What causes very slight warping in pool cue butts?

[vintagecollectibles831]

This is something I always dread seeing when ordering an old used pool cue.

In this case, it was an $800 purchase.

Very slight roll out, up near the SS joint collar..

The roll out is about the thickness of a credit card.

I could barely fit a credit card under the highest part of the roll out.

Is this something that you would be really upset about? Or, is this something that you would not be worried about.

I understand that it is not going to affect the playability, but it surely does seem to affect the value.

Buyers want at least the butt to always roll perfect, right?

Anyways, the cue cane with 2 shafts, and I assume now that the roll out up near the joint was enough to cause one of the shafts to have a worse noticeable wobble, with the tip lifting off of the table..

With the other shaft, the tip remains on the felt of the pool table, but you can still see some roll out in the rest of the shaft section.

When the shafts are rolled by themselves, they look pretty straight though. My 1st thought was that maybe the 1 shaft just needed its joint face cleaned, but I do not have anyone local that can help me with that.

Out of respect for the cue maker, I did not want to mention his name, but this is a very old used pool cue, though it is in excellent condition. It is from one of the more well known cue makers.

Also, I heard from a dealer of the cue makers cues that the cue maker never Cored his cues. So, that makes me wonder if maybe it was a common thing for his cues to get a very slight warp in them.

Also, I have no idea if the warp is in the forearm, or in the handle. I understand that this is fixable, if it is a warp in the handle, or an issue with the A Joint, where the forearm connects to the handle.

I have been told that over a long period of time, the A joint gets very stressed, and causes what appears to be warping in cues, but redoing the A joint can sometimes make the butt perfectly straight again. Or, replacing the entire handle.

Anyways, thanks for any thoughts.

 

[manwon]

This is something I always dread seeing when ordering an old used pool cue.

In this case, it was an $800 purchase.

Very slight roll out, up near the SS joint collar..

The roll out is about the thickness of a credit card.

I could barely fit a credit card under the highest part of the roll out.

Is this something that you would be really upset about? Or, is this something that you would not be worried about.

I would not really worry about it too much, unless it gets worst.. there are many factors that can cause that to happen.

1. The facing between the joint and butt may not be perfect.

2. The use of wood that is not properly or fully dried.

3. Exposure to heat or a moist.

What, type of cue do you have?

I understand that it is not going to affect the playability, but it surely does seem to affect the value.

Buyers want at least the butt to always roll perfect, right?

Anyways, the cue cane with 2 shafts, and I assume now that the roll out up near the joint was enough to cause one of the shafts to have a worse noticeable wobble, with the tip lifting off of the table..

With the other shaft, the tip remains on the felt of the pool table, but you can still see some roll out in the rest of the shaft section.

When the shafts are rolled by themselves, they look pretty straight..

Out of respect for the cue maker, I did not want to mention his name, but this is a very old used pool cue, though it is in excellent condition. It is from one of the more well known cue makers.

Also, I heard from a dealer of the cue makers cues that the cue maker never Cored his cues. So. That makes me wonder if maybe it was a common thing for his cues to get a very slight warp in them.

Also, I have no idea if the warp is in the forearm, or in the handle. I understand that this is fixable, if it is a warp in the handle, or an issue with the A Joint, where the forearm connects to the handle.

Anyways, thanks for any thoughts.

 

[vintagecollectibles831]

I would not really worry about it too much, unless it gets worst.. there are many factors that can cause that to happen.

1. The facing between the joint and butt may not be perfect.

2. The use of wood that is not properly or fully dried.

3. Exposure to heat or a moist.

What, type of cue do you have?

I would not really worry about it too much, unless it gets worst.. there are many factors that can cause that to happen.

1. The facing between the joint and butt may not be perfect.

2. The use of wood that is not properly or fully dried.

3. Exposure to heat or a moist.

What, type of cue do you have?

Hi, it is a Richard Phillippi cue. I was told that it is an older Phillippi, but I am not sure how old. I have seen this issue a lot over the years. I wonder, maybe the Finish is just thinner up near the joint? Thin enough to make the butt appear to be slightly warped? I am always so relieved when I get an old used cue, and the butt rolls perfect. Thanks for your reply.

 

[vintagecollectibles831]

I would not really worry about it too much, unless it gets worst.. there are many factors that can cause that to happen.

1. The facing between the joint and butt may not be perfect.

2. The use of wood that is not properly or fully dried.

3. Exposure to heat or a moist.

What, type of cue do you have?

Hi, so thinning of the finish can make a butt appear to be a little warped?

 

[Biloxi Boy]

"I always dread seeing when ordering an old used pool cue."

When ordering or on delivery?

How did seller describe beforehand? (Was the condition a surprise?)

 

[manwon]

Hi, it is a Richard Phillippi cue. I was told that it is an older Phillippi, but I am not sure how old. I have seen this issue a lot over the years. I wonder, maybe the Finish is just thinner up near the joint? Thin enough to make the butt appear to be slightly warped? I am always so relieved when I get an old used cue, and the butt rolls perfect. Thanks for your reply.

It’s very hard to say if the finish is the problem. Since, it’s a used player you can’t fault the cue maker. I would contact him, and ask if it can be fixed, if it’s a parts failure he may just fix it.

 

[vintagecollectibles831]

"I always dread seeing when ordering an old used pool cue."

When ordering or on delivery?

How did seller describe beforehand? (Was the condition a surprise?)

