Wax Or Oil Finish?

[sberry]

a couple of coats of linseed oil and some elbow grease is all that is needed and it doesn't need refreshing, just a polish with a dry cloth when you play

wax and other stuff give it different finishes, might use waxes and oils to age cleaned wood, wouldn't go near lacquer or varnish

[piper74]

Here's another couple quotes from a woodworking site re. "tru oil". I would suggest to practice on another item to establish method & result before you treat you prized cue. This is a finishing treatment not regular cue oil.
B.

1. ......Tru Oil is made by the Birchwood Casey company. I have looked everywhere I can think of on the internet and on this website and can't find much information about it. All I have been able to find is whats printed on the bottle:

"Its unique blend of linseed and natural oils dries fast and will not cloud, yellow or crack with age and resists water damage."

It also says to dilute it with mineral spirits."

2. "It" (tru oil) "is Polymerized Linseed Oil!!"
Raw linseed oil takes forever to dry. Boiled Linseed Oil (BLO) has metallic dryers added to make it dry faster. Polymerizing is a process which involves heating the oil in an oxygen free environment to the smoking point. This makes the oil dry (take in oxy to cure) much faster and dry harder. It also makes the oil very thick. Tru Oil has already been thinned about 4 times from the factory . Tru-Oil will dry when you are still rubbing it in, hence the need to thin it a little more to slow it down. One word of caution BLO is a fire hazard-----Tru-Oil is a fire hazard times three!! I dispose of my Oil soaked rags by burning them.

P.S. just rub it down with a gray nylon pad between coats!

Thanks for the advice!

[piper74]

I used one very thin coat of Tru Oil and it's done exactly what I wanted it too, made my butt nice and grippy and at the same time it has a really nice finish. You don't need much at all on a rag, I think I read either on the bottle or on the net somewhere that Tru oil is dry in 3 hours and ready to buff, I was in no rush so just left it over night.

Based on your experience, do you think a wax-on, wax off technique will work with Tru-oil? What i meant is, apply tru-oil, wait a few seconds and immediately buff off. Will this be effective to have a slight grippy feel on the butt? Appreciate your help.

[piper74]

a couple of coats of linseed oil and some elbow grease is all that is needed and it doesn't need refreshing, just a polish with a dry cloth when you play

wax and other stuff give it different finishes, might use waxes and oils to age cleaned wood, wouldn't go near lacquer or varnish

The problem with linseed oil is that, after a few rounds of wet wipe down with a soft cloth and immediately dry with a dry cloth, the butt will go smooth again. Or did i not use enough elbow grease?

Never used wax before.

[The Stig]

Based on your experience, do you think a wax-on, wax off technique will work with Tru-oil? What i meant is, apply tru-oil, wait a few seconds and immediately buff off. Will this be effective to have a slight grippy feel on the butt? Appreciate your help.

I don't think that would work, after a short while you can feel it start to go slightly tacky with a bit of resistance. I'd put a thin layer on and the minimum i'd wait is 3 hours which isn't that long otherwise you could make a mess.

[Ash & Ebony]

Has anyone tried Mike Wooldridge's "new & improved" cue oil?
B.

[Ash & Ebony]

Here's another product that I have used with good results that is reasonably priced and available at many music instrument shops.
B.
http://www.planetwaves.com/pwProduct...rd_Conditioner

[jigsaw333]

Why use any oils and finishes?
I've used a cue for 30 years and it's... well... wood finish... just give it a wipe with a damp cloth then a dry one, when it needs it.
Still knock in centuries every now and then.
These finishes are a marketing ploy.

[itsnoteasy]

Why use any oils and finishes?
I've used a cue for 30 years and it's... well... wood finish... just give it a wipe with a damp cloth then a dry one, when it needs it.
Still knock in centuries every now and then.
These finishes are a marketing ploy.

Was it made and sold with no finish on it Jigsaw? Or did you take it back to the wood?

[Ash & Ebony]

Why use any oils and finishes?
I've used a cue for 30 years and it's... well... wood finish... just give it a wipe with a damp cloth then a dry one, when it needs it.
Still knock in centuries every now and then.
These finishes are a marketing ploy.

Wood has inherent moisture content. When it dries out it contracts/shrinks. You can see this in wood furniture joints that have become lose or squeaky. In cue shafts it may manifest in warping or ferrules that don't hit right anymore or joint screw issues. In butts it may result in hairline fractures in the ebony. In Britain where the climate is relatively humid, this drying may not be as common or as severe as in Canada for instance where indoor winter heating results in very dry air which draws moisture from wood. A little application of oil will be drawn into the wood to the extent that it is needed by the wood to maintain "balance".
Keep in mind that many top British cue makers take down shaft wood tapering in steps so the wood has a chance to adjust before final shaping.
A little bit of a suitable oil won't hurt the cue & will itself dry out over time.
B.

[jigsaw333]

Its an Aeon.
They didn't come with any real finish on them. What was there I took off with flower paper. My cue is all wood including the ebony butt. Feels brilliant plays brilliant.
They are brilliant cues (as stated on this forum) unfortunately not sold now.
Oils and finishes are a modern addition to a cue and in my opinion nobody has a cue old enough for it to split or crack yet. Maybe in 100+ years or so. That will happen with a finished cue or not.
The critical part there is the joint quality, they don't put finish in the joint and your applied finish won't go in the joint. Just a quality joints and splicing quality adhesives.
Quality cues will be made of a seasoned wood anyway so shouldn't need any treatment.
I've played with a finished cue recently and it didn't feel 'natural' if anything I felt it felt a little 'sticky' That was a Parris cue. which he had just had re-finished... and shiny.

Conclusion:
Use the finishes and oils if you want, but personally don't see the point and they can may a cue feel strange.
Only my opinion. Clean the table and balls with a treatment. The cue - NO.

Can anyone say the make more centuries with a finished cue over an unfinished cue? I don't think so.

Just trying to save you a little money. At around £10 a pop they want you to buy it...