Going to reoil my cue for the first time and I have a few questions

[Greg M]

Hi, guys,

I'm finally getting around to reoiling my Peradon custom English pool cue for the first time since getting it back in 2020. Heard it's a good thing to do once a year or so. The only thing is that I've never actually reoiled a cue before, so naturally, I have a few questions:

• Do I need to remove the factory coat of oil before applying a new coat, and if so, what's the best method of doing so? I saw on Jason Owen's site that all you need is lightly damp kitchen roll to get the old oil off and to buff dry with a towel immediately afterwards. But would I need something more abrasive to have something for the new oil coat to key to? I have fine wire wool downstairs. Would using it lightly on the cue help to get the old oil off and the new coat stick?

• What's the best way of leaving the cue for the oil to dry and set? Do I leave it leaning against a wall in a cool, dry room or would it be better to have it laying flat on the floor overnight on some newspaper?

I appreciate any help!

[DeanH]

Do not remove the original/old finish, unless you are refurbishing the whole cue.

If the cue is as young as you say, then maybe all it needs is a clean, no oil. But depends on the quality of the finish it came with.
Wipe down the cue with a slightly damp cloth/kitchen paper towel, repeat maybe a few times with new cloth/paper towel until no more "dirt" is seen.
Often the dirt is just a mixture of chalk and skin-oil and sweat.
Wipe with dry cloth/paper towel to dry.

If very dirty, I sometimes use a very light mixture of "fairy liquid" and water, literally one drop of FL to a small amount of water, mix with finger and "dab" the kitchen towel into this to get a damp spot and use this on the cue. You do not want to get too much water onto the cue. Immediately wipe off with dry clean towel after.

If extremely dirty you can use "Meths" spirit but again light on, immediately off. But such a new cue should jot be that dirty!

Oiling: (I use raw linseed oil but there are others)
Once cue is dry, take a little bit of oil, and I mean a little, onto a clean dry paper towel, literally hold the towel over open oil bottle, turn over and back to upright, the oil on the towel should be enough - you will be surprised how far a little oil goes
Gently wipe the oil onto the cue, to cover the cue entirely.
Once the whole cue is covered, get another clean dry paper towel and wipe the whole cue once or twice to remove any excess.
Do not lay the cue down on anything as this will affect the dying of the oil and possible clump and create ridges of oil
I stand the cue as vertical as possible, where the tip is touch the wall and only the butt is touch the floor. I do this in a wall recess in a corner where the cue is not likely to be touched or hit by anything.
And leave for a few hours (depending on the oil).
Again with dry clean paper towel, wipe the cue vigorously to start to dry and buff.
Use more clean dry towels as required. Some oils take a long time to fully dry, then leave the cue to air dry as long as you can.

Repeat the oiling if you see any dry areas that feel dry to touch and repeat the above wiping/drying/leaving as above.


see the following for further info.
https://www.parriscues.com/cue-care/
https://handmadecues.com/cue-care/

Let us know how you get on. But the main rule, is, as little as possible as trying to remove dried excess oil is a pain

[Greg M]

Helpful as always, Dean, cheers.

Yeah, the cue doesn't feel as though it's drying out or anything. It's still incredibly smooth after a few buffs with a microfibre towel, so I may leave the oiling until a few months or so down the line when I feel as though it needs it more. I have a bottle of Andrew Ramsay's oil ready to go. Heard great things about it.

In the meantime, I have some shaft cleaner and a few sheets of printer paper in my cue bag to get rid of sweat or grime build-up. Will regular applications of a shaft cleaner be good for the cue if it's not being used? I'm not playing much at the moment due to COVID case levels, and the cue is in its case all the time, so I don't see it drying out too much.

Appreciate the time it took to write this up. It'll definitely be of use when I get around to the task.

[tomwalker147]

Hi Greg
I can see Dean has given a great answer already and one i'll refer to when I come to oil my cue.
In the meantime what I do every couple of weeks is use the rough scouring side of a washing up sponge and just rub this up and down the cue a couple of times. It's not abrasive enough to damage the cue but it will get rid of any grime or foreign bodies that are stuck to the cue e.g. chalk or any moisture.
I then get a damp paper towel and wipe the cue down top to bottom before drying with a dry towel, followed by spraying a little furniture polish onto a cloth and wiping the cue once more.

On the subject of cleaning it's really really important to have clean hands when playing and a little trick is to wet the corner of my cue towel so I can wipe the cue down and then dry it.

