How dark can a shaft get ?

[bigandyg]

Much nicer than the black grainfiller that's used these days.

[Madbox]

Was this darker wood look not created with the salt water treatment that some manufacturers used.
Soaked in salt water for a couple of months before it was dried and used on the cues, it was supposed
to make it stronger, but also made it darker like this, but I suppose it also got darker with age...

Dave

[cally]

Just thinking, you won't see smoke aged shafts in future with the smoking ban now...

I liked a nice smoked shaft...

[bigandyg]

Was this darker wood look not created with the salt water treatment that some manufacturers used.
Soaked in salt water for a couple of months before it was dried and used on the cues, it was supposed
to make it stronger, but also made it darker like this, but I suppose it also got darker with age...

Dave

That's a new one on me veer heard that it takes many years for a shaft to darken like that.

[DeanH]

never heard of the salt-water soaking and then drying treatment?
not angel-aired dried then

the darkness I have always thought it was a combination of the type of sealant/finish used back in the day by certain makers, along with the smoky tobacco environment of the old clubs

when I look at my old maple cue that I used back when smoking was allowed (and I never left the cue at the clubs, always took home) it definitely has a golden/darker colour than a modern cue of some years age.

[itsnoteasy]

So they are nicotine stains

[Madbox]

I was ill for a couple of days and ended up watching videos on youtube, and came across the videos of David Smith the cue collector,
He has many videos on collector cues and history of cue making, it was while getting bored with one of these, I came across the Andy Hunter Videos,
it was on one of these that Andy explained the Dark shafts of some cues and how it was done....

Ill see if I can find it.

Dave

[Madbox]

This is the first video I found of Andy talking about Salt water and the wood used, but in a later video he says that they tried to copy the older look by soaking the shaft wood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXPa3gNx1FM

Dave

[jrc750]

This is the first video I found of Andy talking about Salt water and the wood used, but in a later video he says that they tried to copy the older look by soaking the shaft wood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXPa3gNx1FM

Dave

No mention of salt water there mate ??? he says salt in the air

[Madbox]

yeah its in the later video, just trying to find it...

[itsnoteasy]

yeah its in the later video, just trying to find it...

Knew I had seen it before
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=M2OQbvPAg2M