For all those lacquered £30 Rileys..

[kjozsa]

appearently a stuff like this makes really wonders on these bloody sticky cues (well, no wonders, but temporarily renders them playable). I had one borrowed from a friend yesterday and it made the greatest play ever with my cue. Hope that helps anyone else too..

[Cateran]

Removing the lacquer works wonders too (with the added benefit of being a permanent fix).

[RGCirencester]

they are a bit too abrasive imo. Its fine on a cheap cue you don't case about but i wouldn't use it on a proper cue

[Cateran]

A further comment to what I was saying about removing the varnish from Rileys. I've had the Riley for close to a year now - I needed an entry-level Snooker cue in a hurry and the Riley was the only cue that was available where I live. Now, I don't actually have much in the way of a complaint about feel or balance with the cue. But it's been a trial using the cue because the shaft gets sticky very quickly during play.

I tried everything, shaft slickers like CueSilk; burnishing it with leather; as so on. Nothing worked for longer than an half hour or so. Finally I got completly fed up and went to work with very fine grit sandpaper to remove the varnish. Then I oiled it, wiped it down with a cloth, and then applied more oil using an even finer grit wet and dry paper, finally I put on a third coat of oil and and "finished" the cue with 0000 steel wool.

It was worthwhile putting the effort in. The cue plays okay now, and itstead of worrying about whether or not I need to go and wash my hands, I can concentrate on potting a couple of balls.

Still, it was a learning experience, and now when I contact cuemakers about their cues (I'm in the market for a handmade cue), the first question that I ask is: what sort of finish do you use on the shaft?

[johno]

its definately worth spending extra and getting a handmade cue, even second hand.
good luck

[kjozsa]

johno, as for my case, the cue is getting delivered in any week now (I really hope before christmas - glance to ADR.. )

till then, I keep playing with my Riley and recently I also got used to applying baby powder on the cue besides using the tool I mentioned in the first post. It definetely helps.