Clean & Maintain Your Cue
After purchasing a cue, you'll need to protect the investment you've made by maintaining your cue properly. Here are a few simple but effective things you can do to properly maintain your cue.
Butt and Shaft
Before you put your cue away, wipe it down with a warm, moist cloth. This takes just a few minutes but it can make a big difference when it comes to removing dirt and oil from your cue. A dry cloth works just as well. Alcohol wipes can be used as well -- Check with your cue manufacturer for the specific recommendation of how to keep your cue clean.
Do not, under any circumstances, bleach your shaft. There are a number of professional cleaning products on the market that are specifically designed for cleaning cues. You may see cue repairmen or others using bleach, however, they have the tools necessary to burnish it out before it can damage the wood.
Avoid subjecting your cue to major changes in temperature. Extreme heat or cold can cause warping. Don’t leave your cue in the car! Humidity is another threat to cues, especially the shaft, so don’t leave it anywhere where it can get too cold, too hot or damp.
Powder or Hand Chalk
For a quick way to get a shaft sleek, some players choose to use powder or hand chalk. Many problems arise, some obvious and some not, from using hand chalk and powder on pool & billiard equipment.
Using these materials on cue shafts will more than likely turn the shaft more blue (or chalk color) faster. Humid environments tend to make matters worse because the chalk will cake up on the shaft creating more problems. Powder and hand chalk residue from shaft and hands ends up on the table. When this happens, tables tend to roll differently, balls tend to change their friction in certain spots and shots will be missed.
An alternative to using powder is rubbing the shaft with a dollar bill or piece of brown paper bag.
Sanding
Using course sandpaper on your shaft will damage it. If you want to clean up your shaft and make it feel sleek again, a cue repairman may polish it with 2,000 grit sandpaper. Some cue repairman will use cleaners and the grain will rise as a result, buff it dry and then use a very, very fine sandpaper to take off the raised grain. Players should avoid using sandpaper because it they typically do not have a lathe to spin the shaft while sanding. A lathe is useful in turning the shaft evenly so as to not sand off one side more than another.
Wax paper, leather, brown paper bag and dollar bills are a few other alternatives to sandpaper. If you don't want to take the chance on doing it yourself, you can find a cue maintenance and repair person at your next expo, show or tournament. Our Pool & Billiard Directory features listings of cue maintenance & repair professionals.
Tips
No tip lasts forever. Eventually, wear and tear will take its toll. Here are some signs that it’s time to replace your tip:
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- It pops off (an obvious one)
- You hear a different sound during a shot which may mean you have an air pocket formed underneath the tip
- It’s peeling up
- It becomes spongy
- It dry rots (the fibers rise up when you tip pick it)
- Becomes shiny sooner than it usually does. Try using a tip pick more often before replacing.
Leave replacing your tip to a qualified professional. (If you try to do it yourself, you can end up cutting the ferrule). Ask around to get a recommendation on a good cue repairman or search our Pool & Billiard Directory.
Shaping And Maintaining A Cue Tip
Shaping involves using tools to prepare the surface of the tip to hold chalk properly. Here are a few different types of shapers.
- Scuffer: Usually a semi-circle of metal sandpaper embedded in a metal cube. Move it back and forth over the surface of the tip.
- Tip Pik: A device the size of a Chapstick with spikes on one end. Stab holes in the tip.
- Tip Tapper: A heavy paddle-shaped tool with sharp spikes. Hit the tip to make small holes.
Continue working on the surface of the tip until you are comfortable with the way it looks, usually a uniform radius with no flat spots, and holds chalk. Shaping also gives you some control over the degree of curvature on your tip. Most players shape the tip until it conforms to the radius of a dime or nickel.
You may also wish you ask a cue maintenance and repair professional to clean up your ferrule and shape your tip for you. Find a local cue maintenance & repair professional in our Pool & Billiard Directory!