adding weight.....lead shoot and silicone?

[hudd]

Hello, this is my first post and need a little advice, thanks in advanced for any replies.

I have a two piece cue, centre joint. Weighs in at 16oz with a balance point at 19". I am thinking of changing the weight to 17-17.5oz by adding some weight to the butt with lead shoot and silicone. There is a slight hollow in the butt already that will accept enough lead shoot and by doing so will move the balance forward to 17.5-18" from the butt which is much more to my liking.

My question is, has anyone ever used lead shoot and silicone or a similar material to change weight? I was thinking of melting some lead but am a little concerned about the heat damaging the wood/butt.

All the best,
Hudd

[hudd]

a little more info if needed...

The cue is a 'Mast Wales' Champion cue. 57.5" in length, it has a joint to take an extension, but beyond that joint, the butt has a hollow about 75mm deep by 5 or 6mm in width......this is where the extra weight will go.

Hudd

[flame]

what is this slight hollow & how do you know where the balance point will finish?

[hudd]

I have balanced the cue on the back of a chair and placed an ounce coin and a half(about 46grams) on the butt approximately 3" to 4" from the butt. When doing this the balance point is shifted forward to 17.5", but i appreciate that the weight may be distributed slighty differently but estimate the balance to end up bewteen 17.5" and 18" from the butt.

Hudd

[hudd]

The 'slight hollow' is basically a hole in the butt 75mm in length by 6mm, approximately.

Hudd

[flame]

i see, is the hollow inside the butt below the joint?

[hudd]

That is correct. I can see the joint and through that I can see into the butt.

Hudd

[flame]

so you intend pouring the lead past the joint into the butt?

[hudd]

Yes. I think the mix of silicone and shoot will hold. What do you think?

Many thanks
Hudd

[KeithinFrance]

You could try it by yourself, and why not, but you could also contact Trevor White who is the maker of your cue, or a local cuemaker if you have one, and get a pro to do the job for you. What you're going to do sounds ok in theory, but it might be better to ask a cuemaker first.

Whereabouts in the UK are you?

[hudd]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm in Canterbury, Kent.

Hudd

[KeithinFrance]

I don't think there's a cuemaker local to you, but you could contact Mastercraft, the guys there are generally very helpful. Here's a link: http://www.mastercraft-cues.co.uk/ You'll find their contact details on the site.

Hope this helps!
Keith

[hudd]

Cheers
Hudd

[poolqjunkie]

So, you can see into the wood when you look into the SD joint?
I assume you are aware what you have is a Trevor White cue, right?

[hudd]

Yep and yep

Hudd