Weight Bolts for McDermott Cue?

Thanks for the all the help! I ended up buying a regular every day bolt that would thread in properly 1/2 X 13 then just used my hack saw and cut the head off. I then used my dremel tool to cut a slot in it. I cut it down a little at a time to I found a nice balance point (ended up about 2"). I then put a dab of silicon on the threads to keep it from loosening and installed it.

Total cost 50 cents...

Craig
 
NOSValves said:
Thanks for the all the help! I ended up buying a regular every day bolt that would thread in properly 1/2 X 13 then just used my hack saw and cut the head off. I then used my dremel tool to cut a slot in it. I cut it down a little at a time to I found a nice balance point (ended up about 2"). I then put a dab of silicon on the threads to keep it from loosening and installed it.

Total cost 50 cents...

Craig
Click to expand...

Been there, done that. Hopefully your butt cap doesn't fall off :-)
 
Manwon,

I read the thread I was referring to here in the "Ask a Cuemaker" forum. It was regarding a McD cue that someone had taken the weight bolt out of and then they accidentally knocked it against a table or something and the butt section fell off. I'm not exactly certain, I'm not a cuemaker, but many cue makers in the thread confirmed that McDs use the weight bolt to add to the cue structurally.

Also posted in this thread is a reply directly from McD admitting that the weight bolt is required as a structural part of the cue. The McD representative replied "Without a weight bolt you run the risk of the butt plate falling off if it is subject to a hard impact." To me, this seems like a structural necessity, not just holding the bumper on. I just wanted to put this in the thread after having read about it in the Ask a Cuemaker section to warn people that it might be a good idea to have some sort of weight bolt in as the bolt doesn't just hold the bumper on, as you state.

Possibly you do know more than the McD representative and I may be completely mistaken but I'm not really sure how. /shrug

And no worries on my taking it personally, I don't really mind either way. I just wanted to help folks from a possible cue repair using the information I had read in the Ask a Cuemaker section. If they would rather take your word for it and remove the weight bolt completely, I don't mind at all. :) If they accidentally hit their cue against the table as they are walking by it and the bottom section of the cue falls off, I'll just be happy to read the "I shoulda listened to you PaulieB" private messages!
 
In the case of the thread quoted, the picture shows a newer style McDermott with a press fit bumper. The weight bolt in no way, shape or form holds the bumper in place. As such there would be no reason for anyone to think that the weight bolt was an integral part of the cue necessary to hold the butt cap in place unless they were told so by the manufacturer. I have never been told this by McDermott, but I'll be sure to ask for future reference. I'll repost if and when I get an answer from the horse's mouth.

Also I feel compelled to address a few other items from that thread.

1. Sherm said: You should never remove and leave the weight bolt out of a cue of this design....The dealer who removed the weight bolt should be made to foot the bill for the repair, IMHO.

Exactly how is a dealer supposed to know whether a butt cap is in place with a 1/8" non-threaded tenon, or a 1.5" long, fully threaded one? The answer is the manufacturer needs to make it clear to them if the weight bolt needs to be in place to hold the butt cap on. We don't have x-ray vision.

2. Dick Neighbors said that the following cues have the same design:

Szamboti. I can't speak to that one.
Balaubshka. He probably means George but in case he means the Adam cues, yes the have a flanged bolt and a bumper screw, unlike the current McDermotts which have a flanged screw but a press fit bumper. You would not be able to hold the bumper in place unless you glued it without a weight bolt installed, so I always ship them with weight bolts installed.
Joss. For at least a decade Joss has been using a headless weight screw and a thread-in bumper. There is no possibility that a weight bolt would be integral to the structure of this cue.
Viking. Same as Joss
Pechauer. Same as Viking and Joss.
Schon. Same as Adam Balabushka. Just for kicks I'll ask Evan if the weight bolt is an integral part of the structure of the cue.
 
PaulieB said:
Found the thread I read... For everyone's edification....

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=205612

If you notice, many of the replies by cuemakers are "if there was a weight bolt in there this wouldn't of happened."

Hehe, ok, I rest my case. :grin: /bow
Click to expand...

Paul I am a dealer for McDermott Cues and I have been for almost 10 years. I sell a large number of their cues through my business, and I am up to date on the Life time Warranty program for McDermott cues.

