Problem with refinishing my cue

[Booters]

Evening,

Yesterday I spent the day refinishing my cue, as it gets really sticky after only 30 mins or so, I looked on all the threads on here on how to do it and bought all the right gear, 0000 grade wire wool, raw linseed oil etc, rubbed the cue down applied the oil left overnight, buffed it down, went for a few hours play and it didn't make a blind bit of difference, it's actually worse than before somehow, I know exactly the reason why it gets sticky, it's the heat off the lights, when I play at a local working mens club without the proper lights I don't get this problem whatsoever, I have actually stopped going to a club before now because of the intensity of the lights and how sweaty it makes my hands. I used silicone spray, but just ended up doing that 3 or 4 times a session, damp cloth, I even have one of those ridiculous gloves that only comes out when I can't take anymore! But my real question is why didn't the linseed oil work?

[DeanH]

question, was the cue smooth before you left the house?
from your description you did not wipe off the excess oil before leaving overnight? the amount of oil is amazingly little and will take a few days (maybe longer to fully cure) and can feel worst than it was before until the oil fully cures. buff buff buff
I never oil cues when they are needed with a week.

if, before you go to the club, the cue is smooth and dry, then the only thing that changes is your hands
the cue will not change on its self but will react differently as your hands/skin changes.

clean and dry your hands often, wipe down your cue (wiping off the sweat and dirt and chalk)
as you have probably seen the pros have a slightly damp cloth and a dry cloth to keep them going during a match

also, there was a thread about very sweaty hands and some "film makeup" that works wonders in keeping the hands dry...
have a little search to see if you can find the stuff...

best of luck, don't give up

[bigandyg]

Yellow duster, small drop of white spirit, quickly rub up and down cue, then buff up with fresh dry duster.

[jaffa.johnson]

I would add, was your original finish lacquer?

If so, you need to be sure this is completely removed before oiling

[liquidsymphony]

Yellow duster, small drop of white spirit, quickly rub up and down cue, then buff up with fresh dry duster.

+ 1
linseed oil is quite thick so it must be used very carrefully . i personnaly use lemon oil , pretty expensive ( if really pure ) but amazingly efficient , and it smells good lol ! this oil is used to clean and protect rosewoods guitar necks/fingerboards . i've got sometimes very sweaty hands but it works fine .

[mattdoombar]

Whats this film make up that you can use please?
I suffer with anxiety and when I play I get very sweaty (gross i know) and end up rubbing chalk on my bridge hand all the time.

[Booters]

I would add, was your original finish lacquer?

If so, you need to be sure this is completely removed before oiling

Yeah I assume so, it's not an expensive cue so more than likely, I spent a good half hour at least rubbing the cue down

[Booters]

question, was the cue smooth before you left the house?
from your description you did not wipe off the excess oil before leaving overnight? the amount of oil is amazingly little and will take a few days (maybe longer to fully cure) and can feel worst than it was before until the oil fully cures. buff buff buff
I never oil cues when they are needed with a week.

if, before you go to the club, the cue is smooth and dry, then the only thing that changes is your hands
the cue will not change on its self but will react differently as your hands/skin changes.

clean and dry your hands often, wipe down your cue (wiping off the sweat and dirt and chalk)
as you have probably seen the pros have a slightly damp cloth and a dry cloth to keep them going during a match

also, there was a thread about very sweaty hands and some "film makeup" that works wonders in keeping the hands dry...
have a little search to see if you can find the stuff...

best of luck, don't give up

Yeah your right I left it on and wiped it off in the morning, I'm going away in a couple of weeks so won't be playing, would you recommend oiling then leaving it for a whole week to cure?

[DandyA]

Yeah I assume so, it's not an expensive cue so more than likely, I spent a good half hour at least rubbing the cue down

does it still look shiny Booters? it should look very matt if you take the varnish/lacquer off but I doubt you'll do so with 0000 wire wool without a lot of effort ... try some medium (200/400 grit) sandpaper and you should see the glossy finish disappear before your eyes in a couple of minutes ...

once the shaft looks matt, it'll play fine and not be sticky at all ...

[DandyA]

Yeah your right I left it on and wiped it off in the morning, I'm going away in a couple of weeks so won't be playing, would you recommend oiling then leaving it for a whole week to cure?

it won't help at all if the shaft is varnished/lacquered ... all you're doing is putting a layer of oil on top of the varnish/lacquer which will just make it more sticky

make sure you've taken the varnish/lacquer of first ... after you have, it will feel so much nicer and not sticky whether you oil it or not ...

[stejohn]

does it still look shiny Booters? it should look very matt if you take the varnish/lacquer off but I doubt you'll do so with 0000 wire wool without a lot of effort ... try some medium (200/400 grit) sandpaper and you should see the glossy finish disappear before your eyes in a couple of minutes ...

once the shaft looks matt, it'll play fine and not be sticky at all ...

^^^This. 0000 wire wool will merely polish the surface not remove the vanish etc, go with slightly more abrasive paper like mentioned then work upto 1000+ grit. Personally i don't like using wire wool on an ash shaft as i find it takes out the grain, use the 0000 for polishing the ferrule!

[Izzyfcuk]

I use these for polish, burnish, removing lacquered butts. works like a charm! come sin three grades. be care when using the RED ones though.

http://www.aliexpress.com/popular/3m-sanding-pad.html

[RogiBear]

Use a slightly harder abrasive either 400 or 600 to get rid of any varnish. Use a sanding block so you don't sand out the soft parts of the ash! Then work your way up through the grades to 2000. Apply a coat of linseed, 30 min later wipe any excess off. Leave over night then buff vigorously repeat the process until no more oil gets absorbed after which lots of buffing is required. Sometimes the grain can raise a little between oiling, if so use a fine sandpaper. Enjoy

[involver]

I use these for polish, burnish, removing lacquered butts. works like a charm! come sin three grades. be care when using the RED ones though.

http://www.aliexpress.com/popular/3m-sanding-pad.html

Oh ho, there was someone recommended that sanding sponges to me before, saying the outcome will be stunning, but I couldnt get any of them here in Malaysia. I have went to a few hardware stores around my living area, but them dont even know what is it when I show them the picture of sanding sponge. -_-||

[Booters]

does it still look shiny Booters? it should look very matt if you take the varnish/lacquer off but I doubt you'll do so with 0000 wire wool without a lot of effort ... try some medium (200/400 grit) sandpaper and you should see the glossy finish disappear before your eyes in a couple of minutes ...

once the shaft looks matt, it'll play fine and not be sticky at all ...

Yeah it did still look shiny, il get some sandpaper!