Just described to be in Good Condition. I just did not ask about the how it rolled, which maybe I should have. This is the type of thing that can easily not be noticed. I am not sure how often people get at eye level with the felt when checking the straightness. It is not something that would be noticed if just rolling the butt, and looking at it from above. And, the lighting conditions would have to be very good to even be able to see it at eye level with the felt. I do not think it was something that the seller knew of. Other then that, the cue is in excellent condition. The slight roll out is a bummer though.

When ever you see someone rolling a cue on a video, they are usually just showing the roll from above, lol. Not at felt level.

 

[vintagecollectibles831]

It’s very hard to say if the finish is the problem. Since, it’s a used player you can’t fault the cue maker. I would contact him, and ask if it can be fixed, if it’s a parts failure he may just fix it.

Yeah, I completely understand. Like I said, I have been told that the A Joint (where the forearm screws onto the handle) can get stressed over a long period of use, and cause what appears to be really bad warping. So, I assume that the A joint might have just been a little stressed. I do not know though. This warp is very slight though. So, I do not know what the issue is. Just bummed that the butt is not perfect. I would never put this on the cue maker, as I understand it is an old used pool cue. Thanks.

 

[manwon]

Yeah, I completely understand. Like I said, I have been told that the A Joint (where the forearm screws onto the handle) can get stressed over a long period of use, and cause what appears to be really bad warping. So, I assume that the A joint might have just been a little stressed. I do not know though. This warp is very slight though. So, I do not know what the issue is. Just bummed that the butt is not perfect. I would never put this on the cue maker, as I understand it is an old used pool cue. Thanks.

I would contact the cue maker and have him fix / refinish the cue. If, it’s the A-joint he should fix it free in my opinion.

 

[Jimmy_Betmore]

I would contact the cue maker and have him fix / refinish the cue. If, it’s the A-joint he should fix it free in my opinion.

I ordered a cue and received a cue from Paul Dayton back in '03. Great cue that played wonderfully. But it developed a serious warp in the handle near the butt sleeve about two years later. I called him and he told me to send it back. A few months later I came home and found it in a shipping box in the bushes in front of my house. I appreciated him fixing it at no charge but I sure would have appreciated a heads-up about it being on its way back to Ohio. I never entered my house through the front door so there's no telling how long it could have stayed out there if I hadn't noticed it.

What's funny is the cue had a completely different balance (better) than it did when I sent it. It also came back with a black/white spec wrap but was sent with white/double black spec. By that time Paul was getting up there in age and could be a little cranky so I didn't press the issue. I was just happy to get a perfect cue back at no charge. He made some great cues and was, in my opinion, pretty underrated. I feel like the warp mine developed was just one of those bad luck situations. I'm sure the climate change from Florida to Ohio didn't help either.

 

[JasonATX]

You might be able to use a joint protector that you wire up to hang the cue vertically in the closet, from a shelf or something similar. I have had some success with this in the past with butts with a very small lift in them.

 

[vintagecollectibles831]

I ordered a cue and received a cue from Paul Dayton back in '03. Great cue that played wonderfully. But it developed a serious warp in the handle near the butt sleeve about two years later. I called him and he told me to send it back. A few months later I came home and found it in a shipping box in the bushes in front of my house. I appreciated him fixing it at no charge but I sure would have appreciated a heads-up about it being on its way back to Ohio. I never entered my house through the front door so there's no telling how long it could have stayed out there if I hadn't noticed it.

What's funny is the cue had a completely different balance (better) than it did when I sent it. It also came back with a black/white spec wrap but was sent with white/double black spec. By that time Paul was getting up there in age and could be a little cranky so I didn't press the issue. I was just happy to get a perfect cue back at no charge. He made some great cues and was, in my opinion, pretty underrated. I feel like the warp mine developed was just one of those bad luck situations. I'm sure the climate change from Florida to Ohio didn't help either.

Yeah, that is really strange that he did not let you know that he shipped it, and also that he did not add Signature Confirmation. If insured for a high enough amount, then a Signature would have been required anyways.

I had a Dayton for a very short time, and that cue hit amazing. Like, really amazing. I loved it a lot. Always had a need of money in no time though.

 

[HawaiianEye]

FWIW, nobody on the planet has ever missed a ball because of a slight warp in a cue.

It makes a good excuse though.

 

[SBC]

Yeah, I completely understand. Like I said, I have been told that the A Joint (where the forearm screws onto the handle) can get stressed over a long period of use, and cause what appears to be really bad warping. So, I assume that the A joint might have just been a little stressed. I do not know though. This warp is very slight though. So, I do not know what the issue is. Just bummed that the butt is not perfect. I would never put this on the cue maker, as I understand it is an old used pool cue. Thanks.

It is usually the maple handle that warps.

It isn't a big issue...but if it is to you just resell it.

 

[cueman]

Hi, so thinning of the finish can make a butt appear to be a little warped?

Yes.

 

[vintagecollectibles831]

Yes.

Hi, and wood expands in some areas too, also causing the butt to not appear to roll perfect? This tends to happen in older cues, like 30 years old for example? Maybe humidity changes can do that? Thanks.

 

[cueman]

Hi, and wood expands in some areas too, also causing the butt to not appear to roll perfect? This tends to happen in older cues, like 30 years old for example? Maybe humidity changes can do that? Thanks.

That is true also.

 

[maha]

cues from the Philippines which are high in humidity tend to warp more unless really well dried and shipped properly which many are not.
just me but i would never buy one from there. others will and have had good results.

only a few makers really take the time for their wood to fully season. i can see a shaft getting a small set but never a butt.