Milk duds?

[RogiBear]

Just wondering if anyone has had a go at either making or using them? They are fairly popular in 9 ball but never heard of anyone using them for snooker.

[DeanH]

I've eaten them in the past, but making/using them in 9ball?
what milk duds are you talking

[fred.england]

Milk duds????

[RogiBear]

Haha, it's a process used on soft compressed tips like elks, using whole milk and boiling them to impregnate them with the milk fat to affect their properties

[fred.england]

Haha, it's a process used on soft compressed tips like elks, using whole milk and boiling them to impregnate them with the milk fat to affect their properties

Hmmmm. Never heard of it myself but I may just give it a go and put the tip on one of my spare cues.....I'm always up for a bit of an experiment.

[RogiBear]

Hmmmm. Never heard of it myself but I may just give it a go and put the tip on one of my spare cues.....I'm always up for a bit of an experiment.

This website explains it in more detail http://www.gladiators-usa.com/MILK%2...CUE%20TIPS.htm

[fred.england]

This website explains it in more detail http://www.gladiators-usa.com/MILK%2...CUE%20TIPS.htm

Cheers RogeBear. I will post results (good or bad) on here. Gotta be worth the few coppers a tip costs.

[RogiBear]

Cheers RogeBear. I will post results (good or bad) on here. Gotta be worth the few coppers a tip costs.

No problem, be interesting to see the results!

[fred.england]

Weird process. I've just told the Missus I'm making some milk duds! She asked if I had been smoking some funny ciggys!!! Haha.

[Byrom]

Haha, it's a process used on soft compressed tips like elks, using whole milk and boiling them to impregnate them with the milk fat to affect their properties

I am a bit busy rubbing a glass against my cue to try this - but now I am seriously wondering if you could be my friend around April 1st when we could have some real fun with people.

Mr snooker magic man Rogi

[RogiBear]

I am a bit busy rubbing a glass against my cue to try this - but now I am seriously wondering if you could be my friend around April 1st when we could have some real fun with people.

Mr snooker magic man Rogi

We'll have to wait till xmas for the material and accompanying head attire.

FYI: http://www.pro9.co.uk/html/theprosho...t&pid=CLNG0010

as stated perviously milk dud tips have been around for an age in the US, just wondered why no one seems to use them in this country.

[jonnylovessn8ker]

Milk duds, to my understanding, is a very popular pressed tip in the US. Pros like Efren, Iceman, Shane VB and more have been reported to use them frequently.

The general concept is describe well in the attached link in the earlier post. The main idea is simply to have a more consistent elk. The reason to this is that US pool is highly dominated by expensive layered tips, and very few credible cheap pressed tips are around, most commonly are le pro, triangle and elks. Le pros are hard as a rock and don't suit most people. Triangles aren't favored for various reasons too, which leaves the inconsistent elk.

I have heard of several ways of making a milk dud, but have never tried making them myself. I have, however, used them for the past 2-3 years. I got them off a reputed forum member from AZBilliards back in 2010 I think. (http://forums.azbilliards.com/showth...highlight=milk) They come in 13mm or 14mm. The guy is great to deal with and quick to respond to orders.

Overall, I think they are great for pool. Holds shape well after hours of bashing, and little scruffing is needed. Durable too.
I like them so much that I have tried to put one for my snooker cues, but my tipping skills failed me. The milk dud isn't soft like before, and fitting a 14mm to a 9.5mm, and cutting it was very troublesome. In terms of feel, reminds me something between a green baize tip and a fresh talisman soft i think?

Hopefully, someone with better tipping skills can give it a go. I'd like to see what others think.

[RogiBear]

Been a little while since I first posted this. Has anyone had a go?

Well, I did From the 4 elks which I put through the process, only 1 came out unscathed. Texture of the tip had changed fairly considerably, and a lot firmer. Upon testing, I couldn't get on with it, felt like I was using a marble. I could have messed up the process I don't know, just know that this wasn't for me. Sticking with the kamui.

[Gallardo26]

I've been experimenting with milk duds for quite sometime. I did not try the real milk duds though.

It is really subjective to the user. Good milk duds are hard tips. Not soft. If the user likes soft fluffy tips, then milk duds is not the way to go. It also depends on your cue. I'm using a Trevor White and it feels great on my cue, very responsive, good stable hard feeling, but not hard/firm to the extend where you feel the hit do not have any "shock absorbing" to your stroke and cause the "mis-cue" feeling.
But if the same tip is going to put on other cue, it might feel totally different. (I've tried same tip on a blackspin MW. cue is soft, tip is hard... still very reactive and responsive but the feel is very weird, need to try a softer milk to see the difference).

It varies a lot depending on how long you soak, how hard you clamp (a little bit makes a big diff), how you dry it.

I experienced the marble feeling which RogiBear had mentioned above. But the weird thing i've tried so far is, when you just fix it on, it feels like ceramic hard and hit like marble. but after you take some time to "bed-in" and sand it down after a game, it became softer and play very nicely imo.

What I found out so far is that, it really improves the grip on the ball a lot compared to normal elks. Holds the shape better and it play much more consistent throughout the lifespan of the tip. (the range of feel when hitting the ball feels very similar at the start to end of lifespan compared to normal elk which varies a lot.)

I was a soft tip user before i tried milk duds (which I experiment myself, can't say and compared to the 'original' milk duds as I've not tried before), but I learnt the benefits of using hard tip for the feel and control and the grip it can get out of "modifying" the tip.

I'm currently trying to make consistent batches to try out and make sure they play the same and is consistent throughout. Then I can continue to make tweaks and improve on the properties... If I cannot make consistent batches. I would need to change my tools or scrap the whole idea.

[RogiBear]

I've been experimenting with milk duds for quite sometime. I did not try the real milk duds though.

It is really subjective to the user. Good milk duds are hard tips. Not soft. If the user likes soft fluffy tips, then milk duds is not the way to go. It also depends on your cue. I'm using a Trevor White and it feels great on my cue, very responsive, good stable hard feeling, but not hard/firm to the extend where you feel the hit do not have any "shock absorbing" to your stroke and cause the "mis-cue" feeling.
But if the same tip is going to put on other cue, it might feel totally different. (I've tried same tip on a blackspin MW. cue is soft, tip is hard... still very reactive and responsive but the feel is very weird, need to try a softer milk to see the difference).

It varies a lot depending on how long you soak, how hard you clamp (a little bit makes a big diff), how you dry it.

I experienced the marble feeling which RogiBear had mentioned above. But the weird thing i've tried so far is, when you just fix it on, it feels like ceramic hard and hit like marble. but after you take some time to "bed-in" and sand it down after a game, it became softer and play very nicely imo.

What I found out so far is that, it really improves the grip on the ball a lot compared to normal elks. Holds the shape better and it play much more consistent throughout the lifespan of the tip. (the range of feel when hitting the ball feels very similar at the start to end of lifespan compared to normal elk which varies a lot.)

I was a soft tip user before i tried milk duds (which I experiment myself, can't say and compared to the 'original' milk duds as I've not tried before), but I learnt the benefits of using hard tip for the feel and control and the grip it can get out of "modifying" the tip.

I'm currently trying to make consistent batches to try out and make sure they play the same and is consistent throughout. Then I can continue to make tweaks and improve on the properties... If I cannot make consistent batches. I would need to change my tools or scrap the whole idea.

That's interesting. Thanks for the insight, maybe I should have tried it out for a bit longer then.