Here is a link to McDermott's website where I am listed as a dealer:

http://www.mcdermottcue.com/locator...e=WA&city=Lakewood&name=Full+Splice+Billiards

Now when I order cues from McDermott I order them by weight, in most cases I order cues between 18 and 21 oz but sometimes I get orders for cues that weight as little 16 oz. Now every cue that comes through my business is checked before it is sold to a customer, we test the hit of the cue to make sure that they do not make any funny sounds, we check the cues for straightness, and we check to ensure that the cues weight bolt is tight. Now on a number of occasions I have received cue directly from McDermott with special weights that did have a weight bolt in the cue. I have also talked with my dealer representative to see if not having a weight bolt in the cue voids the current warranty and the answer is NO IT DOESN'T.

Now in addition to being a dealer for McDermott and many other companies I also offer full cue repair from my business and I build limited conversion cues. I also stock a full line of Original parts for McDermott cues from weight bolts, extra shafts, ferrules, and bumpers because I also do repair on McDermott cues that are not covered under the warranty because of abuse or because they were made before the warranty came into effect which also makes them not covered.

Here are some photo's of stock parts I have on hand for McDermott cues:

1.jpg

2.jpg

3.jpg

Do I personally think that it is a good idea to have a weight bolt in the cue, I would say why not if possible. But in the thread you pointed too above whether a weight bolt was in the cue or not would not have mattered. The adhesive would have still cracked along the rings and the cue would have developed a rattle, even though the butt cap may not have fallen off. The cue was hit against a table or a chair or what ever and that is abuse. When these things happen in 99% percent of the cases people never tell the dealer the whole story when they bring a cue back with damage, such as, how hard the cue was actually hit. However, in almost all cases by examining the damage you can tell if it was a defect or abuse. But, unless it is blatant abuse even if McDermott will not repair the cue, I will take care of the cue if it was purchased from me at no charge to my customer.

Now in my case all my customers bring their cues back to me and I deal with McDermott for them since I sold them the cue in first place, now this is not common place, most dealers do not do this for their customer because in reality it is the customers responsibility to send the cue back to McDermott. But, I want to personally see what is wrong with the cue and I want to know how it happened so that I can watch for problems in the future and save my customers some trouble. However, I have done a great deal of business with the company and they trust my opinion (at least they have so far) in fact they will even have the cue picked up from store by UPS which saves the customer shipping, and I always do this in cases where abuse is not evident.

I am not trying to bust your balls, so you can rest your case if want to:smile: but that doesn't mean your correct. I think you truly believe what you are saying, but my experience to date hasn't shown me that it is true. I hope you understand where I am coming from I have been around block a few times dealing with these issues. You can take my advise or not I do not really care, I am only offering an opinion based upon my experience.

Respectfully
 
manwon said:
Paul I am a dealer for McDermott Cues and I have been for almost 10 years. I sell a large number of their cues through my business, and I am up to date on the Life time Warranty program for McDermott cues.

Here is a link to McDermott's website where I am listed as a dealer:

http://www.mcdermottcue.com/locator...e=WA&city=Lakewood&name=Full+Splice+Billiards

Now when I order cues from McDermott I order them by weight, in most cases I order cues between 18 and 21 oz but sometimes I get orders for cues that weight as little 16 oz. Now every cue that comes through my business is checked before it is sold to a customer, we test the hit of the cue to make sure that they do not make any funny sounds, we check the cues for straightness, and we check to ensure that the cues weight bolt is tight. Now on a number of occasions I have received cue directly from McDermott with special weights that did have a weight bolt in the cue. I have also talked with my dealer representative to see if not having a weight bolt in the cue voids the current warranty and the answer is NO IT DOESN'T.

Now in addition to being a dealer for McDermott and many other companies I also offer full cue repair from my business and I build limited conversion cues. I also stock a full line of Original parts for McDermott cues from weight bolts, extra shafts, ferrules, and bumpers because I also do repair on McDermott cues that are not covered under the warranty because of abuse or because they were made before the warranty came into effect which also makes them not covered.

Here are some photo's of stock parts I have on hand for McDermott cues:

View attachment 161844

View attachment 161845

View attachment 161846

Do I personally think that it is a good idea to have a weight bolt in the cue, I would say why not if possible. But in the thread you pointed too above whether a weight bolt was in the cue or not would not have mattered. The adhesive would have still cracked along the rings and the cue would have developed a rattle, even though the butt cap may not have fallen off. The cue was hit against a table or a chair or what ever and that is abuse. When these things happen in 99% percent of the cases people never tell the dealer the whole story when they bring a cue back with damage, such as, how hard the cue was actually hit. However, in almost all cases by examining the damage you can tell if it was a defect or abuse. But, unless it is blatant abuse even if McDermott will not repair the cue, I will take care of the cue if it was purchased from me at no charge to my customer.