[DeanH]

Hi Tom
A word of caution if I may about the "scourering side of a washing up sponge" - I know you do say "every couple of weeks"
A friend years ago used the same on his cue and he wore down the shaft just under the ferrule into an hourglass! (trying to find the photos I took at the time )
I sent the cue to Andy Travis to fix it, it came back lovely

Of course if you use such an item you have to use it sparingly and gently (my friend obviously clamped the scourer onto the wood big-time! )
Just a "word to the wise"

[tomwalker147]

Hi Tom
A word of caution if I may about the "scourering side of a washing up sponge" - I know you do say "every couple of weeks"
A friend years ago used the same on his cue and he wore down the shaft just under the ferrule into an hourglass! (trying to find the photos I took at the time )
I sent the cue to Andy Travis to fix it, it came back lovely

Of course if you use such an item you have to use it sparingly and gently (my friend obviously clamped the scourer onto the wood big-time! )
Just a "word to the wise"

cheers mate!
I'm incredibly careful with it and use a sponge that's not very coarse at all but you're right to make the point.
I almost cried when I saw my mate using wire wool down the entire length of his new Greene Baize cue last week.

[DeanH]

cheers mate!
I'm incredibly careful with it and use a sponge that's not very coarse at all but you're right to make the point.
I almost cried when I saw my mate using wire wool down the entire length of his new Greene Baize cue last week.

OMG - never seen wire-wool but many times seen people use course sandpaper to "clean" their cue!, like every time before playing and even during a match!
And more often than not the cue is fine it is their dirty/sticky hands!
The sand paper is so course I never use anything that course even when I am refurbing a cue!
As you say, nearly cried!
I did get one person to stop and he learnt his lesson - he washed and dried his hands the look on his face was brilliant like he had seen the light!

[vmax]

cheers mate!
I'm incredibly careful with it and use a sponge that's not very coarse at all but you're right to make the point.
I almost cried when I saw my mate using wire wool down the entire length of his new Greene Baize cue last week.

0000 grade steel wool hardly touches the actual timber and is great when used with meths to remove varnish or an oil finish, but it must be used lightly and does raise the grain so must be dried immediately afterwards and rubbed down again with 0000 grade steel wool once it's dried to flatten the grain.
There's a lot of bad info out there from people who are not woodworkers about what is best for a cue, as if a cue is something different from other items made of wood, but it's not and what's good for a chair made of ash is also good for a cue made of ash.
Oil it and allow it to not only dry but 'cure' as this is what gives the protection from either losing or gaining moisture which will make the shaft warp and the butt possibly delaminate, but this isn't a once only application and a light rub down with 0000 grade steel wool once a year and a re-oil does no harm, on the contrary it's a must if you wish to keep your cue for life, but simply cleaning with a cloth won't remove the cured finish and allow new oil to penetrate on a cue that's only a year old, it might with an old cue as the finish does degrade with age.
0000 grade and above though, nothing of a grade less than that.

[mikee]

I’ve always wiped the cue with a beer towel after use and given it a bit of oil twice a year ,always been fine

[Greg M]

Hi Greg
I can see Dean has given a great answer already and one i'll refer to when I come to oil my cue.
In the meantime what I do every couple of weeks is use the rough scouring side of a washing up sponge and just rub this up and down the cue a couple of times. It's not abrasive enough to damage the cue but it will get rid of any grime or foreign bodies that are stuck to the cue e.g. chalk or any moisture.
I then get a damp paper towel and wipe the cue down top to bottom before drying with a dry towel, followed by spraying a little furniture polish onto a cloth and wiping the cue once more.

On the subject of cleaning it's really really important to have clean hands when playing and a little trick is to wet the corner of my cue towel so I can wipe the cue down and then dry it.

Cheers, Tom. I do use a cue towel from time to time, but I think a scrunched-up sheet of paper is a little better for removing grime and oil from a cue. What I do is work a little shaft cleaner in with my towel and buff dry with the paper. Works wonders.

How long have you had your cue and will this be your first time to oil it?

[tomwalker147]

Cheers, Tom. I do use a cue towel from time to time, but I think a scrunched-up sheet of paper is a little better for removing grime and oil from a cue. What I do is work a little shaft cleaner in with my towel and buff dry with the paper. Works wonders.

How long have you had your cue and will this be your first time to oil it?

Hi Greg
no problem, do you mean normal printer paper?
I've had my cue 3 or 4 years I think and not once oiled it.

[Greg M]

Hi Greg
no problem, do you mean normal printer paper?
I've had my cue 3 or 4 years I think and not once oiled it.

Yeah, normal A4 printer paper. I have a few sheets stored in my case.

Ah, cool. I suppose I'll hold off on the oiling for now and just focus on keeping the cue (and my hands) clean when I'm playing. Not that the cue needs any sort of cleaning, to be honest. The thing is in near mint condition.

[fkhan]

many times seen people use course sandpaper to "clean" their cue!, like every time before playing and even during a match!

Vafaei does that

[mikee]

Vafaei does that

Will need a new cue soon then

[Shockerz]

cheers mate!
I'm incredibly careful with it and use a sponge that's not very coarse at all but you're right to make the point.
I almost cried when I saw my mate using wire wool down the entire length of his new Greene Baize cue last week.

I worked it out with a guy once that even 0000 grit steel wool for polishing will wear a new shaft away in about 5 years if it is used to get the weekly grime off a cue.