Cue maintenance

[-Blade-]

I brought a cue off a vendor, whose employee posts on here. I won't mention the name as I'm not sure if that is allowed because to mention a name, the vendor may have to be a registered vendor on here, as is the case with how other forums handle vendor advertising etc. Anyway, I'm sure the person who I communicated with will read this thread!

I have a new cue, and because it cost a fair amount of money over my last cue, I am now in the type of attitude of looking after my new cue as if it's a £100k car.

1) The cue is handspliced. Is this the same thing as handmade? The splice is at the butt end, right so is it just the butt end that is hand constructed?

2) The tip is domed but flattens off slightly at the top. Is this ok? Then again, I do assume that after constant playing, this will always happen with the cue.

3) People here say that I should use sandpaper to refine the tip, but what exactly do I do with the sandpaper? Do I rub it on the edges of the tip?

Thanks

[hegeland]

3) People here say that I should use sandpaper to refine the tip, but what exactly do I do with the sandpaper? Do I rub it on the edges of the tip?

The Sandman cue tip trimmer is a cheap tool used by many pool professionals. It does wonders to your cue tip and it lasts forever.

http://www.biljardexperten.se/cgi-pr...behor&ArtID=12

[cueman]

To answer your questions in stages firstly any cue that is hand-spliced tends to be called a hand made cue these days. However, how much of that cue has been made by hand is anyones guess, usually a lot of the work is done on a lathe, the splices are planed by hand but even that is usually done with a machine plane! I shouldn't worry yourself too much with the term of hand made cue, it is a very loose term in the cue making industry. Whether a cue is hand spliced or not won't affect how the cue plays.

The tip should have a nice dome to it, it helps to get a good contact on the cueball which helps with adding various spins on the ball. If it is slightly flat then it probably hasn't been shaped for a while. This leads on to the 3rd point. Occasionally most tips will become a little bit flat and need shaping slightly, the tip may also become hard and shiny and usually this requires scuffing up the tip slightly, this will help the chalk to adhere to the tip.

Get a fine sandpaper and lightly sand the tip from the middle down to the sides at a slight downward angle. Keep turning the cue as you do this and you should create a nice domed effect but don't use too much force as it might pull the fibres apart and ruin the tip.

[cueman]

The Sandman cue tip trimmer is a cheap tool used by many pool professionals. It does wonders to your cue tip and it lasts forever.

http://www.biljardexperten.se/cgi-pr...behor&ArtID=12

This is also one of the harshest cue sanders I've come across and personally I wouldn't recommend it. I have used one and it pulls apart the leather so much it ruins the tip completely. Just a fine wet and dry type sandpaper is the best for shaping tips, preferably p400/p600 grade.

[hegeland]

This is also one of the harshest cue sanders I've come across and personally I wouldn't recommend it. I have used one and it pulls apart the leather so much it ruins the tip completely. Just a fine wet and dry type sandpaper is the best for shaping tips, preferably p400/p600 grade.

Well taste differ I guess. I have nothing but praise for mine, does wonder with my cue tip, just use it with a bit of caution. I haven't used it on a snooker cue though.

[googlefooger]

Seeing as this is cue maintenance......well, since I've purchased my cue (or, had it) I've used it a hell of a lot, and the bit of wood where you put your bridge hand and when you feather, it gets rubbed around a lot, and it's become really sticky, and it's shiny as if it's been varnished....any ideas on how to make it really smooth again?

[Semih_Sayginer]

Seeing as this is cue maintenance......well, since I've purchased my cue (or, had it) I've used it a hell of a lot, and the bit of wood where you put your bridge hand and when you feather, it gets rubbed around a lot, and it's become really sticky, and it's shiny as if it's been varnished....any ideas on how to make it really smooth again?

http://www.thesnookerforum.com/showthread-t_2047.html

[MrRottweiler]

Always take care when sanding your tip to reshape it because its easy to accidentally sand wood from the cue its self near the ferrule which can affect the balence. Some players have domed tips and other have a distinct flatness about them but its all about what works for you and getting the ideal tip will take time and lots of pots (and misses) Your cuing style also affects your tip characteristics because if you cue very level you will get a flatness of the tip but if, like me, you are sometimes too lazy to arch your back and get really low on the shot you end up cuing down which causes the dome shape (which can become uneven)

Don't sand the tip down too much or you will find yourself constantly re-tipping your cue. Just get the right size tip for your cue (9", 10", 11" etc ) and shape it slightly then you will wear it in properly by hitting balls and making small adjustments with ultra fine grade sand paper.

Looking after your cue is very easy. Never use anything other than a damp cloth and then dry it completely keeping one hand just under the tip so you don't knock it while drying. This will keep your cue smooth and washing your hands as well before playing helps the smoothness and stops the cue getting dirty quicker.

One last thing. You would never lend someone your 100k car and never lend out your cue. People wont respect it the way you do. Never let it out of your sight and please don't leave it at club. People get hurt that way. I should know!

[Watford]

Not to drag all this up again but I linseed oiled and bees waxed my cue last week fantastic finish!
Got the beeswax from ebay simply Bee Company I think good stuff!
Craftsman sells wax too!
Did coz went to a pool comp at weekend a lad there had a really nice finish to his cue. Turns out he uses ethanol wipes (he's an engineer) to clean his cue. He says that the ethanol dries so quick it doesn't soak into the wood. He's given me some of the wipes they remind me of the hand wipes from KFC, I’ll save them for emergencies in the summer!

[googlefooger]

http://www.thesnookerforum.com/showthread-t_2047.html

Thanks dude, I'll keep that in mind.

[ADR147]

e-mail me and i will send you a copy of my tip guide free of charge. adr147@hotmail.com

[Watford]

ADR147s tipping guide is very good!
Might have to get me some Talisman tips from your ebay shop!

[ADR147]

thank you, i do try, others are being worked on as we speak.

[Semih_Sayginer]

http://www.thesnookerforum.com/showt...ght_retip.html

[billy wizz]

I use Baby wipes on my Cannon Cue, if there safe enough for Children thet are not going to damage my Ash cue.
I wipe it down and then dry it off immediatley with a Microfibre cloth (I suggest you use Walmarts own brand wipes.
Best of Luck with your Pool games.