Cue questions

[Deano3]

Hi everyone I am new here, been playing some snooker and pool over last few months and really enjoying it then remembered my brother had a que he has had for 15 years or so I imagine, spoke to him and got it as he barley ever uses.

the information on the butt says

A E IONS ltd
Newcastle upon tyne makers then a number.

is this a tony ions as I am struggling to find information on the maker are they decent ques etc and anyway to know what wood made from etc ?

it seems is decent nick just dull as he would never have done any maintenance the Ferrell is noisy and needs cleaning along with the cue. how would I clean up the brass and can I use spray of light oil onto the threads ?

I have used damp cloth and wiped down then dried but am I able to use luxury furniture polish ? I have some oak furniture land stuff and got this with it,says contains beeswax and carnauba wax could I use this on butt and shaft then buff off and give a good 3-4 coats ?

wanting to keep this que and been in family since we were young, also on the bottom is small hole I imagine a piece of rubber was there so doesn't touch the floor what I will have to replace.

any advice or recommendations welcome
Dean

[jrc750]

Yes it's a Tony Ions cue and usually very nice and worth a few bob. Need to see pics to determine woods involved, but probably ash with an ebony butt ??Don't use oil on the threads, i would use fine wire wool to clean them up together with the brass including the ferrule. Furniture polish won't really hurt but not the best thing to use

[DeanH]

yep Tony Ions
the number 2739869 I believe was his company number, he start early 70s, not sure when he closed his doors (pre-2000 for sure )
The are well regarded cues in the whole.

Will need pictures to determine the woods used

You can use a light oil on the thread but use this as a cleaner and remove it all before joining the parts; you don't want machine oil inside the wood. I have used Brasso on threads and wiped this off after.
You can use Brasso on the ferrule but I would suggest you use some masking tape to cover the wood as the muck can mark the shaft

The use of furniture polish is not a general practise as they contain additives that doesn't aid a smooth cueing after a little time.
Generally a wood oil, such as linseed is more common.
see the following for some do's and dont's
https://handmadecues.com/cue-care/
https://www.parriscues.com/cue_care/


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[Ninja.cues]

The oil you want for the shaft of the cue (front but if you are not sure) is raw linseed oil.
Can put it on with a paper towel, leave it over night and buff the next day.
Few things to remember is what ever you put the oil on with, make sure you lay out flat to dry before putting it in the bin or it can start a fire.
Depends on how bad the ferrule is, as you might need to go over it with some fine sand paper first to get the the worse off.
I use an old bit of denim to buff my cues.

[Deano3]

thanks for all the help and advice I will try and attach some pictures below







there is the cue, any recommendations on some linseed oil ? and I will clean the Ferrell with some brasso or metal polish. also any idea of small rubber piece for bottom ? there is a small hole were something has obviously fell out.

thanks dean

[Deano3]

any idea on what wood ? also looks nice and straight so glad about that

Dean

[Ninja.cues]

Hi Dean,
The face splice with the lines in it looks look padauk but can't see the rest clearly enough to know for sure.
Shaft if ash.

[DeanH]

the butt splices could be rosewood

I like the design

[Deano3]

Any recomendations on the oil ?

Any back ground on the maker ? Are these cues usually classed as great quality better than rileys etc nice British made cue then

Thanks again
Dean

[DeanH]

Any recomendations on the oil ?

Any back ground on the maker ? Are these cues usually classed as great quality better than rileys etc nice British made cue then

Thanks again
Dean

did you read the two links on my post earlier?
I use raw linseed oil, but you can use boiled linseed oil.
I bought a 500ml bottle many many years ago and it is still more than 3/4 full

You don't need much to reoil a cue, barely anything on the cloth, wiped on to the cue. give it a few minutes to "soak" in and then wipe again to remove any excess. The let it dry over night and then buff with dry cloths.
Raw linseed takes days to fully cure so may feel oily for longer than boiled which has dryers included in it.
Read the two links for how two of the top makers explain it all

I don't have much information on Tony Ions other than what I put previously, would like to see anything else any one has

[Deano3]

did you read the two links on my post earlier?
I use raw linseed oil, but you can use boiled linseed oil.
I bought a 500ml bottle many many years ago and it is still more than 3/4 full

You don't need much to reoil a cue, barely anything on the cloth, wiped on to the cue. give it a few minutes to "soak" in and then wipe again to remove any excess. The let it dry over night and then buff with dry cloths.
Raw linseed takes days to fully cure so may feel oily for longer than boiled which has dryers included in it.
Read the two links for how two of the top makers explain it all

I don't have much information on Tony Ions other than what I put previously, would like to see anything else any one has

I did read them quickly yestwrday but will have better look after work, ok will look on google for were sells it as think may give it a nice shine back. Yeah any more info on tony ions and there cues be great if sopposed to be a great cue maker etc

Thanks for the info dean

Dean

[jrc750]

Rileys cues are mass produced so will always be looked down upon compared to Tony's cues who as far as i'm aware were made only by him alone

[DeanH]

you can get linseed oil for your local hardware store but you may not get the small bottle (smaller than the 500ml I have )

There are other oils (any that are used traditionally for wood finish) but I find linseed the best overall - for ease of application (not too wet or sticky), drying time (for are quicker some take ages) and maintains a nice finish for good time.
Usually a cue of good condition does not need any oiling, just a dry wipe especially after playing, or sometimes a light (barely wet cloth) wipe and immediately dry, do not allow the cue to get wet/very wet.
Oiling is done only when really needed, for a very dirty cue or a cue that has dried out due to poor storage, or a cue that gets heavy usage

[Deano3]

Brilliant i will check screwfix, pure linseed oil i will look for and i i oil the whole thing top to bottom ?

Will also get something to clean the threads of the butt.

Anything i can but for bottom of cue like a say a very small hole were i imagine there was some rubber of some sort as a stop. And when the oil i drying will it be ok to just lye it flatt on floor or carpet.

Thanks again
Dean

[DeanH]

if you lay it on carpet it will pick up all the c**p and fluff that is there
I stand my cues as upright-vertical as possible in a corner of a wall - I have a spot that is out of the way and the cues are not hit by people walking by, they don't touch the wall or each other. And just forget them

You can oil the whole cue (but not the end of the butt that will touch the floor )