How To Smoothen Cue?

[x3dnd3x]

Hi all,

I've tried searching this forum but couldn't really find any results. Did some Google searches and found quite a few of results which made me kinda confused. Hope the professionals here could enlighten.

I currently picked up Snooker from school and joined the school team. The coaches asked us to either get our own cue or pay the school USD62 to get a 3/4 cue. The rest would be subsidized by my school. I have no idea what brand of cue would I be paying for thus I went out to source for my own. In the end, I managed to buy a used 1/2 cue. I think the cue tip would be a 9mm or 10mm one but I followed the video and successfully changed the cue tip. The brand of the cue is written at the butt is Embassy Power Glide with a box of tips and a case. I bought it for USD30. The cue is 10 years old according to the seller but its still working fine and shown by the seller. What is bothering me now is the wood thing or I believe is known as shaft is not smooth at all. The cues in my school's snooker club are very smooth when I was practicing within the green, brown and yellow area.

What I would like to know is, are there any products that are not too expensive at the same time which can smoothen the shaft other than powder? I tried using rubbing alcohol and wiping it with a microfiber cloth but to no avail. I have no idea what the name of the products are so if its possible, please kindly advise. If there are sellers in Ebay, it would be best. Thanks.

Cheers

[Terry Davidson]

x3:

I'm not a cuemaker but I do refurbish cues. Most really good cues will have a shaft that is very smooth but not glass-like. In order to achieve this I use first of all very fine steel wool to get right of the obvious rough spots and then 1,000 and 2,000 grit emery paper. You have to continuously turn the cue and also not apply a lot of pressure.

Once you have the shaft very smooth then you have to apply raw linseed oil to the shaft and let it sit overnight and do this at least 2 or 3 times, wiping down the cue with a dry cloth each morning. By then the shaft should be very smooth although with ash shafts you might need some oil that has filler in it and you would have to apply that a few times and sand down between applications.

For a cheaper cue such as yours it is a lot of effort and in the end the cue might not be worth it. since you are in Singapore you should see if you can purchase a cheaper model Omin cue from Thailand which should be expensive and will have a very smooth shaft to begin with and all it needs is a wipe down with a damp and then dry cloth to keep smooth.

Terry

[x3dnd3x]

Thanks for the prompt reply Terry.

I have a tight budget and since I've already bought a cue, might as well just use it. As I just picked up snooker 2 weeks back and in the amateur level, I don't really wanna spend so much money yet. I'm quite interested in Snooker but I would like to start slow on equipments. Hope you'll understand.

I did a check on the cue before buying it. Do correct me if i'm wrong. Its straight. I rolled it on the table, looking straight down from the butt to the tip. No issues found.

Would buying thie Cue Oil - Liquid Gold help to smoothen the shaft?

x3:

I'm not a cuemaker but I do refurbish cues. Most really good cues will have a shaft that is very smooth but not glass-like. In order to achieve this I use first of all very fine steel wool to get right of the obvious rough spots and then 1,000 and 2,000 grit emery paper. You have to continuously turn the cue and also not apply a lot of pressure.

Once you have the shaft very smooth then you have to apply raw linseed oil to the shaft and let it sit overnight and do this at least 2 or 3 times, wiping down the cue with a dry cloth each morning. By then the shaft should be very smooth although with ash shafts you might need some oil that has filler in it and you would have to apply that a few times and sand down between applications.

For a cheaper cue such as yours it is a lot of effort and in the end the cue might not be worth it. since you are in Singapore you should see if you can purchase a cheaper model Omin cue from Thailand which should be expensive and will have a very smooth shaft to begin with and all it needs is a wipe down with a damp and then dry cloth to keep smooth.

Terry

[Terry Davidson]

x3:

OK, then just wipe down the shaft with a damp and then a soft dry cloth. Give it everything you have with the damp and then make sure you take all the moisture off with the dry.

If this doesn't make the shaft smooth enough then I would say use a little alcohol on a cloth and wipe forcefully but if you do this make sure you have some cue oil or raw linseed oil available as the alcohol will take off all the natural oils on the surface of the shaft. Let the cue stand overnight with the oil on it and then wipe it down the next morning with a soft dry cloth. That will be about the smoothest you can get it without actually doing some sanding.

