'Pro-versions' Elk Master Tips and Triangle Chalk

[mikeyd100]

I think there is a 'boutique' element within the cost. Know what I mean?

I hear ya man, fancy packaging must bump it up too !

[itsnoteasy]

I am a bit lost with the talk about thick and thin skins, and good or bad skins, we are on about pressed tips here aren't we? The hide is reduced to fibres then moulded into a tip shape, or is that not how they make them? If I'm right I don't see what thickness etc has to do with it.

[Big Splash!]

I hear ya man, fancy packaging must bump it up too !

Not forgetting the add on to make sure mere mortals and ordinary players are put off buying them, thus ensuring that increased sense of self worth for the exclusive player. :highly_amused:

Traditionally, Elks were cut from a single water buffalo hide. Horinzontal density and elasticity varies across the hide. Then no two animals are the same and they may be different ages. As bad as timber!

I reckon that Tweetens use up as much hide as possible and that's how they can keep the price down. The worst and best bits!

[Hello, Mr Big Shot]

I am a bit lost with the talk about thick and thin skins, and good or bad skins, we are on about pressed tips here aren't we? The hide is reduced to fibres then moulded into a tip shape, or is that not how they make them? If I'm right I don't see what thickness etc has to do with it.

Conventional wisdom has it to buy larger diameter tips than you need, as these will generally be from the thicker part of the skin/hide, thereby producing better quality tips. So, for American pool players, 15mm are more sought after than 13mm tips, for instance.

As Blusts says, i would imagine cheap single layered tip makers use all the hide - the thick the thin, the good and the bad.

[itsnoteasy]

Conventional wisdom has it to buy larger diameter tips than you need, as these will generally be from the thicker part of the skin/hide, thereby producing better quality tips. So, for American pool players, 15mm are more sought after than 13mm tips, for instance.

As Blusts says, i would imagine cheap single layered tip makers use all the hide - the thick the thin, the good and the bad.

Well I went and read up on pressed tips and how they are made and I was wrong, they are punched out of one skin, so what you say sounds as if it could be a good bit of knowledge there Biggie, cheers.

[Shockerz]

Well I went and read up on pressed tips and how they are made and I was wrong, they are punched out of one skin, so what you say sounds as if it could be a good bit of knowledge there Biggie, cheers.

Can you remember where you read it as I struggled to find anything on the net?

[mikeyd100]

Imagine the tips that could be made out of these abominations :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgian_Blue

[itsnoteasy]

Can you remember where you read it as I struggled to find anything on the net?

I could only find one article and that said " in the old days they were punched out of a single hide" so that seemed to support what had been said on here. I thought I would just type it into Google and find loads of answers but as you say there is nowt really bar this guys opinion, and he doesn't state how modern pressed tips are made. It wasn't on a snooker site but it's about making milk duds and is quite interesting if you like that sort of thing lol,
http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb...e-tips-297503/
Some things I still don't understand, if an elk is one skin thick, how can a laminated tip be twelve layers of skin? Also if an elk is just punched out from one hide how do you get chalk all the way through it? I can see that being done if it was just a big kind of soup of fibres chalk and glue then pressed but how is it done with one bit of skin?
I went on to Tweetens site there was nothing to say how elks are made but one interesting thing I noticed is Tweetens full name is actually Tweetens fibre co. Inc. which to me doesn't sound like tips made from a single punched piece of skin.

[Shockerz]

I could only find one article and that said " in the old days they were punched out of a single hide" so that seemed to support what had been said on here. I thought I would just type it into Google and find loads of answers but as you say there is nowt really bar this guys opinion, and he doesn't state how modern pressed tips are made. It wasn't on a snooker site but it's about making milk duds and is quite interesting if you like that sort of thing lol,
http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb...e-tips-297503/
Some things I still don't understand, if an elk is one skin thick, how can a laminated tip be twelve layers of skin? Also if an elk is just punched out from one hide how do you get chalk all the way through it? I can see that being done if it was just a big kind of soup of fibres chalk and glue then pressed but how is it done with one bit of skin?
I went on to Tweetens site there was nothing to say how elks are made but one interesting thing I noticed is Tweetens full name is actually Tweetens fibre co. Inc. which to me doesn't sound like tips made from a single punched piece of skin.

Really interesting article that, never knew milk was used in the process for any tip making.

Be great to see how some of the tips are made nowadays but obviously they'll be secrets!

[Big Splash!]

INE, layered tips are generally made from pigskin and the only reason is that it's plentiful and cheap in the far east. Glued layers. Tweetens are now making a layered cow hide tip, probably out of the poorer sections of a hide, glue em together, them charge a premium price!

[Shockerz]

INE, layered tips are generally made from pigskin and the only reason is that it's plentiful and cheap in the far east. Glued layers. Tweetens are now making a layered cow hide tip, probably out of the poorer sections of a hide, glue em together, them charge a premium price!

Yeah, Talisman are pigskin but how do they get the layers that thin, I guess that's the thing we don't get; 11 layers to one tip, how do they achieve that I wonder?

[Big Splash!]

Yeah, Talisman are pigskin but how do they get the layers that thin, I guess that's the thing we don't get; 11 layers to one tip, how do they achieve that I wonder?

Bacon skin is pretty thin, have a look.

[itsnoteasy]

I'm not saying you are wrong Splasher , you know more about most things snooker than me there is no doubt about that, I'm just curious, can't help myself
Tweetens being called Tweeton fibre is interesting to me, the fibre bit just doesn't sound like their tips are made of a single piece of Elk hide, more the way I thought they were made, but I just don't know.

[Big Splash!]

I'm not saying you are wrong Splasher , you know more about most things snooker than me there is no doubt about that, I'm just curious, can't help myself
Tweetens being called Tweeton fibre is interesting to me, the fibre bit just doesn't sound like their tips are made of a single piece of Elk hide, more the way I thought they were made, but I just don't know.

I believe the word 'fibre' refers to a multitude of sins including the silica (quartz) and aluminum oxide (oxite) used in their chalk.

Has anyone used their Le Professional tips, Triumph or Triangle tips? I wonder what they are like? The Le Pro tips look good.

[Hello, Mr Big Shot]

I believe the word 'fibre' refers to a multitude of sins including the silica (quartz) and aluminum oxide (oxite) used in their chalk.

Has anyone used their Le Professional tips, Triumph or Triangle tips? I wonder what they are like? The Le Pro tips look good.

There aren't many tips I haven't tried, barring the newer gens of layereds (zan, g2 etc). A good triangle is hard to beat, especially when milk dudded. Le pros used to be great but have gone downhill recently, apparently. Single layered tips like le pros, triangles, elks, champions, triumphs et cetera are all identical tips imo, with some pressed more than others, or else chalk infused, like elks. Price of the hide will determine their quality, much like everything else.

I good elk, soaked and pressed, is hard to beat imo. Hits like a hard, grips like soft, holds chalk well and keeps its shape - what's not to like?