Waxing my cue

[gazf]

Hi guys i just wanted to ask is it a good or bad idea to use a car wax on my cue or should i use designed wax or even oil.

Thanks
Gaz

[Watford]

Hmmm I'd be careful, depends what's in it.
Bees wax is more normal.
The Simply bee company do a good tin and Craftsman sell their own wax.

Some people don't believe in wax and just so oil.

[Tenko 127]

Resin in wax tends to create a slightly sticky/tacky feel. For the last 35yrs I've used boiled linseed oil, and have no complaints.

[tinytim139]

Been experimenting on an old cue and i find that carnauba wax (used in finak stages of detailing a car) gives a very nice finish and is totally natural BUT....... wouldn't use it on my playing cue as the tried and tested way is oil and it works so why fix it if its not broke?

[Billy Ards]

Oil is rreally a poor way to protect a cue from moisture compared to covering the surface with a coat of varnish/lacquer/whatever but it's better because those coatings will produce a different feel. Wax however repels moisture brilliantly and will give wood a nice shine without effecting the feel unless loads is applied or it's not buffed up enough or it's been waxed repeatedly over time and built up a layer of wax that has become sticky.

I prefer to keep my cues in their as new state so every time i look to refinishing a cue its a case of sand it back to the bare wood oil and wax. That way I never build up a thick wax layer and the sanding needed is never anymore than fine wire wool

[Watford]

It's a personal thing Trevor White and a joiner mate of mine say wax gets sticky but others seem to like it.

[sunny3909]

Most of the top cuemakers prefer an oil finish on the cue.If you can do it regularly oiling is the best method to protect & have smooth and silky finish to the shaft.

[ste bed]

Resin in wax tends to create a slightly sticky/tacky feel. For the last 35yrs I've used boiled linseed oil, and have no complaints.

you shouldnt use boiled linseed it as driers in it use raw linseed instead .

[Watford]

you shouldnt use boiled linseed it as driers in it use raw linseed instead .

That's true I didn't clock that before!

[trevs1]

Truth is you could use either wax, or oil (boiled or raw).

The issue with 'most' commercially available wax polishes though is that they're not that hard, and due to that, become soft when in contact with the heat from your hands, which attracts dirt, making the surface sticky in no time. If on the other hand you can get hold of, or even make your own, hard wax polish, then that's different and can be reasonably effective.

Oil is a different matter, penetrating the surface of the timber and drying with exposure to the air. It is slower to achieve a good oil finish, but it's worth it one it's done. as far as using linseed oil, the raw is possibly better to use for a cue as it does'nt contain the driers that the boiled stuff does. The boiled oil can, and will, feel very tacky in comparison to raw oil, which tends to have a far less 'varnishy' type feeling to it. Although the boiled oil is designed to dry quicker, it has to be left for a considerable time to manage that, and even then, it will need treatment afterwards to smooth things out a little more. Raw oil doesn't really need to be left that long. It can be applied overnight and polished off the next morning with a dry cloth, then repeated over a week or two to achieve a pretty good result, even for someone who has no knowledge of what they're doing.

Naturally, much of this depends on the condition of the timber in the first place.

[gazf]

Thanks for that guys ive looked in my local screw fix mag and they have some raw linseed oil so im going to try some of that.

Before i get that ive just gave my cue a good clean with soapy water and clean water, then i used a little amount of spary polish on a cloth and wipe the cue over. Then buffed up with a clean mircofibre cloth.

Gaz

[totlxtc]

2 of the worst things you could of done there.

1: Detergants will not do the wood any good at all. All the chemicals in cleaners would do no good at all. Just a damp cloth and a quick buff with a dry one is all you need. If your cue is really dirty a light rub with 00000 wire wool will be more of a benefit and then oil after.

2: Spray Poilish is one evil stuff. Packed full of chemicals and awful odours. Your more likely to remove a good finish than add one. Plus the polish is not designed to be touched all the time so will be gone in no time.

Remember, wood is natural. Try to use natural procucts best you can. Oil your cue and get it nicely fed. Then get some colron finishing wax. Cue will shine! Good luck

TOTLXTC - ecogeek

[Billy Ards]

blah blah blah blah

TOTLXTC - ecogeek

Ecogeek ! thats a good un. You'd have the rainforest sent to Wooley just to get a perfect splice.

[gazf]

2 of the worst things you could of done there.

1: Detergants will not do the wood any good at all. All the chemicals in cleaners would do no good at all. Just a damp cloth and a quick buff with a dry one is all you need. If your cue is really dirty a light rub with 00000 wire wool will be more of a benefit and then oil after.

2: Spray Poilish is one evil stuff. Packed full of chemicals and awful odours. Your more likely to remove a good finish than add one. Plus the polish is not designed to be touched all the time so will be gone in no time.

Remember, wood is natural. Try to use natural procucts best you can. Oil your cue and get it nicely fed. Then get some colron finishing wax. Cue will shine! Good luck

TOTLXTC - ecogeek

Thanks mate
It was only a small amount of soap and polish i used so i think ill be ok as i know now i will stay away from them now on.
Going to try and go and get some linseed oil over the weekend. So ill give the cue a good clean again and oil it.

With the oil do i just put some on a clean cloth and run it up and down the cue, wait for it to dry and duff off.


How many times can you oil a cue?

[noel]

Raw linseed oil as Trev suggests works great... as an extra cool amusing benefit, if you apply with a rag and leave it crumpled up in a nice tight ball it will spontaneously combust!

Wax is for =^..^=



=o)

Noel