Now in my case all my customers bring their cues back to me and I deal with McDermott for them since I sold them the cue in first place, now this is not common place, most dealers do not do this for their customer because in reality it is the customers responsibility to send the cue back to McDermott. But, I want to personally see what is wrong with the cue and I want to know how it happened so that I can watch for problems in the future and save my customers some trouble. However, I have done a great deal of business with the company and they trust my opinion (at least they have so far) in fact they will even have the cue picked up from store by UPS which saves the customer shipping, and I always do this in cases where abuse is not evident.

I am not trying to bust your balls, so you can rest your case if want to:smile: but that doesn't mean your correct. I think you truly believe what you are saying, but my experience to date hasn't shown me that it is true. I hope you understand where I am coming from I have been around block a few times dealing with these issues. You can take my advise or not I do not really care, I am only offering an opinion based upon my experience.

Respectfully
Click to expand...

Rep to you sir. Folks look at the bottom picture. Those are the 3/4" bolts. So that tiny little lip at the top of the bolt is meant to hold the butt cap in place???
 
PaulieB said:
Found the thread I read... For everyone's edification....

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=205612

If you notice, many of the replies by cuemakers are "if there was a weight bolt in there this wouldn't of happened."

Hehe, ok, I rest my case. :grin: /bow
Click to expand...


I went back and looked at the photo of the cue, and read the comments again.

altered%20pic.jpg

Now after looking at the photo above this situation certainly fits into the customer not telling the dealer truthfully what happened to this cue. There are chips and dings in the finish all over the butt of this cue, the damage in my opinion did not happen by dropping the cue on a cushion of stool. It most likely happened because the cues butt was slammed down on a table, hit against the edge of a table with some force or something else similar to what I have written above. It also says that the guy did not have receipt so he had no warranty, but I doubt from my experience that McDermott would have done the repair for free anyway because it certainly looks like abuse to me and no weight bolt would have saved that cue from cracking anyway.

Paul there is nothing wrong with offering an opinion, but opinions based solely upon second hand information can sometimes lead to embarrassment, now maybe you did not do this here and if I am wrong I am sorry. I do not get any pleasure out of going against some one else opinon, but since I do sell cues for this company I do think it is important to make sure that the correct information is put out.


JIMO
 
I appreciate your feedback to this thread with your experience as a long time cue dealer. I also appreciate the fact that you may not have had any problems with taking the weight bolt out of McDs. I certainly do not know anything at all regarding the warranty issues, that was entirely speculation on my part and you would be entirely more familiar with it as you actually deal with warranty repair issues on a weekly basis.

I wasn't just tossing out my personal opinion however, as I know enough to know when I don't know enough! (If that makes sense, heh) I was just passing along information that was on these forums regarding a potential problem with taking a weight bolt out of a McD and people can take it for what it is worth. I've always said from the beginning that I "remember reading about this" ... not "I have first hand experience about this" ... so no worries about my being embarrassed at all. I'm not putting my personal opinion out there as I don't have the experience to do so.

Ultimately though, as much as your experience comes into play, the bottom line is the advice of the actual manufacturer is to keep the weight bolt in. I would think getting the info directly from the horses mouth would hold some importance as well. Personally, as far as I'm concerned, people can take their weight bolts out and use their cues as a baseball bat ... it's not going to bother me at all, hehe.

McD's reply, directly from one of the manufacturer's representative's once again:

"The weight bolt does also act as a fastener for the butt plate. Without a weight bolt you run the risk of the butt plate falling off if it is subject to a hard impact."

I just don't understand how you can refute that direct statement made from the manufacturer. It isn't my personal opinion, it's what the maker of the cue recommends. /shrug

Obviously, you can take all the weight bolts out you want and I'm sure you will be fine, as you have been over the years. I also understand your point that anything that is going to hurt the cue enough to knock the butt plate off is going to damage the cue enough even if a weight bolt was still in it, and that's an excellent and valid point. I just thought in a thread regarding McD weight bolts that maybe someone would like another bit of information, as this is a forum and the purpose is to share information.
 
Well I myself can see both sides of this story holding truth.

But in the end to me it's not really a worry whether my cue has the proper weight bolt or not . I'm not one to take my inability to make a shot out on my cue... The Cue only does what I make it do. I've seen many a player smack his cue on the floor or toss it on a table when they miss a shot. Pretty immature and most definitly abuse if you ask me.

