Does anyone know of a good, clear gloss varnish/lacquer ?

[The Stig]

Ive got a phoenix cue, the butt looks like it has a clear gloss varnish/lacquer which i really like as it feels nice and grippy in your hand, its just the butt thats has this varnish/lacquer finish. A weird thing happened the other day, i was wiping the butt with a microfibre cloth and some of the varnish came off on the cloth, yeh i know thats a strange thing to happen but its what happened. On the side i now have this duller area where the finish came off, is their something that someone could recommend just to go over that dull area to bring it back to a glossy finish ?

[RogiBear]

There's no simple solution unless you know what you're doing. It's probably be easier to strip it all back and refinish the entire butt to get a uniform finish. Unless you know exactly the finish that was on there before and blend it in, which is easier said than done.

[The Stig]

Apparently its an oil that Phoenix use that sets hard like a lacquer finish, yeh i appreciate that trying to blend in a small area can be quite difficult. I had a chat with Craftsman cues, Simon pointed out that its actually this oil that they use which sets quite hard to give it a glossy type lacquer finish, its a finish i like on the butt as it feels nice and grippy in your hand.

Its only for aesthetics really as the cue is fine, its just you like to look after your cue like most people do.

[RogiBear]

There will be more than just oil, no oil to my knowledge would set like this. It would have to be blended with other finishes, including an emulsifier of some sort due to the oil content.

[Ockmonix]

As far as I know, the butt on Phoenix cues is not oiled but finished with Frensh Polish (Shellac Polish).

[stejohn]

the phoenix cue i had reminded me of the finish Tony Glover sometimes adds to the butt section, like a light coat of lacquer/clear varnish.

[les147]

Use "True oil" or a friction polish these both have a shellac in them with the oil. It will go as glossy as you want

[The Stig]

Cheers Les, thats really appreciated, it sounds ideal.

Is this the stuff

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Birchwood-Ca...ywords=tru-oil

Is it clear in colour as i didn't see anywhere in the description whether its a clear finish ?

[les147]

Yes mate that's the stuff. It's a clear finish! Put a bit on a cloth and rub in to butt vigorously until smooth. Feels a bit sticky at first but keep rubbing until smooth! Doesn't take long. More coats =more shine. Hope that helps mate

[sydneygeorge]

Use "True oil" or a friction polish these both have a shellac in them with the oil. It will go as glossy as you want

Hi Les,
Is this something you would apply to the shaft as well ?
At present I apply small amounts of linseed oil to the shaft every now and again, allow to dry and then buff,seems to work, but I can't help feeling it is not ideal.
Would welcome your input on this.
Cheers.

[les147]

Don't use it on the shaft mate! Stick to linseed oil for that.

[sydneygeorge]

Don't use it on the shaft mate! Stick to linseed oil for that.

Many thanks.

[The Stig]

Les

That Tru Oil on first impressions looks to be excellent, I put a very thin coat on and left it for 24hrs. I buffed it and it was virtually impossible to see the area id done. I then put another thin coat on and left it for 12hrs then buffed it again, im more than happy with the result.

I think phoenix must use something very similar as it blended in a lot better than I'd imagined.

[DeanH]

Les

That Tru Oil on first impressions looks to be excellent, I put a very thin coat on and left it for 24hrs. I buffed it and it was virtually impossible to see the area id done. I then put another thin coat on and left it for 12hrs then buffed it again, im more than happy with the result.

I think phoenix must use something very similar as it blended in a lot better than I'd imagined.

Glad you had a result, thanks for the update
I have been watching this thread as a friend's butt needs treating, I may well try this as well.
cheers

[The Stig]

Dean

Its very easy to apply, i used a microfibre cloth and put very thin coats on. You can go the whole hogg and use 00 grade sandpaper inbetween each coat, thats what i'd do if i was doing a full butt. I only had a tiny area to do so didn't need to do that. deffo leave the first coat for 24hrs.

A quick tip, because this oil is designed to react with air and then harden, just pierce a tiny hole in the foil and when you have finished put something like insualtion tape over the hole to keep it sealed.

Just do some research on the net as certain exotic woods have a lot of oil in and i read that tru oil sometimes doesn't work with certain exotic woods, its something you'd need to know if the butt has exotic splicings.