Need some help please

[jamesvx]

I have been playing uk pool since i was a kid but have only started taking it serious this year. I used to use a carbon cue untill a few weeks ago i bought this black widow cue with a 8.5 tip... http://www.geordiepool.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=S051

It seems to be a good cue but i find it hard to use backspin and lots of side without a miss cue most of the time (doesnt happen with other cues). I've rounded off the tip and it still does this. What could be the problem? Theres a lad who i sometimes play, he has hardly any tip and he says he finds this a lot better. Is this true. Thanks

[Dave Walton]

reducing the height of the tip will make it harder and make the problem worse. saying as you've just gotten the cue its probably still got the original tip on, if it has get it off asap and put a decent tip on, elk or blue diamond are probably best for pool. the tips on most new mass produced cues are useless. if a decent tip doesn't solve the problem then you'll have to look at your cue action and timing. personally I'm confident just changing the tip will solve your problem

[danam1]

reducing the height of the tip will make it harder and make the problem worse. saying as you've just gotten the cue its probably still got the original tip on, if it has get it off asap and put a decent tip on, elk or blue diamond are probably best for pool. the tips on most new mass produced cues are useless. if a decent tip doesn't solve the problem then you'll have to look at your cue action and timing. personally I'm confident just changing the tip will solve your problem

Agree about the tip that Dave has said.
Also 8.5mm is quite small if you are not used to using a small tip.
Try borrowing a cue with a slightly larger tip say 9mm and see if you still have the same problem. It might just be technique.
Danny

PS Is that Steve Daking in your avatar Dave?

[Dave Walton]

reducing the height of the tip will make it harder and make the problem worse. saying as you've just gotten the cue its probably still got the original tip on, if it has get it off asap and put a decent tip on, elk or blue diamond are probably best for pool. the tips on most new mass produced cues are useless. if a decent tip doesn't solve the problem then you'll have to look at your cue action and timing. personally I'm confident just changing the tip will solve your problem

Agree about the tip that Dave has said.
Also 8.5mm is quite small if you are not used to using a small tip.
Try borrowing a cue with a slightly larger tip say 9mm and see if you still have the same problem. It might just be technique.
Danny

PS Is that Steve Daking in your avatar Dave?

yes mate it is Steve Daking

[danam1]

yes mate it is Steve Daking

Thought so!

[thelongbomber]

One of the great joys (and frustrations!!!) of playing snooker and becoming involved in cue sports is learning to remove and replace your cue tip. If you haven't done it before, research first and then give it a go. However, I caution you to test out your tip fitting skills on a club/rack cue first. First time I put a tip on my prized cue years ago, I used those damn bamboo tip clamps which ripped the wood to shreds - worst mistake I ever made in cue care and cost me a good 10 years searching for a replacement. Use a few rubber bands or bicycle tire tubing to clamp the tip down after gluing.

Doing tips yourself teaches you about cue care and maintenance, but more importantly, get's you to understand the importance of the tip on your cue. You can take a 10 dollar cue and put on a perfect tip and it will play equally as well as a 1000 dollar cue.

Start with Elkmaster or Blue diamond, use a gummy contact cement (the Pattex is the absolute best), a good sharp utility knife, and some fine sandpaper.

Also, when chalking DON"T bury a hole into the chalk, but apply it in such a way as to shape the tip. The act of chalking is primarily what wears a tip down so think of chalking your cue much like shaping with sandpaper.

A little tip for Elkmasters: microwave for 30 seconds before sanding down the bottom, and it will firm up. Also pick an Elkmaster that has even, straights sides all the way around. A lot of Elkmasters are duds as they are off shaped from the factory.

[Dave Walton]

