Warping

[Semih_Sayginer]

Actually it just come to mind as i was reading the thread and I just posted it. Spose 99% of posts on all forums can be answered using the search button or google but no matter how aware of them we are everyone just asks at some time or other.

Steam eh, hmmm dont fancy messing around with that been scolded too many times.

dont think its a bad thing posting, instead of googling, as you can get some direct answers, with experiences, as opposed to links off of google....opinions of folk on a forum in addition....

use protection. ahem

[trevs1]

Steam bending is a common technique to get timber to the shape you want.

Ever seen a windsor rocking chair???

Very bendy indeed

[ADR147]

its amazing the fun you can have with a wallpaper stripper in a vice!

[MikeWooldridge]

Just wondering if you have a cue straightened professionally will it be more prone to warp again or is it no more likely to happen than with any new cue?

in my experience, a cue will remain reasonably straight after being straightened. if it is looked after.

i occassionally get people say 'hey, that cue's still straight' 10+ years after i did it.

without doubt, wood will do what it wants to do, particularly with quickly made mass produced cues. even a piece of wood that has been left years and taken down very slowly can still turn round a move a bit after it's finally finished.

but, you can bend it back, and it will pretty much 'do as it's told'.

heat is often used to bend wood, guitars etc. and they don't spring back apart do they?....

of course, it's always better if a cue were to never bend, but virtually all cues will move a bit after production. mostly minimal and unnoticeable, but occasionally, quite drastic.

once a cue has bent, it will easily bend back again if leant against wall, left near heat etc..

but if you store it well, you have every chance of it remaining 'straight'.

[MikeWooldridge]

p.s. i have a guitar bending iron for sale if anyone's interested.

brand new, unused. a relic from my days experimenting with guitar making. never got round to acoustics....

[trevs1]

Couldn't agree more with much of that post.

The defining factor as to whether a cue stays straight or not is the treatment it gets after it's left the makers workshop. As Mike says above, ANY cue can, and will, bend all over the place if poorly looked after, no matter how it was manufactured.

However, well built cues, made from top quality materials should, and usually will, hold a considerable advantage over lesser quality cues when it comes to staying as they were meant to be.

Obviously, it's a matter of choice, but, the old rule of "You get what you pay for" is often pretty true.

[Semih_Sayginer]

ive always kept my cues in the boot of my cars, which i know isnt a good idea, but ive never had one warp [yet].

over the years ive seen a few well treated cues bend like bananas.

i do agree though that the better quality materials and the length of time while making does give you a better chance of keeping the cue A1

[MikeWooldridge]

to clarify my point:

i never said looking after a cue is a guarantee against bending.

i said that AFTER a cue has bent and been straightened, it has every chance of staying straight if it is well looked after.

in this situation, the cue has already done it's moving, and has been put right. not really another reason for it to bend unless subjected to extreme conditions etc..

sure, some cues will always remain reasonably straight, whatever you throw at them. even some cheap mass produced ones.

of course, making a cue slowly helps reduce natural warping cos the wood has chance to bend during manufacture and these bends can be planed out before the cue reaches the final finishing stages. still no guarantee though.

but regardless, the point is whether a cue can be straightened successfully.

and in my experience, answer is yes.

[Semih_Sayginer]

to clarify my point:

i never said looking after a cue is a guarantee against bending.

i never thought you said otherwise

cheers for the info

[MikeWooldridge]

no, but i wanted to make it clear i was talking in the context of a bent cue that's been straightened.

others viewing the post may not have been clear.

[Semih_Sayginer]

no, but i wanted to make it clear i was talking in the context of a bent cue that's been straightened.

others viewing the post may not have been clear.

no probs

i was just clarifying that i knew what you meant

[MikeWooldridge]

does seem to me that most things do need clarifying here....

[Semih_Sayginer]

does seem to me that most things do need clarifying here....

maybe to others. not to me.

i wasnt replying to your post. i was replying in general.

[Wity]

Bottom line then?

Dont be put off by that warped description of a cue on ebay it may be a real bargain.

Cheap cue: get the wallpaper stripper going and have a go yourself.

Dear cue: let the pro's do it.

[Semih_Sayginer]

Bottom line then?

Dont be put off by that warped description of a cue on ebay it may be a real bargain.

Cheap cue: get the wallpaper stripper going and have a go yourself.

Dear cue: let the pro's do it.

sounds quite fair Wity.....esp seeing as a slightly warped cue can still be used to good effect in some cases anyway