How do I Change from 10mm brass ferule to 8.5mm brass ferule

[Pagan220]

Hi,

My snooker cue was hand made for me many years ago (over 30) by the late Bill Turner of Grimsby, with whom I had lessons, so it has sentimental value apart from being a damn nice cue it has a 10mm blue diamond tip.

For many reasons I stopped playing for about 20 odd years, in the mean time Diabetes has badly affected my eyes and having come back to it, I now enjoy playing pool for a local team. After some thought and enquiries it seems I might do better with an 8.5mm tip.

What would be any problems changing from a 10mm brass tip ferule to an 8.5mm without adversely affecting the cue.

Hope this makes sense.

[DeanH]

How do I Change from 10mm brass ferule to 8.5mm brass ferule

I would say two things:
1. don't alter this cue until you are sure the new tip size is right for you. so maybe buy a cheap 8.5 cue and check it is what you are looking for.
2. if you decide to have the cue reduced to 8.5 then I would nominate Andy Travis (here on TSF) contact Andy and I am sure he will do a great job

[sfmcar]

I would say two things:
1. don't alter this cue until you are sure the new tip size is right for you. so maybe buy a cheap 8.5 cue and check it is what you are looking for.
2. if you decide to have the cue reduced to 8.5 then I would nominate Andy Travis (here on TSF) contact Andy and I am sure he will do a great job

Agree totally.10 to 8.5 will take a lot of getting used to . definitely try borrow one for a while first.

[DeanH]

How do I Change from 10mm brass ferule to 8.5mm brass ferule

forgot to say if the cue has that much sentimental value then don't alter it. Also there could be residual value leaving it as is. would be nice to see some piccies of the cue.
can you let us know some more info about the cue maker?

[jaffa.johnson]

I would be in favour of reducing the cue tip size but i agree that you should try 8.5 on other cues if you havent already.

It maybe that 9mm works well for you.

Any cue maker would be able to carry out this alteration, a couple of points to note.

If you decide to play snooker with it at 8.5mm, this could be challenging.

I would assume the shaft has nicely darkened over the years, retapering (required to reduce ferrule size) may result in two different colours on the shaft.

[j6uk]

i would not touch this cue you have. 10 down to a 9/8.5mm will change this cue, so just change this cue.

[sberry]

Hi,

My snooker cue was hand made for me many years ago (over 30) by the late Bill Turner of Grimsby, with whom I had lessons, so it has sentimental value apart from being a damn nice cue it has a 10mm blue diamond tip.

For many reasons I stopped playing for about 20 odd years, in the mean time Diabetes has badly affected my eyes and having come back to it, I now enjoy playing pool for a local team. After some thought and enquiries it seems I might do better with an 8.5mm tip.

What would be any problems changing from a 10mm brass tip ferule to an 8.5mm without adversely affecting the cue.

Hope this makes sense.

1. You cannot do it without adversely affecting the cue, it will be a different (or ruined) cue and you will not be able to undo the change

2. Sounds like you're at least 50 years old, maybe older, so why change now - a smaller tip will not make you play better, improve your accuracy or cue ball control regardless of what others tell you - there is not a single shot someone with a smaller tip can make that cannot be made with a 10mm tip, it's the person and arm that does it, not the tip

3. You will have more miscues and the cue will be worth much less

4. We do not become better players once we past fifty and our eyes start to go and we start to suffer from age related things like diabetes or arthritis or whatever - face facts, it's age, accept it and just enjoy playing the game as there is no magic gimmick that can make you a better player now - laminated tips, smaller tips, fibre ferrules, special chalk, they're all just easily sold to people looking for a wonder fix, they do the same things as normal size tips, brass ferrules with 10mm elks or diamonds and a bit of 25p chalk

Happy new year

[the montrealer]

HI IF I were you do not alter the cue. Get another cue oh by the way are you playing pool or snooker. We in North American play Pool with a 12 mm Tip or 13 mm Tip. So i would suggest playing with a bigger Tip Size possibly a 12 mm Tip

[Gary Hall]

HI IF I were you do not alter the cue. Get another cue oh by the way are you playing pool or snooker. We in North American play Pool with a 12 mm Tip or 13 mm Tip. So i would suggest playing with a bigger Tip Size possibly a 12 mm Tip

If he's been advised to start using a smaller tip he's more likely on about english pool not american pool.

