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Seeing Argee's post in the Sales section regarding his Trevor White cue that has a ding in the shaft, I thought it might be helpful to post the following advice that I found on the net some while ago about how to remove them:
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CAUTION: Too much water, steam, etc. can cause your shaft to warp - Attempt at your own risk.
Most dings in shafts are from the cue hitting a object and indenting the wood. If the ding is an indentation then this method should work. If there is a piece of wood missing from the shaft then do not attempt to use this method.
Take part of a cotton ball (about the size of the head of a cue tip) and moisten it with water. Apply the cotton ball to the indentation and cover with a light adhesive tape (scotch tape is a good choice). Let the cue sit for a couple of hours.
The reason you are using water is you are attempting to swell the cells of the wood where they were compressed and caused the indentation.
After at least 2 hours remove the tape and inspect the indentation. If it has not risen completely or not at all check the piece of cotton to ensure it is still moist and recover the indentation for a few more hours.
Once the indention has risen and become flush or slightly raised you need to lightly sand the shaft. We recommend 1200 grit sandpaper or FINER. (if the indentation has not risen at all check to ensure you have enough water on the piece of cotton or see below for another method for more stubborn indentations).
Lightly and vigorously sand the shaft until the wood feels warm. DO NOT REMOVE TOO MUCH WOOD. If you are getting a dust cloud you are removing too much wood and may be using sandpaper that is too coarse. At this point you should not be able to tell where the indentation was.
Notice: If you still can feel the indentation you may not have waited long enough for the wood to absorb moisture and swell the compressed wood cells.
For the more stubborn indentations you can attempt this method but fair warning; Done improperly can harm your cue shaft!
Take a tea kettle (small pan may work as a substitute but increases the risk of damage) and fill with water. Heat the water until it starts to boil. If you are using a tea kettle (the preferred method) when steam starts to come out of the hole pass the indentation back and forth through the steam (recommend no closer then 4 to 5 inches above the steam hole). Repeatedly check the indentation to see if it is reducing in size. After no more then 5 or 6 minutes, your indentation should return to flush or slightly raised above the rest of the shaft area. Finish as noted above.
As always if you are unsure if you can do this correctly please bring your cue to a professional.
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I have used a variation on the above technique on my own and a friend's cue a number of times, and it has proved 100% successful in removing the ding completely. I have to say I would be very wary of using any sort of sanding down as described above, since you would be removing wood that has simply absorbed too much moisture, and when it eventually dries out the shaft will have lost a layer of its original wood and you could end up with a flat patch.
My method is to take a small piece of thin card (eg the top flap off a cornflake packet) and wet it under a tap. Place it over the cue shaft with the non-glossy underside against the ding, then take a hot soldering iron and roll the barrel (not the tip) back and forth several times over the top, just for a few seconds. Remove, wipe the shaft with a dry cloth or tissue, then repeat as necessary until the ding has completely gone. You may need to re-dampen the card once or twice. Once done, I then tend to re-oil the shaft to seal it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CAUTION: Too much water, steam, etc. can cause your shaft to warp - Attempt at your own risk.
Most dings in shafts are from the cue hitting a object and indenting the wood. If the ding is an indentation then this method should work. If there is a piece of wood missing from the shaft then do not attempt to use this method.
Take part of a cotton ball (about the size of the head of a cue tip) and moisten it with water. Apply the cotton ball to the indentation and cover with a light adhesive tape (scotch tape is a good choice). Let the cue sit for a couple of hours.
The reason you are using water is you are attempting to swell the cells of the wood where they were compressed and caused the indentation.
After at least 2 hours remove the tape and inspect the indentation. If it has not risen completely or not at all check the piece of cotton to ensure it is still moist and recover the indentation for a few more hours.
Once the indention has risen and become flush or slightly raised you need to lightly sand the shaft. We recommend 1200 grit sandpaper or FINER. (if the indentation has not risen at all check to ensure you have enough water on the piece of cotton or see below for another method for more stubborn indentations).
Lightly and vigorously sand the shaft until the wood feels warm. DO NOT REMOVE TOO MUCH WOOD. If you are getting a dust cloud you are removing too much wood and may be using sandpaper that is too coarse. At this point you should not be able to tell where the indentation was.
Notice: If you still can feel the indentation you may not have waited long enough for the wood to absorb moisture and swell the compressed wood cells.
For the more stubborn indentations you can attempt this method but fair warning; Done improperly can harm your cue shaft!
Take a tea kettle (small pan may work as a substitute but increases the risk of damage) and fill with water. Heat the water until it starts to boil. If you are using a tea kettle (the preferred method) when steam starts to come out of the hole pass the indentation back and forth through the steam (recommend no closer then 4 to 5 inches above the steam hole). Repeatedly check the indentation to see if it is reducing in size. After no more then 5 or 6 minutes, your indentation should return to flush or slightly raised above the rest of the shaft area. Finish as noted above.
As always if you are unsure if you can do this correctly please bring your cue to a professional.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have used a variation on the above technique on my own and a friend's cue a number of times, and it has proved 100% successful in removing the ding completely. I have to say I would be very wary of using any sort of sanding down as described above, since you would be removing wood that has simply absorbed too much moisture, and when it eventually dries out the shaft will have lost a layer of its original wood and you could end up with a flat patch.
My method is to take a small piece of thin card (eg the top flap off a cornflake packet) and wet it under a tap. Place it over the cue shaft with the non-glossy underside against the ding, then take a hot soldering iron and roll the barrel (not the tip) back and forth several times over the top, just for a few seconds. Remove, wipe the shaft with a dry cloth or tissue, then repeat as necessary until the ding has completely gone. You may need to re-dampen the card once or twice. Once done, I then tend to re-oil the shaft to seal it.
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