Whether pool is a distraction, hobby, or sport for you, it’s very important to take care of the equipment you play with. Not only will having clean and properly cared for equipment help you play your best game, but it will also help avoid having to constantly replace cues and tools, which can get expensive. Also, while some people only carry one or two tools with them, others may prefer to have what seems like an entire workshop. I posted suggestions for some tools to get you started with back in February https://carolinabilliards.wordpress.com/2013/02/19/tools-of-the-trade-what-to-carry-with-you/ but today I want to specifically go into how to not only use them, but special ways to reduce wear and tear on equipment, as well as a few surprising ways tools can hurt you rather than help you.
Let’s begin with the most obvious piece of the cue, the tip. Unless the tip is made of phenolic resin, it’s going to require some maintenance eventually. There are a myriad of tip tools out there, from simple tappers to 3 in 1 tools to 5 in 1 master tools. Some require sand paper inserts, others can use diamond or striated metal. Rather than go into tool by tool comparisons, I want to go over the four main categories of tip tools, and explain how to use each.
- The first type is known as a tapper. These devices have a surface that is laid out with spikes, either of metal or plastic composition, that penetrate the hardened outer surface of the tip so that chalk is better retained. They open tiny pores in the leather, allowing the chalk to be absorbed better. As a caution, particularly with tip piks, the spikes can if inserted too deeply in layered tips cause the glue to come apart, which will destroy the tip. Tappers are typically used with single layer tips with much better results, though light application of them on layered tips can prove effective.
- The second type of tip tool is known as a scuffer/shaper. They often come paired together, such as in a cue cube. A scuffer will often be flat, or rounded to the shape of a nickle. The purpose of a scuffer is to break up the fibers on top of the tip for better chalk retention, to allow the cue ball to take english better, and so that the tip may better grip the cue ball on contact. The shaper is often deeper or even more rounded, and shapes the tip to the size of a dime. Some people prefer a smaller tip or rounded tip and use the shaper, others like a broader tip for more surface area and use the scuffer. As a player, you want to be very careful not to grind down on the tip or apply too much pressure when using a shaper/scuffer. You can end up damaging the tip, taking too much of the top off, flattening the tip out, or even accidentally twisting the tip off.
- A third tool is known as a tip burnisher. These can come in the form of liquid, which would be applied with a cue tip or cloth, or in the form of a cylinder that is placed over the tip and twisted lightly. This causes the leather on the sides of the tip to harden, preventing mushrooming of the tip. If you are using the cylinder option, as with the shaper and scuffer, be very gentle. If you twist too hard, you can pull the tip right off the cue. Not everyone carries a tip burnisher, so you will be alright if you choose not to carry one. Just watch your tip for signs of mushrooming. A mushroomed tip will look lopsided, or with one side of the tip bulged out.
- The fourth type of tool is a shaver. These types of tools have only two purposes: cutting off the mushroomed part of a tip, or cutting down a tip to a desired height that may be shorter than tips originally come as. Very few players carry shavers with them, most often preferring to go to a professional cue smith or repair shop to have their tips fixed. If you do carry a shaver, make sure you are in excellently lit conditions and go very slowly so you do not cut off more tip than you need.
The next group of tools involves taking care of the shaft itself. While the shaft is durable and obviously lasts much longer than the tip, keeping a shaft properly maintained and clean will make it last a lifetime, maybe even long enough to hand it down to grandchildren. Just as with tip tools, there are four basic categories of shaft tools. They are listed here in the order they should be applied if you are taking care of your own shafts.
- The first category is the shaft cleaner. These typically are chemical or microfiber based pads or wipes that remove dirt, oil, powder, and chalk residues from a shaft. ALWAYS use one of these first in shaft maintenance, because if you work on a shaft before using a cleaning agent, you risk possibly trapping dirt and chalk residue in the pores of the wood. After application of the cleaning agent, the shaft should be wiped down with a dry hand towel to pick up any last elements of residue.
- The second group of tools are shaft burnishers. Typically, cleaning a shaft requires you to open the pores of the wood up to get all the oil and dirt out. Then, you must close the pores of the wood back up to prevent new oil and dirt from seeping in. Burnishers are typically made of leather or special paper compositions, and work by producing heat from friction that seals up the pores in the wood. I strongly suggest whatever else you carry in your case, make sure you include cleaning and burnishing agents.
- The third group of tools are slickers. These are typically composed of wax, chemicals, or special types of burnishers that are designed to make the shaft glide through a players hand rather than become sticky or gritty. Many players carry a slicker in their case rather than cleaning agents, but the slicker is more like a bandage than a solution. If you want a slick shaft, keep it clean as often as possible.
