Re darken ash grain

[yusha]

Is that Aurora stuff just wood stain?

It comes as a two bottles kit. One is blackish stain also containing grain sealer. The other is oil, which is applied as a finish. A bit pricey, so I personally went down the shoe polish way.

[drury1986]

It comes as a two bottles kit. One is blackish stain also containing grain sealer. The other is oil, which is applied as a finish. A bit pricey, so I personally went down the shoe polish way.

shoe polish??? dont think id wanty to be putting that on a cue? specially a TW, £19 for the aurora and free shipping deal, thats for both pots of filler and oil so £9.50 each cant grumble at that price

[yusha]

shoe polish??? dont think id wanty to be putting that on a cue? specially a TW, £19 for the aurora and free shipping deal, thats for both pots of filler and oil so £9.50 each cant grumble at that price

What seller offers the free shipping, mate? Ones that I seen recently on ebay were being shipped from Canada, which all but doubles the total costs...Anyway, I wouldn't have opted for the shoe polish hadn't ADR147 mentioned that it works. Of course I tested it on a cheap cue first, as I too didn't want to risk messing up a cue that cost £200 in 1986. It takes a bit of sanding after the polish has settled into the grain, in order to bring back the white of the ash. 800 then 1200 then 2500 grit did the job for me. With the Aurora stuff I also feared that the sealer would prevent oil penetrating the wood properly (I only use raw linseed oil, no waxing).

[tomeestrings]

I would just like to add once more that black graining on an ash cue is just purely a cosmetic thing !! If you look at an ash blank the grain is more or less the same colour !! Take a peek at Jason Owens thread where you will see a cue in the making with a cue shaft blackened with some sort of black stuff ?? My problem with filling the grain is ; once its been filled , the grain will be flush so any subsequent problems are always going to be more problematic ?? Over the years Believe me I have used and trialed everything black that I didnt have to make a special trip to the DIY store for inc Boot polish , black felt tip pen , black stain , Hotspot grate polish , black aerosol !!! The latter giving by far the best results for one very good reason ; Once sprayed you can see that the paint has gone into the grain but not filled it !! Too much paint will obviously fill the grain so take care not to go over board , Now if you then regard yourself as a fine finisher ? Use a cabinet scraper it beats sandpaper hands down , but I wouldnt recommend it if you have never tried before !! Good Luck

[stejohn]

but if you don't fill the grain to get it flush the cue won't feel smooth so don't really uinderstand where your coming from. As you will know ash can be quite coarse so 1 way or another the grain has to be filled whether through filler or oil with sanding or sanding sealers etc to get the shaft silky smooth.

[bigandyg]

A pal of mine used soot,worked well much to my annoyance.

[knox]

mix black earth pigment (black) or black powder or wood dust or black water based wood filler with some quality clear drying wood glue, go over the cue in this mixture, the glue (which should turn grey or black) will cover the whole cue, leave to dry. when its dry, sand back the top layer using a block of wood, then oil with linseed (boiled or not, doesnt matter, i find raw gives it a better finish, more for the buffing)

ive heard of people using various varnishes instead of glue, just does the same thing i guess. problem with rubbing in things like coffee or polish etc is that wen the cue gets damp, or wiped with a damp cloth, it still comes out, and doesnt make the grain filled to be flush.

[karlos fandango]

Make sure the whole cue has been sanded back with superfine sandpaper and 0000 grade wire wool, mix black earth pigment (Ebay about £5) with grain filler and cover the whole of the ash shaft. Leave overnight and sand once again with superfine sandpaper and finish off with wire wool. Once all the grain is filled and is as smooth as you want it (you can re do the filling process if you think it needs it) then finish off with a couple of coats of raw linseed oil. I have done 4 cues for team mates like this and they come out nice and smooth and are easy to maintain with just a damp cloth and a buff up.