing talc can cause very serious health problems, including damage to the kidneys and liver.

Am I the only AZer who knows this? A simple Internet search will reveal the dangers of this poison. Pool players can be exposed to enough risk to the kidneys, liver and bladder just by breathing second hand cigarette smoke. Why add talc to the risk?
 
Donny Lutz said:
It's been known for many, many years that breathing talc can cause very serious health problems, including damage to the kidneys and liver.

Am I the only AZer who knows this? A simple Internet search will reveal the dangers of this poison. Pool players can be exposed to enough risk to the kidneys, liver and bladder just by breathing second hand cigarette smoke. Why add talc to the risk?
Click to expand...

AND... as someone who, as a young player, used about a pound of baby powder
a day:), you don't need it. Get your shaft sealed and polished - keep it clean... Get a towel.

Dale
 
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JimSabatke...I would see a doctor about your heavy sweating. There is something that can be done about that (Hyperhydrosis). Nothing wrong with baby powder (I have used Johnson's Baby Powder for decades) or straight talc. The problem is in how you use it. Here's the correct method. Put about a dime's worth (the size of a dime) in the middle of your palm. Rub the powder on the shaft of your cue (hopefully over the waste basket, to catch the extra). Clap your hands over the wastebasket to get rid of the excess left on your hands. Your cue will glide through your bridge hand smoothly, and you'll leave no handprints on the cloth. The other solution is to wash your hands with soap and water several times during your play. Be sure to dry them thoroughly.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

JimSabatke said:
I avoid chalk and baby powder (the cornstarch kind) because I've heard they gum up the table. I've read that pure talc doesn't do that anywhere near as bad.

Jim Sabatke
Lucasi playing cue with OB pro taper shaft and Kamui super soft tip
Lucasi break cue with Predator BK2 shaft and White Diamond tip
Jacobi jump cue
A whole box of other jump cues. I'm a sucker for new ones.
Click to expand...
 
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I have discussed the sweating with several doctors. Unfortunately, the condition was a side effect of a medication a physician had me on for about a dozen years, and it is a well known side effect, along with several others, that often persist long after discontinuation. The worst part is that the doctor kept increasing the dose until it was twice the manufacturer's recommended dose, and I was on that dose for a long time. Now I have to be extremely careful in sunlight and in warm areas because I'm a big heatstroke risk. I had to give up golf, my first love because of on course emergencies. I appreciate your advice and concern.

I pretty much put talk on as you suggest. I also keep paper towel handy and rub off any excess. I find that plenty sicks to the skin after wiping, and I don't get it all over things.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
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