Main issues arising from no, or inappropriate care of the shaft.

 

All cues:

Sticky/draggy cueing

Cue “wasting” beneath the ferrule

Ferrule damage

 

Ash Cues:

Stubble Catch when cueing

Rough grain/ loss of grain

 

These are related in that they are mainly associated with damage to the grain to varying extents, especially in ash cues. Whilst ash has some great properties which make it good for cues ie shock resistance, elasticity, and strength/weight ratio – compared to other hardwoods - it is PERISHABLE. It does naturally lose the darker grain over its life cycle, and this is accelerated by the friction of cueing, and especially by lack of, or inappropriate, cue-care.

 

Correct cue-care is basically about slowing this deterioration.

 

The problem: Wood is porous ! Ash has particularly “open” pores within the dark grain. The lighter part of the ash, and the grain on Maple cues, is relatively closed pore, but still porous.

 

The main issue of sticky/draggy cue is primarily to do with these pores being clogged with “contaminents” - micro dust particles, chalk dust particles, various detritus from the hand, and any other direct contact. Cues are handled a lot and used in clubs, pubs etc and in time will get clogged pores.

 

The result: When you cue through the bridging hand, especially if you have any sweat, dampness etc on the hand, or in hot/humid conditions this reacts with the dirt in the pores and causes the “drag”.

 

The solution: This one is not so simple. The “instant” fixes for this mostly will work short-term, but may not necessarily be good for the cue overall, or prevent the problem from re-occurring quickly. Even where they are good for the cue, they often will not give a satisfactory cueing experience for long.  

 

Common attempts to remedy:

 

Damp towel, or other cleaning “solution”.

 

Whilst it may occasionally be necessary to clean the cue in this manner, any moisture applied to unprotected wood should be kept to a minimum.  When dry wood is made wet, it absorbs water, causing the wood fibers to swell. This can result in the wood becoming softer and more pliable. As the wood dries, the water evaporates, and the wood fibers contract, which can lead the grain becoming more pronounced as the fibres contract unevenly. This can result in loss of the black part of the grain and leave the pores "exposed".

 

If the cue is left/used in this condition it will quickly get clogged again with contaminants. Often when players use this method only they can find that the frequency of requiring cleaning accelerates - to the point where the cue HAS to be wiped down before every use.

 

In conclusion, damp towel (or wet wipe etc) "washes" out the pores, BUT leaves the cue ever more brittle as it dries and the pores exposed - this leads to quick contamination again - leading to requiring damp towel treatment  - a vicious circle which slowly destroys the grain and therefore the cue.

 

In time, even with good cue-care it may still eventually become necessary to complete a "one-time" or perhaps "annual" damp clean. If it is done the shaft should be thoroughly dried, and then I recommend a light oiling to nourish the shaft, and then seal the pores in to achieve the final playing finish.

 

Oiling

 

Oiling the shaft every few months (or after cleaning)  will help to “feed” and give “good” moisture back into the wood. This is good for the wood ! Once applied the cue will usually polish up nicely and gets some protection.

 

However, players will often find that a cue left with the oil only finish as the final stage, will still get draggy if the hand gets sweaty/damp or in hot conditions. The reason is simple. Oil and water do not mix!

 

Damp hand on oiled cue does not always give a satisfactory feel through the bridging hand !

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Wax

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Sealing the pores in with, for example, a beeswax, after cleaning and/or oiling, is again very good for the wood. It will protect the grain, slowing the inevitable grain loss, and will polish up to a nice smooth finish.

 

Once again however, a player will often find that using wax as a final ‘playing’ finish will not give a nice feel through the hand for long in hot/humid conditions. With heat, the wax can re-melt ! this makes it sticky to use, and attracts the micro dust / chalk dust etc. which can lead to the cue being worse overall!

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The Cuebalm way !

 

This conundrum of finding a solution with is both good for the cue AND give nice smooth cueing experience was essentially my motivation for developing the Cuebalm as a final playing finish.

 

Cuebalm is an oil/wax hybrid, the process used creates a unique molecule which retains some of the properties of an oil - giving some nourishment to the wood, some of the properties of a wax - by sealing the pores for a period and leaving a polishable finish - and it retains the pleasant aromas of the plant materials used in the extraction process.

 

It can be used after damp cleaning, or after oiling - or it can be used alone to provide some of the goodness offered by oiling, and microscopically seal the pores.

 

Whichever method is used I recommend the cuebalm as the final playing finish applied.

 

It will work like a wax, and also give some nourishment, however once polished it does not re-melt on the cue in the same way as a traditional wax only product.!!

 

Even in hot conditions, a buff with the cue towel will maintain a smooth finish for a period once the cue is treated with the cuebalm.

 

There are instructions in every box but its VERY easy to use. Using a rag just rub a very small amount (less than pea size required) INTO the cue shaft. Take a couple of minutes to work the cuebalm in. Leave a few minutes, then wipe it OFF again.

 

The wood will have taken some in and it will have dried in the pores of the grain. Wipe what you can feel or see OFF the shaft, then just buff it up with your dry cue towel. Less is more, basically the more you put on the more you have to take off before buffing !

 

Just use dry cue towel each time you play over the next few weeks. Usually between 2-4 weeks the player simply wears through it, and it should be re-applied.

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Using Lynch's Cuebalm regularly every couple of weeks or so temporarily seals the pores, extending the length of time before the cue needs its next thorough clean & re-nourish.