weird stains on my pool cue

skor

skor

missing shots since 1995
Silver Member
Hi all,
I've been a way from the game and this lovely forum for years but I'm doing a comeback...
I have a bunch of cues that I haven't touched in years and I took them all out to check them.
I have this Sugartree SP that I've noticed these stains on it's shafts and butt that I can't seem to be able to remove them. I've tried alcohol, acetone, general wipes.
The cue is stored in a Sterling 4X8 case (JB design) that is fully loaded and non of the other butts or shafts show these stains.
it's not from playing with the cue, one shaft is unplayed and with the other shaft I played 2-3 sessions when I got it. It even looks like it's under the finish...
Any idea how to clean it without damaging the cue?

sugartree-stains.jpg
sterling-case-top.jpg
 
Honestly I'd send it to Eric for a look and possibly a refinish. I'd probably get a different case to. It looks to me like something in the finish and the liner dye just don't jive together.
 
Having been a cabinet maker for several years and understanding the effects of moisture I would guess that they have absorbed some moisture during storage. From the looks of it they were stored in the upright position since the moisture has collected towards the top of the stored position. (moisture always rises in wood) Remove the protectors and keep in a humidity free environment for a while and the moisture should be able to escape. Wood is funny in that once it is stained the color may get lighter but will not completely go away even with stripping the finish and cleaning. Moisture can cause warpage, as well as deteriorating the wood and causing it to rot. Warpage can occur as the wood dries.
 
Brother Ron said:
Having been a cabinet maker for several years and understanding the effects of moisture I would guess that they have absorbed some moisture during storage. From the looks of it they were stored in the upright position since the moisture has collected towards the top of the stored position. (moisture always rises in wood) Remove the protectors and keep in a humidity free environment for a while and the moisture should be able to escape. Wood is funny in that once it is stained the color may get lighter but will not completely go away even with stripping the finish and cleaning. Moisture can cause warpage, as well as deteriorating the wood and causing it to rot. Warpage can occur as the wood dries.
Click to expand...
The only thing that gives me pause about moisture is it's only on the sugartree. Cue makers use different finishes from epoxy's and automotive finishes to tongue oil and super glue. But moisture could very well have played a part in how that specific finish reacted with the liner dye.
 
This is almost certainly the dye from the liner leeching into the finish of the cue. If you look closely you can actually see a pattern from the texture of the cloth.

I've worked in the printing industry for over the 30 years and a lot of that time has been spent mixing and matching ink colors. Most black inks and dyes are actually made with colors besides just black to, oddly enough, make them look "more black" to the human eye. So that's why you're seeing that purple color rather than just black or grey. Dyes used in textiles are much better at their jobs than something like a suspended pigment found in most paints and will stain the absolute shit out of just about anything they get on. I couldn't tell you how many times I wore a color for a week or so after getting it on my hands.

Also, as mentioned before, it's possible that this would come out with a refinish. But if that actually is a dye that's leeched all the way into the wood, it's unlikely that anyone would be able to get it completely out. They might be able to get it down to where it's not noticeable without close scrutiny. But depending on how deep it is in the wood, getting completely rid of it might be tough.

1740228710873.png
 
Last edited:
Jimmy_Betmore said:
This is almost certainly the dye from the liner leeching into the finish of the cue. If you look closely you can actually see the pattern of the cloth.

I've worked in the printing industry for over the 30 years and a lot of that time has been spent mixing and matching ink colors. Most black inks and dyes are actually made with colors besides just black to, oddly enough, make them look "more black" to the human eye. So that's why you're seeing that purple color rather than just black or grey.

View attachment 808945
Click to expand...
That was my guess too, but what's wierd is that it only happened to this cue and shafts and not to the other cues in the case.
What's also weird is that it doesn't come off.
 
Those vertical lines are from your liner of the case. No vertical lines like that would come from the cue. It probably had some chemical reaction to the epoxy.

LOVE the older Sugartrees though. Hit like brick trucks. Welcome back to the game!! I recently started again and miss my old STs
 

Attachments

  • cue stain.jpg
    cue stain.jpg
    89.4 KB · Views: 55
I had a case that the color of the interior bled into a very expensive cue I own. It’s not a case from any known case makers here on AZB.

Just a very bad situation, it looks very similar to the OP as all 4 shafts now have pink/red stains and a couple places on the butt. It’s deep in the clear. It’s possible into the wood. I’m not sure if it’s a cue I can refinish (that’s a complex topic beyond this thread)

As for this thread. I get it, prolly a refinish is my guess.

Thing is in 40 years of cues/cases my first experience with this I just noticed a couple weeks ago.

Best
Fatboy 😕

I had other cues stored in the case. It only reacted with one cue(which was refinished a long time ago) , so it’s not the cases fault or the cue. It appears to be a combination of the clear and case liner just reacting and bleeding. Just sucks as it’s a very expensive cue. It’s a old cue too, 😕
 
Are you in the habit of 'cleaning' your cues with acetone? Acetone is not a cleaner for finishes, it is a finish remover. If you cleaned those cues with acetone before you put them in the case, that could be the culprit. Even isopropyl can soften finishes and will definitely leach dye. The patterns suggest that it was wiped with something. The unplayed shaft may be collateral damage from being near the other shaft.

Acetone is a no-no around finishes, it will at least soften most and when that happens, it off-gasses for a decent amount of time. Look up 3d printing and acetone vapor videos.
 
DeeDeeCues said:
Are you in the habit of 'cleaning' your cues with acetone? Acetone is not a cleaner for finishes, it is a finish remover. If you cleaned those cues with acetone before you put them in the case, that could be the culprit. Even isopropyl can soften finishes and will definitely leach dye. The patterns suggest that it was wiped with something. The unplayed shaft may be collateral damage from being near the other shaft.

Acetone is a no-no around finishes, it will at least soften most and when that happens, it off-gasses for a decent amount of time. Look up 3d printing and acetone vapor videos.
Click to expand...
Never used acetone to clean my cues, but decided to try it on a small area as nothing else worked.
 
I had the same problem with a cue stored in a brand new Jack Justice case. The ivory joint has the same stain. I am going to try using toothpaste with a toothbrush on the porous ivory. No really
 
Jimmy_Betmore said:
This is almost certainly the dye from the liner leeching into the finish of the cue. If you look closely you can actually see a pattern from the texture of the cloth.

I've worked in the printing industry for over the 30 years and a lot of that time has been spent mixing and matching ink colors. Most black inks and dyes are actually made with colors besides just black to, oddly enough, make them look "more black" to the human eye. So that's why you're seeing that purple color rather than just black or grey. Dyes used in textiles are much better at their jobs than something like a suspended pigment found in most paints and will stain the absolute shit out of just about anything they get on. I couldn't tell you how many times I wore a color for a week or so after getting it on my hands.

Also, as mentioned before, it's possible that this would come out with a refinish. But if that actually is a dye that's leeched all the way into the wood, it's unlikely that anyone would be able to get it completely out. They might be able to get it down to where it's not noticeable without close scrutiny. But depending on how deep it is in the wood, getting completely rid of it might be tough.

View attachment 808945
Click to expand...
Try a magic eraser pad. Might be worth a shot.
 
j2pac said:
Try a magic eraser pad. Might be worth a shot.
Click to expand...
It's absolutely worth a shot before going the full refinish route. Hopefully the dye is just on the surface or at least not too deep into it.

Either way, I'd be finding a different case for that cue. There's something in that cue's finish and case interior dye that don't get along very well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top