Tip Maintenance

[Maverick54]

How often do you mess with your tip?

Its shaped and bedded in, its playing all the shots and your happy with it. So when do you reach for the sandpaper?

Is it to scuff it up after a couple of miss cues? has it lost its shape?

Shouldnt a good tip last for many years or do they simply dry out through all the chalk and become dull hitting and useless?

[svendh]

I use the kamui gator grip tool, it's perfect to roughen the tip without taking too much of it.

http://youtu.be/GJ10K3FeYEw

[jrc750]

I only ever look at the tip after a miscue, then use the spiky bit of the tip tool thing to break up any hard surface

[luke-h]

How often do you mess with your tip?

Its shaped and bedded in, its playing all the shots and your happy with it. So when do you reach for the sandpaper?

Is it to scuff it up after a couple of miss cues? has it lost its shape?

Shouldnt a good tip last for many years or do they simply dry out through all the chalk and become dull hitting and useless?

I use elks that i press so the only time i need to touch the tip is after a miscue, all i do is get a file and press and roll with the shape of the tip going in different directions. all good again

[Maverick54]

So if the tip is hardly ever sanded it wont wear out and would last a lifetime. So onto the second part of my question - why are tips changed so often and why are so many purchased? Is it maybe as I suggested due to the tip becoming unplayable due to drying out over time or are there other factors involved?

[Byrom]

I use elks that i press so the only time i need to touch the tip is after a miscue, all i do is get a file and press and roll with the shape of the tip going in different directions. all good again

I'm on the same page as this guy.

[gulliver]

I use the kamui gator grip tool, it's perfect to roughen the tip without taking too much of it.

http://youtu.be/GJ10K3FeYEw

I second that. This Kamui gator grip tool does wonders with my tip (works fine with laminated tips but I doubt it would with pressed tips). I use to scuff up my tip with sandpaper but found that it would become unstable to a point where I'd replace it with a new one. Whenever I put a new tip on now I spend extra quality time early on shaping the new tip the way I want, then use the gator grip tool every 4 or 5 frames to roughen the surface without reshaping the tip at all. I've been playing with the same tip for 6 months and can't see why I'd need to change it any time soon.

[kadobau]

I use the kamui gator grip tool, it's perfect to roughen the tip without taking too much of it.

http://youtu.be/GJ10K3FeYEw

Where can i get this ?

[svendh]

Where can i get this ?

try amazon http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...20gator%20grip

[luke-h]

So if the tip is hardly ever sanded it wont wear out and would last a lifetime. So onto the second part of my question - why are tips changed so often and why are so many purchased? Is it maybe as I suggested due to the tip becoming unplayable due to drying out over time or are there other factors involved?

If i leave my cue in it's case in the snooker hall's lockers then my tip will be messed up after a week so i think humidity has a part to play. i think generally a good tip should easily last 6 month's if not more depending how long and how often you play.

One of my massive pet hate's is when i go to snooker and see people with sandpaper hacking away at their tip's then moaning that they have to change them often it's akin to expecting your car not to run out of petrol if you use it all the time.

[kadobau]

try amazon http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...20gator%20grip

Thanks.....
Does the Kamui Gatol Grip & the Cuetec Bowtie has the same function ?

[svendh]

the bowtie is too rough imo

[thelongbomber]

How often do you mess with your tip?

Its shaped and bedded in, its playing all the shots and your happy with it. So when do you reach for the sandpaper?

Is it to scuff it up after a couple of miss cues? has it lost its shape?

Shouldn't a good tip last for many years or do they simply dry out through all the chalk and become dull hitting and useless?

Apart from the obvious frequent sandpapering, it's the chalk that wears a tip out. The process of chalking is like a super fine sandpaper. The ball striking also creates some tiny friction (otherwise you wouldn't get grip). Since the ball is harder than the tip, it's the tip that will wear down. Some players that chalk vigorously will wear the tip (and the shaft even) down over time. Chalk can also cake up and cause the occasional miscue, so pressing rough sandpaper into the tip will break the chalk up. Chalk also has inherent chemicals that can wear the tip and shaft wood over time - thus the logic for using a towel to keep the shaft clean of chalk residue on a regular basis. When using and selecting chalk, it's best to find one with a powder like consistency, so I always test the chalk on my finger tip to see how it's like. Some of the "wet" chalk that you see in clubs can increase miscues. I always use the same chalk and keep it in my case.

Just my opinion, but you need to be careful with gator tool or tip pricker device. Using too much force can actually break the delicate tip fibers in a pressed tip apart and reduce tip life. The little holes created by these devices also introduce chalk dust deeper into the tip, further reducing tip lifespan.

The tip shape will change depending on how well you cue. Players that need to use a lot of force to make the cue ball move will end up having their tip flatten out more quickly. The famous Elkmaster tips that are so commonly used can mushroom if the sides of the tip aren't treated properly or if a dull blade is used to cut the edges. Ideally, you are supposed to cut a tip from left to right (when the cue is standing). In practice though, that's very rarely done (without a lathe), so most stand the cue upside down, and then cut straight down from ferrule to top of tip. Doing this exposes the fine hairs in an Elkmaster and then during compacting and initial bedding in, hairs will pop out on the sides and the tip will eventually fail on the edges. Mushrooming is the result: the tip spreads out. I use a pencil sharpener to cut the edges of the tip once I have done the initial rough cut with a blade. I also apply a shoe wax and burnishing on the tip edge to try and seal the edges further. Doing this I believe greatly reduces mushrooming. I also ensure chalk doesn't sit on the tip sides as this will also reduce tip life from aforementioned issues.

[thelongbomber]

If i leave my cue in it's case in the snooker hall's lockers then my tip will be messed up after a week so i think humidity has a part to play.

Yes, possibly. Also have a look at your chalking routine maybe? Overly vigorous? This wears a tip down quickly. Could also be how you apply and cut the tip as well. When I use the blade to cut my tip, I don't press straight down as I have seen others do. This will greatly reduce tip life as this forces the tip apart (on pressed tips that is) . I turn the cue upside down and run the blade across the cut like I was cutting steak. One stroke, light pressure with a very sharp blade.

[vmax4steve]

Chalk can also cake up and cause the occasional miscue, so pressing rough sandpaper into the tip will break the chalk up.

Never ever do this as particles of sand can break away from the sandpaper and embed themselves into the tip. Use a rough file or a tip tapper and press it (do not scrape across) into the tip to break up the embedded chalk.