Again thanks for all the help folks
 
PaulieB said:
McD's reply, directly from one of the manufacturer's representative's once again:

"The weight bolt does also act as a fastener for the butt plate. Without a weight bolt you run the risk of the butt plate falling off if it is subject to a hard impact."
Click to expand...

Confirmed and re-iterated in nearly identical fashion this morning by Jayme@McDermott. Although I have never had a cue come back to me with this problem, and I've shipped plenty without a WB installed.
 
PaulieB said:
I appreciate your feedback to this thread with your experience as a long time cue dealer. I also appreciate the fact that you may not have had any problems with taking the weight bolt out of McDs. I certainly do not know anything at all regarding the warranty issues, that was entirely speculation on my part and you would be entirely more familiar with it as you actually deal with warranty repair issues on a weekly basis.

I wasn't just tossing out my personal opinion however, as I know enough to know when I don't know enough! (If that makes sense, heh) I was just passing along information that was on these forums regarding a potential problem with taking a weight bolt out of a McD and people can take it for what it is worth. I've always said from the beginning that I "remember reading about this" ... not "I have first hand experience about this" ... so no worries about my being embarrassed at all. I'm not putting my personal opinion out there as I don't have the experience to do so.

Ultimately though, as much as your experience comes into play, the bottom line is the advice of the actual manufacturer is to keep the weight bolt in. I would think getting the info directly from the horses mouth would hold some importance as well. Personally, as far as I'm concerned, people can take their weight bolts out and use their cues as a baseball bat ... it's not going to bother me at all, hehe.

McD's reply, directly from one of the manufacturer's representative's once again:

"The weight bolt does also act as a fastener for the butt plate. Without a weight bolt you run the risk of the butt plate falling off if it is subject to a hard impact."

I just don't understand how you can refute that direct statement made from the manufacturer. It isn't my personal opinion, it's what the maker of the cue recommends. /shrug

Obviously, you can take all the weight bolts out you want and I'm sure you will be fine, as you have been over the years. I also understand your point that anything that is going to hurt the cue enough to knock the butt plate off is going to damage the cue enough even if a weight bolt was still in it, and that's an excellent and valid point. I just thought in a thread regarding McD weight bolts that maybe someone would like another bit of information, as this is a forum and the purpose is to share information.
Click to expand...



Ultimately though, as much as your experience comes into play, the bottom line is the advice of the actual manufacturer is to keep the weight bolt in. I would think getting the info directly from the horses mouth would hold some importance as well. Personally, as far as I'm concerned, people can take their weight bolts out and use their cues as a baseball bat ... it's not going to bother me at all, hehe.


You keep tossing out there that is McDermott's policy to keep the weight bolt in the cues, and this is not true. I have stated on more than one occasion that this is not McDermott's policy, yet you want to continue claiming it is their policy.

Who have you talked to at McDermott, please give me a name so far no one has supplied a name, the only information being put out is second hand he said / she said.

This way I can call and talk with this person and become more educated on this subject.

I will wait for name to continue this conversation.:smile:
 
manwon said:
Ultimately though, as much as your experience comes into play, the bottom line is the advice of the actual manufacturer is to keep the weight bolt in. I would think getting the info directly from the horses mouth would hold some importance as well. Personally, as far as I'm concerned, people can take their weight bolts out and use their cues as a baseball bat ... it's not going to bother me at all, hehe.


You keep tossing out there that is McDermott's policy to keep the weight bolt in the cues, and this is not true. I have stated on more than one occasion that this is not McDermott's policy, yet you want to continue claiming it is their policy.

Who have you talked to at McDermott, please give me a name so far no one has supplied a name, the only information being put out is second hand he said / she said.

This way I can call and talk with this person and become more educated on this subject.

I will wait for name to continue this conversation.:smile:
Click to expand...

Craig, the first thing to do when you find yourself in a hole is to stop digging! Talk to or email Jayme if you don't believe that I did.
 
cheapcues.com said:
Confirmed and re-iterated in nearly identical fashion this morning by Jayme@McDermott. Although I have never had a cue come back to me with this problem, and I've shipped plenty without a WB installed.
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting some information with a link and a name, I also contacted McDermott this morning and they told me flat out that is doesn't matter at all if the weight bolt is installed or not. I also told them that some one on AZ Billiards was claiming that it was McDermott's policy and that they talked with a McDermott Rep who told them that was their policy, I was instructed to get the persons name because McDermott doesn't want their people puting out non-accurate information concerning their cues.

