My workshop

[OscarTheFish(pak)]

Dear Mr. vmax,
you use an interesting version of the "Spiroloc" pin on the mini-butt. Is it steel oder titanium (a bit polished)?

[vmax]

60 inch pearwood/ebony 3/4 with mini butt

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[vmax]

Finished these two yesterday, the last I'll be making this year

62 inch ash/palmira butterfly spliced with mini butt

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[vmax]

What type of bleach would you use to do this and how long would it be kept on the wood?

[the lone wolf]

What type of bleach would you use to do this and how long would it be kept on the wood?

[vmax]

Unfinished ash, you can see the grain is a darker colour, easy to highlight it but make it go away, bleach it, that can be done and you can get really nice effects from dark timber so you should be able to whiten grain by bleaching.

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[the lone wolf]

My David Bowen cue has a natural finish. He called it neutral, not sure what he uses. But the cue has a nice clean finish the way I asked

[vmax]

Is it possible to use ash sawdust the way you used the ebony as grain filler to get a natural looking shaft. I have never been keen on darkened arrows and always wanted a natural looking ash shaft.

Something I've not thought about. I suppose you could but you can get natural coloured grain filler and the slightly darker grain would need to be removed with a soft wire brush and then filled in. All wood darkens with age anyway and your shaft could end up looking like slightly darker ash with white grain, maybe ?

[itsnoteasy]

That cue could very well be a keeper for myself. Strangely enough to some of you all the ash was taken from the same board but the grain changed from one side of the board to the other, started off dead straight and then turned to create multiple chevrons. I used sawdust from the ebony, bocote and purple heart mixed into the oil to highlight the grain so the purple heart cue actually has purple grain although you can't really see it, keeps the ash whiter as well which some people prefer.
Always experimenting, learning new things, have a few more in the pipeline to finish this year before cutting down some ash to 5 mm oversize (35mm butt/15mm tip) to rest over the winter for next year.

Is it possible to use ash sawdust the way you used the ebony as grain filler to get a natural looking shaft. I have never been keen on darkened arrows and always wanted a natural looking ash shaft.

[Cue crafty]

That cue could very well be a keeper for myself. Strangely enough to some of you all the ash was taken from the same board but the grain changed from one side of the board to the other, started off dead straight and then turned to create multiple chevrons. I used sawdust from the ebony, bocote and purple heart mixed into the oil to highlight the grain so the purple heart cue actually has purple grain although you can't really see it, keeps the ash whiter as well which some people prefer.
Always experimenting, learning new things, have a few more in the pipeline to finish this year before cutting down some ash to 5 mm oversize (35mm butt/15mm tip) to rest over the winter for next year.

Love that idea for the grain filler! Using more of the natural product and tying the two woods together, brilliant that. 🙏

[vmax]

All nice work V, the ash on that first cue with the ebony butt is amazing, bet that's got some feel in it.

That cue could very well be a keeper for myself. Strangely enough to some of you all the ash was taken from the same board but the grain changed from one side of the board to the other, started off dead straight and then turned to create multiple chevrons. I used sawdust from the ebony, bocote and purple heart mixed into the oil to highlight the grain so the purple heart cue actually has purple grain although you can't really see it, keeps the ash whiter as well which some people prefer.
Always experimenting, learning new things, have a few more in the pipeline to finish this year before cutting down some ash to 5 mm oversize (35mm butt/15mm tip) to rest over the winter for next year.

[Cue crafty]

All nice work V, the ash on that first cue with the ebony butt is amazing, bet that's got some feel in it.

[the lone wolf]

That's some serious craftsmanship!

[vmax]

Just finished these three,

60.75 inch ash/ebony 3/4, 19 oz's

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60.25 inche ash/bocote 3/4, 19.2 oz's, twin splices of bocote, not a full butterfly spliced cue as I didn't have enough bocote for that but it looks good to me

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58 inch ash/purple heart one piece, 15.4 oz's, ideal UK 8 ball cue or for those who like something light.

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[trying]

Loving the splices!! Looked for ages for an Ash/Ebony 3/4 with a nice splice like the middle one in your pic! Gave up in the end.