Ferrule help please.

[rdsalt]

I have a Ton Praram cue but when re-tipping it for the second time the ferrule came loose, I don't know if it was me being clumsy or if it was not very secure from the factory, I've re-tipped my cues loads of times and never had this problem. Anyway I thought it would be an easy job just to superglue it back on and did so, the ferrule is now nice and firm but I'm not 100% happy with the angle as it looks slightly off. I'm not sure if I should have used superglue (should have asked here first but a bit late now), any tips on how to remove it again and get it back on properly level? I'm hoping I don't have to cut the ferrule off as the cue is short enough as it is, I wish I had ordered it an inch longer. Thanks.

[markz]

Hi mate, I had exactly the same problem and made a bodge of glueing back on with superglue. My cue was a John Parris but I took it to my nearest snooker shop, explained like yourself cue was right size so didn't want it cut off. I'd heard they can heat up the ferrule to soften glue then remove it. The company I took mine to decided to ignore me and ended up cutting it off making my cue too short. I was gutted as 2 weeks before I'd knocked in my first ever game century.

If I was you I'd take it somewhere and explain just replace ferrule without cutting down. Notice your Scottish flag on profile, plenty options up there for cue makers that could help.

[RogiBear]

Yes you can heat the ferrule to soften the glue. I would recommend wrapping the very end of the shaft up with a few winds of masking tape just beneath the ferrule and overlapping ever so slightly (so you don't burn it!!!). Use a lighter to heat it gently. Remove and clean the ferrule. Is it threaded or pigeon ring? Also how loose was it before? ie could you spin it? Its possible the tenon was cut a little small. A perfect fit is where you can almost push it on by hand but tapping with a pin hammer it fits like a glove. Personally I like to use a two part epoxy.

[markz]

With the ferrule coming loose I was wondering when you tip your cue do you use a pencil sharpener to trim the excess off the sides? I'm sure this is what loosened my ferrule and caused the problem for me, now I'll trim most off with Stanley knife and finish with sharpener so less turning pressure on ferrule.

[barrywhite]

When you've loosened and removed the ferrule with the 'heat up' method, remove all the superglue with a fine file or scalpal. Don't use a Stanley, it's easy to chop a chunk of wood off. Once it's clean, go to Poundland and buy some plumber's epoxy. e.g. http://www.roofinglines.co.uk/produc...FQqdGwodDnUCvw
You mix this together, but unlike regular epoxy it doesn't drip everwhere. Put a thin layer on the dowel at the end of the cue and squeeze/screw the ferule down. Scrape off any excess that comes out of the bottom or top of the ferrule. You only need to apply a tiny bit. Tape the shaft below the dowel first, though this epoxy is easy to remove. Spend a while positioning the ferrule by turning the cue round slowly in an upright position. The epoxy takes a while to begin to harden so you've got time to get it spot on. Leave it overnight then tip the cue.

[rdsalt]

Thanks for the replies, unfortunately way up North of Scotland there is not much people who can help, in the central belt it wouldn't be a problem. I did use a pencil sharpener and did wonder if this contributed to the problem as I've only done a few tips with the sharpener, the tip is 9mm so I used the sharpener to reduce a 10mm one down a bit then used the Trevor White method of trimming the edge of the tip. The ferrule was not threaded.

[Bigmeek]

I'd post it off to a cue doctor and get it done properly. I know it would cost you money but at least you would still have a good cue. If you do it yourself there's a risk that you bodge it again.

[barrywhite]

Thanks for the replies, unfortunately way up North of Scotland there is not much people who can help, in the central belt it wouldn't be a problem. I did use a pencil sharpener and did wonder if this contributed to the problem as I've only done a few tips with the sharpener, the tip is 9mm so I used the sharpener to reduce a 10mm one down a bit then used the Trevor White method of trimming the edge of the tip. The ferrule was not threaded.

Can't believe they chopped your dowel off with the ferrule. Even without heat, ferrules can be removed saving the cue length.

[itsnoteasy]

Thanks for the replies, unfortunately way up North of Scotland there is not much people who can help, in the central belt it wouldn't be a problem. I did use a pencil sharpener and did wonder if this contributed to the problem as I've only done a few tips with the sharpener, the tip is 9mm so I used the sharpener to reduce a 10mm one down a bit then used the Trevor White method of trimming the edge of the tip. The ferrule was not threaded.

It's not the sharpener Rdsalt, the glue has just gone brittle ,it happens a fair bit so I have been told,( by a top English cue maker) when posted from over seas, I think they come by air mail and the temperature drop makes the glue go brittle.

[barrywhite]

It's not the sharpener Rdsalt, the glue has just gone brittle ,it happens a fair bit so I have been told,( by a top English cue maker) when posted from over seas, I think they come by air mail and the temperature drop makes the glue go brittle.

90% of the cues sold here come from overseas but they survive ok in general I think. It's rare for a cue ferrule to go loose so early. If you feel handy, try the plumber's epoxy, if not, send it to someone as said above. I've done quite a few, it's not that hard, it's the positioning that's crucial.

[markz]

Can't believe they chopped your dowel off with the ferrule. Even without heat, ferrules can be removed saving the cue length.

I knew that ferrule could be removed using heat. Even explained to the cue maker that's what I needed as cue was only just about long enough for me. The guy I dealt with passed it on to another guy in workshop and it returned shorter, I knew straight away as the flex had changed in the shaft. I should have took the hit and posted to Parris but I used my nearest company. I won't be using them again for sure.

[itsnoteasy]

90% of the cues sold here come from overseas but they survive ok in general I think. It's rare for a cue ferrule to go loose so early. If you feel handy, try the plumber's epoxy, if not, send it to someone as said above. I've done quite a few, it's not that hard, it's the positioning that's crucial.

Oh well Dave Couttes hasn't got a clue what he's on about then.

[bigandyg]

Oh well Dave Couttes hasn't got a clue what he's on about then.

Dealt with quite a lot of Thai cues and love them but found I always had to check the ferrules as to me that is their weak link, I always thought it was because of the more humid atmosphere and after a time here in central heated houses the ash dried out slightly and if the ferrule was not internal thread it could come slack.

[itsnoteasy]

Probably a few reasons for it happening Andy, mine went within a few hits of the cue ball ( cue didn't get a chance to get in the house lol)and the glue was crumbly underneath, if that's the right term. To be fair Jack paid for the repair and I sent it off to Dave Couttes to get it fixed and Dave told me it's more common than you think and has happened to cues he has sent over seas and told me what his thoughts on it were.

[vmax4steve]

The ferrule was not threaded.

Ferrules shouldn't come loose like that, obviously the tenon was a tad too small and glueing it back would only mean that the same thing will happen again. Remove it, buy a threaded one and fit that; you may have to shave a little bit off the tenon to be able to screw it on as threaded ones have a smaller internal diameter. Be careful to screw it on straight as it cuts a thread into the wood and doing it more than once will mean the tenon will lose wood and become too thin and you will then have to cut down the shaft a few milimetres more to start the process again.

Put a little two part epoxy into the thread of the ferrule before screwing it on to make certain it's secured and won't twist off, you should have to screw it on with a little bit of force, no so much that the tenon breaks, but I have it so that I need to hold the ferrule in a pair of grips, hand pressure alone means it's too loose. I protect ferrule the from the grips with a rubber band wound around it.

If you don't have the confidence to fit one yourself and there are no cue makers near you, then find a local joinery business that have the tools and staff to do the job, bung them £20 and they will snap your hand off for a five minute job like that.