ferrule

[bradwight]

Has anyone noticed some ferrules have a massive difference in hardness? I did a mates maximus cue's tip the other day and absolutely mullered the ferrule while trimming, it seemed a lot softer than usual, and took a lot of tidying up.

That'll all depend on what type of brass it is. All brass has Copper and Zinc as its main ingredients but they are usually further alloyed with elements like lead, nickel or iron. Obviously brass with a high lead content (up to 5%) will be a lot softer and more malleable than those with a high iron content. Leaded brass will be ideal for plumbing fittings and stuff but may not be the best for making ferrules if you don't want them looking scrappy after a few re-tips. A high tin content should protect against corrosion and oxidisation which will presumably make for a shinier ferrule.

Does anyone on here make their own ferrules? If so what type of brass do you use?

[YDJ]

I use CZ121

[bradwight]

Which according to google is 3% lead and on the soft side as far as brass goes. I've noticed when removing ferrules with pliers that some come off fine but others are like cheese when lightly gripped by a sharp edge. Never tried steel but I guess brass is tried and tested so must be superior in some way or we'd all be using steel by now!

[inevermissblue]

I re-ferrule my own cues with stainless steel! I have a mate at work who is a maintenance fitter who knocks me the odd few up.
I have my usual cue which i play with. Which is a Powerglide Executive one piece. I took that brass one off and replaced that. Since i made such a good job of it i now do up old cues when i get them as a bit of a hobby. I have had two Joe Davis one pieces. One from a car boot sale and one from ebay. I had put ferrules on those and made a really good job. I tend to play with them for a while and when i manage to make the odd ton or two i then sell them on and revert back to my Powerglide. The first Joe Davis was a maple one piece. I really got attached to that one but considering how little i paid for it i couldn't resist but to make a good profit.
Then i found the second Joe Davis on ebay. Which has a strange shaft. On the pictures it seemed to be maple, as it had the ripples going down the cue like some maples do! When i received it i noticed that it was in fact ash! Very strange indeed as the ripples are even more evident in real life. Never seen this before. This cue was in a really sorry state. So much so that the old ferrule unscrewed with hardly any resistance at all. The Maple Joe had to be heated with a soldering iron to get that one off!
If anyone has any Joe Davis one Pieces they would sell for restoration projects then i'm very interested indeedy!!!

[bradwight]

I've got a Joe Davis 147 maple one piece I bought off ebay for £30 last year. Previous owner took it down to 6.5mm for pool but sold it due to a damaged splice. I replaced the split maple front splice with a really nice bit of olive wood (cut from the missus's chopping board!) but both plates were also badly damaged and I'd love replacements (old not new). So if anyone has a Clare - Padmore - Thurston disc and/or a Joe Davis World Snooker Record 147 plate in black writing they don't need give me a shout!

[YDJ]

Which according to google is 3% lead and on the soft side as far as brass goes. I've noticed when removing ferrules with pliers that some come off fine but others are like cheese when lightly gripped by a sharp edge. Never tried steel but I guess brass is tried and tested so must be superior in some way or we'd all be using steel by now!

The lead is added to make the brass machine more easily not to make it soft. The swarf comes off as chips and not long coils.

The softer brasses contain less lead, less zinc, but more copper. CZ108 which is a riveting brass contains no lead but much more copper to make it softer and more ductile.

CZ121 is probably the most common grade available in rod form and probably the most commonly used.

I also like using titanium. Much stronger and lighter so the wall thickness can be thinner, thus leaving more wood in the tenon under the tip. Good for pool cues with smaller tips.

[bradwight]

The copper content doesnt necessarily make it softer, brass used for bullet casings has 70% copper but is rock hard and unworkable. All down to heat treatment and other metals whether it's soft like rivets or hard as nails... The lead in brass is used to lubricate it when machining as you said but if you scratch the surface with a file you often see a silvery colour rather than brass. That's the lead at the outer edges of the bar which can make it much softer on the outside than it is in the middle.

I've thought about using something stronger to get a thinner wall but haven't got the facility to do it myself! I've got a few pool cues under 8mm dia, smallest being 6.5mm. Too late now as they're already ferruled but could do with trying something like titanium or steel next time!

[golferson123]

The copper content doesnt necessarily make it softer, brass used for bullet casings has 70% copper but is rock hard and unworkable. All down to heat treatment and other metals whether it's soft like rivets or hard as nails... The lead in brass is used to lubricate it when machining as you said but if you scratch the surface with a file you often see a silvery colour rather than brass. That's the lead at the outer edges of the bar which can make it much softer on the outside than it is in the middle.

I've thought about using something stronger to get a thinner wall but haven't got the facility to do it myself! I've got a few pool cues under 8mm dia, smallest being 6.5mm. Too late now as they're already ferruled but could do with trying something like titanium or steel next time!

golf club shafts, perfect,stepped and ready dimmed.steel and chrome finished+less throw and last for ever.