Terry

[The roberts]

I've done this but cue is feeling really sqweeky I find it feels much nicer just bare with no oil but I can't leave it like this can I?
But I am tempted to because the sqweeky sticky feel is putting me of do you have any advice please terry.
Kind regards darren

[ADR147]

I've done this but cue is feeling really sqweeky I find it feels much nicer just bare with no oil but I can't leave it like this can I?
But I am tempted to because the sqweeky sticky feel is putting me of do you have any advice please terry.
Kind regards darren

it will not stay that way - if you oil it right you can get a lasting finish. terry's advice is sound.

[andy carson]

squeaky and sticky sounds more like a varnish or lacquer finish on it than oil to me....

[Terry Davidson]

The Roberts:

I think andy is correct. Neither an ash or maple shaft should get squeeky like glass but a varnished shaft will get that way every time. If your cue is a fairly cheap Riley it might have a varnished shaft and there are other types of cues out there with varnished shafts, they normally sell for under 100pounds.

My recommendation would first be to get yourself a decent cue or if you can't afford that at this time then get some steel wool and carefully take all the varnish off the shaft. This will take some work and you must rotate the shaft with every stroke. Then get some very fine emery cloth, 1,000 and 2,000 grit (get them at a store where they sell automotive paint and filler) and carefully sand the shaft as smooth as you can get it (it will take a lot of emery so get 10 sheets of each or so).

Then, you MUST put 3 or even 5 coats of cue oil on the shaft and let it dry overnight between each coat. Wipe it down with a soft dry cloth each morning. It will not be squeeky at all but should be silky smooth if you've done this correctly.

Cuemakers will use a cue oil which has some filler in it which is best for an ash shaft because of the open grain and if you can get some of that then it would be better than raw linseed oil. A maple shaft will not require filler because of the close grain.

Terry

[The roberts]

Its a new cue I got from peradon costing over £200 but I do have a contact there so I got it at cost but after cleaning it felt routh hence sanding back and starting again but I can assure you it has no varnish on it I've managed to take some back a bit I think it feels better and still has oil on shaft I will find out tomorow but I've never oiled cues before so this is probably why my original cue warped that I had for 15 years lol thanks for your comments il keep trying if it don't feel right.

[x3dnd3x]

x3:

OK, then just wipe down the shaft with a damp and then a soft dry cloth. Give it everything you have with the damp and then make sure you take all the moisture off with the dry.

If this doesn't make the shaft smooth enough then I would say use a little alcohol on a cloth and wipe forcefully but if you do this make sure you have some cue oil or raw linseed oil available as the alcohol will take off all the natural oils on the surface of the shaft. Let the cue stand overnight with the oil on it and then wipe it down the next morning with a soft dry cloth. That will be about the smoothest you can get it without actually doing some sanding.

Terry

Don't mind me asking, raw linseed oil should be available in most supermarkets? Mark's cue oil is also a cue oil I guess?

[andy carson]

Don't mind me asking, raw linseed oil should be available in most supermarkets? Mark's cue oil is also a cue oil I guess?

any good DIY store, or somewhere that sells cricket bats!

[The roberts]

I've got raw linseed oil but personally I think its awful I've sanded it back to the wood once again and I'm going to do what I used to do and that is used an unscented candle and use that just thought I would try the oil after reading about it on here

[andy carson]

I've got raw linseed oil but personally I think its awful I've sanded it back to the wood once again and I'm going to do what I used to do and that is used an unscented candle and use that just thought I would try the oil after reading about it on here

this could be the main reason your cue feels sticky and squeaky.....

[The roberts]

I have only used the oil in this cue as its new but dudnt have this issue in the past with a candle

[x3dnd3x]

I've got raw linseed oil but personally I think its awful I've sanded it back to the wood once again and I'm going to do what I used to do and that is used an unscented candle and use that just thought I would try the oil after reading about it on here

What do you mean by using an unscented candle? Correct me if I'm wrong, is it just highlighting the cue in an up and down motion? The way whereby most people do to their brand new shoes by highlighting the sides so that it will prevent blisters?