Obviously the McDermott employee was not Jayme and it also wasn't their National Sale rep John Kittlested so I wounder who Paul is talking about:confused: well may be he will give us a name.:)

Take Care
 
manwon said:
Thanks for posting some information with a link and a name, I also contacted McDermott this morning and they told me flat out that is doesn't matter at all if the weight bolt is installed or not. I also told them that some one on AZ Billiards was claiming that it was McDermott's policy and that they talked with a McDermott Rep who told them that was their policy, I was instructed to get the persons name because McDermott doesn't want their people puting out non-accurate information concerning their cues.

Obviously the McDermott employee was not Jayme and it also wasn't their National Sale rep John Kittlested so I wounder who Paul is talking about:confused: well may be he will give us a name.:)

Take Care
Click to expand...

Craig I'm not sure if you're talking about PaulieB or me, but FYI I emailed John Kittilstad this morning, he forwarded my email to Jaymie, and this was Jaymie's reply:

All McDermott cues are engineered to have a weight bolt in the cue at all
times. It is part of the structural integrity of the cue. It adds
reinforcement for the butt plate. Without a weight bolt in place a major
shock to the bottom of the cue could cause the butt plate to break off.

If you're careful handling your cue and don't abuse it, you can play without
a bolt. I've done it before. The problem is that not everyone is vigilant
when using their cue. We all know many players that slam their cue down on
the floor in frustration.

End quote.
 
Last edited:
cheapcues.com said:
Craig I'm not sure if you're talking about PaulieB or me, but FYI I emailed John Kittlestad this morning, he forwarded my email to Jaymie, and this was Jaymie's reply:

All McDermott cues are engineered to have a weight bolt in the cue at all
times. It is part of the structural integrity of the cue. It adds
reinforcement for the butt plate. Without a weight bolt in place a major
shock to the bottom of the cue could cause the butt plate to break off.

If you're careful handling your cue and don't abuse it, you can play without
a bolt. I've done it before. The problem is that not everyone is vigilant
when using their cue. We all know many players that slam their cue down on
the floor in frustration.

End quote.
Click to expand...


First my post was not meant to ridicule anything you have said, in fact if you look you will see that I gave you Rep for your comments.

As far as digging a hole I stand behind what I have said completely. Like I said I spoke to John Kittlested on the phone this morning about this subject. According to John it doesn't violate McDermott's Warrenty to remove the weight bolt from one of their cue's, like I said before they have shipped cues to me directly from the factory without weight bolts.

I brought the issue of the butt cap breaking off with John and his opinion is exactly the same as mine whether the weight bolt is there or not it would take a great deal of force tobreak the butt cap off, and even if there was a weight bolt in place the cue still would have cracked at the same location.

Does a weight improve the integrity like I said before yes I suppose in some small way it does. But it is not required in any way by McDermott to have a weight bolt in their cues and it doesn't void the warranty. So in the end I have dug no hole and I stand behind every word I have said, and McDermott also agrees with my comments.

Have a nice day
 
LOL I just got off the phone with Jayme and he reiterated what he said in his email. I asked him point blank if a cue broke in that area and there were no weight bolt installed would it void the warranty, and he said yes.

It sounds like John and Jayme need to get on the same page on this particular issue.
 
Hehe, Manwon, you obviously stand by your own opinions and that's cool I suppose. I was not stating my personal opinion, I was quoting an email reply that Luke got from Jayme. It was reply number 11 in this very thread, I guess you missed it. This was then later confirmed by Cheapcues, apparently you saw his comments.

Once again, I'm not just tossing comments out my butt here (pun intended). If you email the question directly to the MANUFACTURER you get the response that the weight bolt should be in there. Not only did Luke do it, but Cheapcues did it, and in the other thread I posted that was in the Ask a Cuemaker forum, others received the same response.

Maybe there is a disconnect within McDermott, I have no clue. Maybe you are getting bad info or maybe every single person that emails the question directly to the manufacturer is getting bad info, but you really should not be getting so defensive over it. Maybe your opinion is better than the official response directly from the manufacturer of the cues in question, I'll accept any possibility.

All I was saying, and all I keep saying, is that McDermott recommends keeping a weight bolt in their cues for structural integrity. It's a pretty simple statement of fact, not an opinion and I'm definately not questioning what you have actually experienced in your life. Don't get upset man!
 
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