- The final group of shaft care tools are for what I call “nick management”. Every once in a while, despite our best efforts, a shaft may bang on the table or fall on the floor, causing a dent or a nick to surface. While ultimately large nicks are permanent or need to be taken to a cue smith with a lathe to fix, small ones can be taken care of by players. These tools work by applying friction and heat to the edges of the dents so as to gently raise the wood fibers of the cue back up towards the level of the rest of the shaft. Dr. Cue’s Glass rod is especially effective at this, as are the q-wiz micro disc and in emergencies, sand paper. You want to avoid using sand paper as often as possible, because the paper actually does take wood fibers off your shaft, while other tools do not risk this. But in emergencies, a very fine sand paper can smooth out small nicks to make them hardly noticeable, if present at all.
Now, we are on to taking care of wraps. If you do not have a wrap on your cue, I would recommend buying a product known as smart wipes, and wiping down your cue butt once a week. This will clean the oils from your back arm hand off the butt and keep it in good condition. If your cue has a cloth based wrap, wipe it down with smartwipes every two weeks, and once a month if you have a cue smith in your area, have them steam the wrap. This will keep the wrap clean of oils and powder and increase it’s lifespan. If you have a leather based wrap on your cue, I recommend treating it with saddle or leather soap at least once every two months to keep it shining, sealed, and supple.
Next up is the case itself. If the case is vinyl, wipe it down with smartwipes once a month, and if you play in a smokey environment, try to perhaps also wipe it down lightly with vinegar to get the smell out of your case. Test the vinegar on a very small part of the case first, however, to see if it will stain the vinyl, and never use vinegar on a leather case. If your case is leather, wipe it down lightly at the end of each month, and once ever two months use a saddle soap or leather soap to refurbish the leather so it stays fresh and sealed. This will greatly add to the life of your case and keep it looking professional and dazzling.
Here also are ten suggestions of things you can do to help keep your equipment in prime condition and promote good habits.
- Always wash your hands before you play, and at least once during play. A lot of players tend to reach for powder to dry their hands out, but this can gunk up the shaft in a hurry. Washing and drying your hands removes the oil and dirt without adding a mess to the cue.
- If your palms often become sweaty, look into playing with a glove rather than pouring on the powder.
- When chalking your cue, paint the chalk across the tip rather than twisting it or grinding it. This helps prevent chalk dust and residue from dropping onto the ferrule or the shaft.
- Always carry some device or have some means of resting your cues securely when not shooting. The most common reason players get dents in their shafts is because their cue falls over onto the ground. By having a cue claw, or a case that has feet so it can stand upright to rest the cue in, you can avoid this terrible fate if you have to put your cue down to go do something else. It works much better than a chair or corner.
- When frustrated, immediately put your cue down somewhere out of your hands. While most of us are even tempered, the cue is a delicate instrument that can be damaged or broken. Do not slam the cue ball with the side of shaft, let the shaft bounce on a rail in frustration, slam the butt of the cue on the floor, or any such behavior. Not only does it reflect poorly on you, but can damage your equipment, making a match very hard to complete, and causing you some unwanted repair costs.
- Do not break with your playing cue. A typical break shot (with the exception of one pocket and straight pool) involves more force than a standard shot. Also, some players may “pin” their cue to the table as part of their break. While the cue shaft is typically designed to bend, bending too much can cause warpage. Unless stiffened specifically for breaking, a standard or playing shaft can warp over time if used to break with. Also, unless you have a specialized breaking tip, you will wear out and flatten your playing tip much faster if you break with it. There is nothing wrong with this, though the tip will require much more maintenance.
- This may sound silly to some, but use the right tool for the right job. With the exception perhaps of burnishers, most tools are specialized for specific purposes. For example, don’t use a shaver when you need a shaper. Use cleaners as often as possible rather than just slickers. Scuff the tip before tapping it if all you need is a ruffed up surface.
- At least at the end of every month, clean what needs to be cleaned. Don’t let the dirt, oil, powder, chalk, and dents build up. Address a problem with your equipment as soon as possible, but everything should be cleaned at least once a month to keep it in prime condition.
- When it looks like your tools are nearly worn out or possibly starting to damage your equipment, replace them. I personally buy what I refer to as a “tool kit” once a year. This ensures that my equipment and tools remain always up to task and risk no damage or ineffectiveness.
- This is perhaps most important. If it aint broke, don’t fix it. If your shaft is clean and gliding smoothly, don’t put more slicker on it. If your tip is in great shape, maybe lightly scuff it, but don’t spend hours on what is already good. Some players can get obsessive about the state of their equipment, and by doing too much maintenance, they can actually damage it.
Hope you enjoyed reading today, and remember that if you take care of your equipment, it will take care of you. Good luck this weekend to all who are shooting!