use super glue gel, preferably loctite ultra gel. no need for clamps its fast and for me the best thing you can use for tips. if you don't know what your doing get someone who does to fit a new tip or buy a few tips and get a Stanley knife with a new blade and some 320 and 1200 grit sand paper and some 0000 wire wool and a tip shaper or fold a sheet of sand paper into a half pipe like shape, practise on your old cue before trying on your new cue. remove the old tip with the knife by laying the cue flat and cut down using the ferrule as a guide being carefull not to cut into the ferrule. once its off scrape all the remaining glue and leather from the ferrule. place your new tip on a piece of sand paper on a flat surface and lightly sand until the tip is flat and the chalk is removed. put the tip on the ferrule to make sure there's no gaps between tip and ferrule if not then add a drop of the super glue gel on the top of the ferrule, place the tip onto the glue but don't press down yet, center the tip as best you can then apply pressure onto the tip and keep applying for around a minute, if you can leave the tip for 10 mins or so then turn the cue upside down on a chopping board or work surface you don't mind getting cuts in. using the ferrule as your guide trim the tip with lots of small cuts whilst keeping the tip pushed down on the board. go round until the tip is flush with the ferrule, once that's done use the tip shaper/sand paper and sand from the center of the tip outwards always stroking down never sand upwards! once you've got the dome shape your after use a piece of 0000 grade wire wool to tidy the edge of the tip and polish the ferrule to remove any glue or knife marks. or use a cm wide piece of 320-400 grit sand paper and place it against the edge of the tip and ferrule, using the thumb from your other hand apply pressure to the paper and pull away to sand the tip flush then repeat with some 1200 grit that you've rubbed against rough sand paper to polish the ferrule and edge of the tip. remember to play the tip in by playing lots of soft shots rotating the cue to bed it in evenly or just continually tap it with a cue ball of hammer at home. you can watch Mike Wooldridge's or John Parris's tip fitting videos on YouTube or read Andrew Ramsays adr147 tip guide all of which are good just don't over dome your tip like they do in the Parris video. hope this essay helps lol

[jamesvx]

Thanks lads some great tips there, I didn't know about the not sanding upwards, why is this? I've changed loads of tips but only on old cues worth £30 - £40, I usually use the girlfriends nail glue which sticks it down within about 5 seconds and its very strong! And then use the girlfriends cardboard nail file which is fine paper and that seems to work well lol. I really thought it was the cue that makes playing better, like the better wood etc not the tip... Something else I learned.

Also, I've seen people hit the very very bottom of the white ball to screw it back but if I do this I mostly chip the ball. Should I have my hand flat on the table or lifted a bit. Cheers

[prince07799]

Also, I've seen people hit the very very bottom of the white ball to screw it back but if I do this I mostly chip the ball. Should I have my hand flat on the table or lifted a bit. Cheers[/QUOTE]

For screw lower you bridge and butt and push through cue ball, as for tips most cues come with s**t tips! whip it off and it will make a big difference

[Dave Walton]

if you sand upwards you'll pull the leather fibres apart and ruin the tip, sanding down is compressing the tip against itself.

as for chipping the ball you need to drop your bridge hand flat to screw back and keep the cue as parallel to the table as possible, its vital you keep the cue parallel or you play down under the cue ball scooping it up or end up playing the cue ball down into the cloth causing the ball to jump. Also make sure you accelerate through the cue ball, meaning don't throw your arm into the shot, you start moving the cue slowly at the start of the delivery and speed up through the cue ball and continue to accelerate through well beyond the cue ball, that way the cue ball stays on your tip longer and that's what generates spin. there's a good video on YouTube of Gareth Potts the 3 time world champion explaining how to play screw shots and explaining how to time the shot and follow through the shot. the range of videos are called 'how to play pool with Gareth Potts'

[Dave Walton]

nail glue is super glue and is often super glue gel, usually not as strong as regular super glue gel though.

the nail file will probably be fine for shaping the tips dome but don't try and file the edge with it as they're too course and you'll damage your ferrule

[jamesvx]

Thanks again for the tips everyone. I'll take the advice and buy some decent tips. I do have a few tips I bought from sports world lol but I suppose they would be just as bad as the tip I already have?

[Dave Walton]

Thanks again for the tips everyone. I'll take the advice and buy some decent tips. I do have a few tips I bought from sports world lol but I suppose they would be just as bad as the tip I already have?

it depends what kind of tips they are, does it say anywhere on the packaging? if they're elk master or blue diamond your fine if they're the really cheap tips that just say leather tips throw them away and order some elks from ebay. remember to buy tips that are larger than the ferrule so for you buy at least 9mm tips possibly 10mm.

[jamesvx]

it depends what kind of tips they are, does it say anywhere on the packaging? if they're elk master or blue diamond your fine if they're the really cheap tips that just say leather tips throw them away and order some elks from ebay. remember to buy tips that are larger than the ferrule so for you buy at least 9mm tips possibly 10mm.

They are pro 1 tips... http://www.sportsdirect.com/pro1-1-t...ent-set-766034

They do blue diamond so i'll get them. Why a bigger tip?

[Dave Walton]

definitely get rid those tips are terrible! bigger tips are easier to fit as you don't have to get the tip perfectly centered. fitting a 10mm tip on a 10mm ferrule for example can be tricky as your ferrule could actually be 10.2mm and your tip could be 10mm exactly meaning the tip won't fit properly, always better to use a bigger tip and trim off the excess