[Gilbert Ham]

sberry. What a pleasure to read some down to earth comments on the so called 'wonder gadgets'. I know that golfers are suckers for any gimmicks to improve their game and sadly snooker fans are not far behind. I speak as one who has spent a fair amount on these items. In my dotage I now keep in mind how Jimmy White can play with a broom handle and this keeps things in perspective.
Gilb Ham

[Terry Davidson]

montrealer:

British pool has balls (and pockets) which are smaller than snooker balls and a small tip is what most British pool players adopt. It's usually played on a 3.5'x7' table in pubs with the table stuck in a corner somewhere and they also need shorter cues or at least cues which can be shortened, like a 3/4-butt where the butt is removed and the mini-butt is connected to the shaft to get a much shorter cue.

Terry

[j6uk]

bit more to it than that tel,
the majority of pubs that have pool tables take there pool quite seriously, with more than enough space around the table. in fact its vibrant scene around the country. tactically and clearing racks in one visit is a lot harder than it looks on a 3x6'. a good game and not easy to compete at the highest level, even for the best snooker players.

montrealer:

British pool has balls (and pockets) which are smaller than snooker balls and a small tip is what most British pool players adopt. It's usually played on a 3.5'x7' table in pubs with the table stuck in a corner somewhere and they also need shorter cues or at least cues which can be shortened, like a 3/4-butt where the butt is removed and the mini-butt is connected to the shaft to get a much shorter cue.

Terry

[Pagan220]

1. You cannot do it without adversely affecting the cue, it will be a different (or ruined) cue and you will not be able to undo the change

2. Sounds like you're at least 50 years old, maybe older, so why change now - a smaller tip will not make you play better, improve your accuracy or cue ball control regardless of what others tell you - there is not a single shot someone with a smaller tip can make that cannot be made with a 10mm tip, it's the person and arm that does it, not the tip

3. You will have more miscues and the cue will be worth much less

4. We do not become better players once we past fifty and our eyes start to go and we start to suffer from age related things like diabetes or arthritis or whatever - face facts, it's age, accept it and just enjoy playing the game as there is no magic gimmick that can make you a better player now - laminated tips, smaller tips, fibre ferrules, special chalk, they're all just easily sold to people looking for a wonder fix, they do the same things as normal size tips, brass ferrules with 10mm elks or diamonds and a bit of 25p chalk

Happy new year

Ouch are you sitting on my shoulder?? :-)

I must come clean - I am 67 years of age, diabetic (insulin dependant, heart trouble, bad eyes, registered disabled, on 19 tablets a day.

I used to play snooker at a reasonable level, and had lessons with Bill Turner in his private snooker hall. After 20+ years away from the sport, I now play pool for a local team in the Manningtree & District League.

Where mainly by canny safety play and patience I hold my own.

I suppose I am looking for a magic fix to help me get back to how I used to play.

I have listened to the wise words from you chaps and have decided to stick with this cue and just changed a 10mm blue diamond for a 10mm blue diamond

[j6uk]

i see a few players who like a coned shape their ferrule. so, you could sand the top half of your ferrule from a 10 to 9mm. might take a while, and it would also depend on how thick the wall of your ferrule is to how much you can take off.

[Stupree]

How do I Change from 10mm brass ferule to 8.5mm brass ferule

My advice would be to stick with 10mm as you may find you get lots of unwanted side and with the type of tactical game you describe playing you may well find yourself leaving more shots for your opponent than you used to.

Stick a fresh tip on and work it in to a nice dome shape and see if that makes a difference for you.