What is the best way to clean a blue shaft

Aubrey's Quay

Aubrey's Quay

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Yes, a dumb question.
I am not a cue repair man, just have a shaft with a lot of chalk bluing that I want to clean the right way without sending it out.
 
Aubrey's Quay said:
Yes, a dumb question.
I am not a cue repair man, just have a shaft with a lot of chalk bluing that I want to clean the right way without sending it out.
Click to expand...



may sound weird but vinegar works real good. Put some on a paper towel and rub the shaft up and down. It will get all the dirt out.
 
Aubrey's Quay said:
Yes, a dumb question.
I am not a cue repair man, just have a shaft with a lot of chalk bluing that I want to clean the right way without sending it out.
Click to expand...

dont know about the best or not , but this is how i do it

mr clean magic eraser
dampen lightly , veryyyyyyyyy lightly with denatured alcohol
can aslo use water, but i prefer alcohol , to drink also :wink:
buff with clean dry cloth
 
What BHQ said. Some may even complete the cleaning with fine grit sandpaper, like 1000 grit. Then burnish and viola! Smooth as a baby's tail.
 
BHQ said:

dont know about the best or not , but this is how i do it

mr clean magic eraser
dampen lightly , veryyyyyyyyy lightly with denatured alcohol
can aslo use water, but i prefer alcohol , to drink also :wink:
buff with clean dry cloth
Click to expand...

I've done this but without the drinking:wink: Never heard of the vinegar thing. Normally, my shafts don't get blue and I tended to play every day back when. These days, not so often. I've also use a bit of water on a paper towel, rubbed hard and buffed with a dry paper towel, a rag, or leather. I think doing this every so often kept my shafts from becoming blue.
 
use the magic eraser with alchohol first, then use the magic eraser with just water. sand with 2000 grit and burnish.....done.
 
(will try the vinegar idea). ive been doing wood refinishing for years. first i use alcohol. followed by a fast drying acetone. however dont use the acetone if you are not going to apply a finish coat over the wood, as acetone will remove varnishs, laquers, and probably loosen polyurethanes etc. folow the alcolhol with a 0000 (four oh) steel wool. WHAT!!!! four o is an extremly fine steel wool used by many a furniture restorer for the last preparation of the surface before applying stains or finishes. it does not scratch, nor does it sand; it smooths the surface. if you dont like four 0 then use crocus cloth which is an extremly fine grit (like 2000) to finish off the surface for a smooth glide. if your shaft is really imbedded with blue chalk you may not actually get it out of the pores of the wood completely but following any of the reasonable posts will clean it up well. over the years i have developed finishes on my shaft which almost prevent any build up and dont get sticky with palm sweat or oils. most people just accept the fact that shafts blue up. they dont have to at all, given the correct woodworking finsh is applied and maintained. one of my retired shafts has gone twenty years without the characteristic bluing or line definition that occurs in even some very expensive shafts.
gerald
 
Although I never had a very blue shaft since I use tan chalk and I clean my cue(s) regularly I do have a good tip to clean them.

This may be frowned upon by cue makers but I haven't had any issues yet and it brings back the bright wood color as well as a nice white ferrule.

Take a small dab (like a dime size dab) of liquid comet/soft scrub (or similar) and scrub the shaft w/ it. Then take a slightly damp clothe to wipe it clean. Then burnish to a smooth finish.

Hope this helps!
 
I'd add when cleaning the shaft, start at the tip end, clean a few inches then rearrange the cloth so a clean spot is on the shaft, move down a few more inches, and repeat til done.

This helps to not put dirty chalk back on the shaft, if that makes sense.

Jeff Livingston
 
Once shaft is clean follow with "Butchers Wax" or similar to keep the shaft from getting so blue in the future.

Ken
 
BHQ said:

dont know about the best or not , but this is how i do it

mr clean magic eraser
dampen lightly , veryyyyyyyyy lightly with denatured alcohol
can aslo use water, but i prefer alcohol , to drink also :wink:
buff with clean dry cloth
Click to expand...

This is $$ for the most part. Then you can use Q-Silk....

Rubbing alcohol on a rag works great as well..

Good Luck!

John
 
If your shaft is blue, cheer it up.
What Brent does is probably the quickest and most efficient way.
The Magic Eraser works great on the ferrule too. Follow up with a coat of Q Wax or your favorite and a burnish with a piece of leather.

Just read the word:Acetone. I use Acetone when I get Cyno on my fingers. It removes it in a second. Specially not good if you have a laminated shaft. Acetone will smudge the finish or melt plastic. Do you want it on or near your ferrule, wood or phenolic ringwork?
 
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Brianna products sells this pink goo that cleans any shaft to like new condition and doesn't raise the grain. Personally, I like some degree of dirt on the shaft. Of course, its only the stuff I can't get off before using butcher's wax. Does a great job!

tim
 
Magic Eraser should do it. Once you get it clean, apply a coat of Butcher's Bowling Alley wax - which is also a cleaning wax. To keep it clean, I carry in my cue case, a
1x1x2 1/2 piece of Margic Eraser. After each playing session, I clean the shaft quickly with the Magic Eraser, then use a Williard's Dime Shaper on my tip, and follow that with some burnishing with a piece of leather. When I open my case for the next session of play my cue looks brand new. About every 4 to 6 weeks I'll give the whole cue a coat of wax. Works for me...
 
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http://www.pro9.co.uk/html/theproshop/main.php?P=product&pid=CLNG0006
 
ArizonaPete said:
Magic Eraser should do it. Once you get it clean, apply a coat of Butcher's Bowling Alley wax - which is also a cleaning wax. To keep it clean, I carry in my cue case, a
1x1x2 1/2 piece of Margic Eraser. After each playing session, I clean the shaft quickly with the Magic Eraser, then use a Williard's Dime Shaper on my tip, and follow that with some burnishing with a piece of leather. When I open my case for the next session of play my cue looks brand new. About every 4 to 6 weeks I'll give the whole cue a coat of wax. Works for me...
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Wax is great but some people forget to realize wax is a coating. And yes it feels nice and smooth and seals out dirt grim and moister. But it is similar to the old Original cuetecs. No matter how well you made it feel slippery and clean over time it did get sticky.

I personally still like Slip Stic myself. On top of wax it works too. Wax to seal, Slip-Stic stay slick!
 
Aubrey's Quay said:
Yes, a dumb question.
I am not a cue repair man, just have a shaft with a lot of chalk bluing that I want to clean the right way without sending it out.
Click to expand...

Look on the brite side...It's better to have blue shafts than have blue balls:groucho:
 
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