Waxing my cue

[hotpot]

Oh right , best of luck with it .

[Jellibeen69]

send me your address in a private message and when the new batches are ready then I'll send you a sample!

[hotpot]

Thats very kink muck , if you want some dark green triangle chalk which is great for laminated tips let me know and i will send you some for yoour kind gesture .

[Jellibeen69]

Thanks mate. I'll reply to your private message with an address.

[CueAce]

Jellibeen, would you consider selling a sample from your harder, more difficult to use batch? Im interested in giving it a try and find the harder the wax the better the result. Certainly looks like it worked for you!

[cazmac1]

My friend has an old hunt & osbourne, he claims to have never done anything to it since the day he got it many years ago. The finish is superb it has a lovely deep gloss on the but almost like a varnish (which it's not) I think it has to be wax, no pun intended.
IMO the wax seals and protects better than the oil, I would also like to try some of your wax jellibeen. I will pm you my address and I would like to purchase some when availible.
Regards cazmac

[poolqjunkie]

Hi Cazmac1,
I am just curious if you dont mind me asking. After you wax your cue does the butt look dull again after you have used it for a few hours?

[cazmac1]

Hi Cazmac1,
I am just curious if you dont mind me asking. After you wax your cue does the butt look dull again after you have used it for a few hours?

Hi pool junkie, I have never waxed my cue, but this is what i want to avoid. I find the oil's do's not stop the sweat from your hand getting into the oil and wood and the butt goes dull, my friends cue never goes dull. So it must be a wax finish

[poolqjunkie]

I actually find that most waxing usually goes dull after a while, which I believe is because the wax applied on the surface of the wood is dissolved by the heat of the palm over time. To avoid this I believe you need some very hard wax, and apply them very well. I would like to hear what everyone thinks.
Thank you.

[cazmac1]

What do you think the finish on my friend cue could be. I will try and get a picture of the cue.

[Jellibeen69]

When you apply was to a surface and then polish it, you are apply friction which creates heat. This heat gently warms the wax, which allows the molecular surface to be altered. As you polish you are realigning the molecules, so that they are in a uniformed pattern and create a stronger crystalline structure. This provides a smoother surface, which in turn allows for the light to be reflect in straighter lines rather than dissipating (as in an unpolished wax). AS you allow the wax to cool it hardens, each variant of wax has its own specific Mohs number, as well as its own melting point. The combination of waxes and resins allows for the unique properties to be shared, but can also cause just as many issues. (I have found this a timely a difficult process of experimentation).
As you apply your hands to a waxed cue, it will inevitably over time dull the finish, as you are leaving sweat (Propionic acid & urocanic acid), skin and any other contaminates that you have on your hand at the time.
You are correct that the palms heat does warm the wax (but this will depends on the melting point of the wax used, the higher the number and the more resilient the wax, the longer the cue will stay shinny).
My wax has a high percentage of high grade carnauba wax, this has the highest melting point of any natural wax and has the highest Mohs number as well, inits natural state it can be as hard as concrete!
All it takes is for the cue to be buffed every now and again to bring back the shine. But the wax will wear off with use, and so has to be cleaned and reapplied. If you are after a shinny cue that takes no maintenance, you have to have a horrible lacquered version....
Hope this helps?

[poolqjunkie]

I do not have problem with the finish getting dull on my own cue. I dont use wax. It is oil finished, not varnished. I oil it once in a while and buff it with a clean dry towel often. I do not want to hijack this thread to talk about something else but just to respond to what was said it is possible to achieve a very smooth and glossy finish with an oil blend, without wax or varnish.

My undertanding is that wax does not get into the wood but it also does not adhere to the surface very well. It stays on the surface of the wood for a while then it wears off over time with continuous rubbing and heat and so on from our hands.

It is a bit different with furniture which does not get as much 'rubbing action" as a cue. With furniture you can apply oil then wax it and it will look quite nice for quite a while as long you do a good job. But with a cue the grip area can get dull while the rest of the cue stays shinny because of the friction, acid, heat, and moisture from our hands.

Sometimes, I also notice some fine powdery wax residue could come off as the cue is being used, which I suspect is because the wax might be too thick at certain areas. I am not an expert but I think (please correct me if I am worng) it could be the result of wax being re-applied too often before the old dirty wax layers are removed prior to the application. The layers become uneven and some areas are much thicker. Unlike oil, wax does not get into the wood so it traps the dirts and so on and just accumulates on the surface in some areas, mostly on the shaft, over time. This accumulated layers of 'dirty' wax just keep getting thicker as more wax is applied (usually this happens when wax is applied on the whole cue after a dull region is spotted, although the rest of the cue is still shinny), and it then comes off as powdery residue as it is rubbed. Because the grip area usually gets dull first, it has the thinnest layer of wax and will again become dull first in the near future while the rest of the cue is covered with more layers of wax as the wax is re-applied. Unless old wax is removed this can result in the cue feeling sticky over a period of time.

I have also tried an oil wax finish and pure carnuba wax before. An oil wax finish can work quite well if it is done properly, imo.

I personally feel that wax is very good as a final finish over varnish or polyurethane finish as it really shines it up. Varnish and even auto finish still need maintainence, which is why we have car wax and so on.

The other thing is once the user wipes his cue with a damp towel the wax on the cue will pretty much disappear, right?

I have never tried this wax (I am still waiting for a sample) so I cannot comment on this brand. If it is a formula which can stay very hard over a long period of time without getting dull in the grip region and does not get sticky that is super great. Jellibean has a winner here if that is the case.

I would like to hear some feedback from those who have already gotten their samples and have used their waxed cues for a while.

When I get my sample I will try it out and post a feedback here.

I am no expert so please do correct me if I am wrong. I would love to hear and hopefully learn more about finishing.

Thank you.

[Jellibeen69]

I do like to give my cues a good drink of linseed oil first, especially a new or first time prepared cue.
I leave it to soak in as much as possible, then prepare the surface with micro mesh all the way to 3200 grit.
I apply my hardest wax with turps in thin layers, and buff them between.

Do not apply wax on to old existing coatings, as you will traps dirt, grease, chalk etc...
Clean old wax finishes with 0000 wire wool, but do not clean down to the bare wood, buff up the existing surface before reapplying the new wax layer.
I have had mild success with Oil finishes, that is why I have been trying wax concoctions for a few years now....

Your sample was sent out last week, so hopefully it will arrive very soon, I look forward to to receiving the feedback and reviews.

[cazmac1]

I too will be looking forward to seeing the results.

[andy carson]

What do you think the finish on my friend cue could be. I will try and get a picture of the cue.

ronseal? or hammerite?