Snakewood Butt, can i get rid of the varnish??

[var1234]

The whole cue butt is snakewood with a layer of varnish.

I guess it to seal up the snakewood to protect it...

It got sticky during the play easily

Can i get rid the varnish and apply oil on it???

[DeanH]

before doing anything drastic like removing the varnish, have you tried to buff the butt (and shaft as well?) with a lightly damp cloth and then buff with a dry piece of paper toilet or kitchen roll and then final buff with a clean dry cloth.
Also ensure your hands are clean and dry, whilst playing, using a dry cotton cloth on your hands and the cue can help.
If you suffer from sweaty hands, varnish/wax/oil will all have the same problem
If you do not have this problem then doing the clean/buff program above can help.
Also another tip is not to hold your cue while not in play, this can help with the posted problem but can also help with your concentration during the game
If all of the above does not help, there is maybe one more "gentle" solution that "could" help, you can try putting a very small amount of raw linseed oil on-top of the varnish (which you have cleaned and dried/buffed as above).
Allow the oil dry for an hour or so and wipe off, once up/down, with a dry peice of paper kitchen towel to remove any excess. Now allow to dry for a long time, say overnight/12/24 hours, then buff vigourously.
OK the oil will not soak into the varnish/wood but on a friend's varnished cue I did this and we did get a reasonable smooth for a varnish finish
Back to your first question, yes you can remove the varnish, with gradually changing grades of sandpaper but you will never get rid of it completely as it originally soaked into the wood when first applied. You can get good results but it does take a long time to get a very nice result and getting a smooth final surface on the wood, 1000/2000/3000 grit paper for example.
Applying the raw linseed oil to the bare wood will be the same as above, little amounts on each application, excess wiped off, the buffed, then applied again if required. With bare wood possibly three coats could be needed until you get a result that shows no dry areas. Slow and steady is the answer
If in doubt - don't, and maybe find a cue-doctor/maker that can do it for you.
some before/during/after photos would be nice if you go for it
best of luck

[poolqjunkie]

Only oil finish runs the risk of your snakewood cracking. It is like gambling really--it may be fine but it might crack very badlyas just applying linseed oil cannot really seal the wood from drying out.
You can try to cut back the varnish a bit by applying some rubbing compound on the finish, this can make the finish a bit thinner and a bit less sticky. But you should consult your cue maker first to find out what finish was used (is it oil based, water based, epoxy, super glue...etc). For example, if the finish is water based and it is not completely cured yet once you start rubbing your finish with a bit of water the finish may peel off as it is not hardened 100% yet.
My recommendation would be not to sand it off as you might have more problems than just sticky hand such as cracked snakewood and things like that.

[DeanH]

thanks pqj for the wood-workers knowledge

[var1234]

many thanks for the replies!! i think i will let it be in varnish then...
here comes another question if u dont mind..

what is the maintenance routine on the varnished butt??
i knew the cue oil will not soak in...
would some wax help?

[var1234]

will try the kitchen paper way dean i oiled the butt before... it does feel a little better.. but still sticky afterwards...

[poolqjunkie]

Yes, if you have a buffing wheel, a bit of polishing compound followed by a bit of carnuba wax would really shine up your cue and make it feeling smoother.
I dont think oil will do anything. You probably should not apply too much oil. You should find out what kind of finish was used on your cue as it is hard to say what is the best way without knowing what was used.
For example, if it is super glue finished, it can turn "foggy" and may blister rather easily if you hit your cue against something, but it can be buffed to a very bright shine easily; with epoxy, it is not as shinny but it is harder and will not turn foggy as easily when impacted.
Although you say it is varnished, it may be finished with some kind of danish oil or antique wood finish or something like that which is oil based. If it is completly cured it should be quite strong but oil based finish usually takes longer to cure. If the finsih is not cured completely yet and you start buffing it and applying oil to it you could damage the finish.