Wax Or Oil Finish?

[SnookeredYou]

I have always used Q wax to finish my cues (http://www.seyberts.com/products/Q_Wax-28-15.html). When I received my cue it had a weird shiny coat on it that didn't run very smooth through my bridge hand. I did a very light sanding, then use a damp paper towel to clean the shaft, then wax it down and burnish with a leather pad. It shoots like polished glass right now. I was wondering what is the process to using oil? Is it the same as wax? Are there any better benefits to using oil over wax? I have also heard that you shouldn't use either oil or wax but a different kind of sealer.

[Ramon]

I think it is a matter of personal preference !! Oil finish is natural and gives the wood a nice look !! also depends on who the cue maker is !! MW cues are oil finished but much smoother than a shaft with wax !! Wax also affects The sound at the time of striking ! Imo !!!! is just something I can hear (feel), but I can'nt describe it !! anyway ,, I prefer the oil !! wax is cheap and not classy !!! as I said ,, is a matter of personal preference , I gusse !!

[fredkite]

Wax tends to get sticky if you play in a warm environment. Try Danish oil, it's given my cue a lovely finish.

[RogiBear]

Oil and the thinnest you can find. Sure, you will have to do it every few months, but you get the smoothest finish that glides through the bridge. Some prefer a thick oil but I make my own oil and it's super light and doesn't discolour the wood much the way heavier oils can.

If the cue is finished with oil correctly you shouldn't have to oil it every few months!!!

[Ash & Ebony]

Has anyone heard of or tried "Tru-Oil" ? It is commonly used by North American luthiers as a treatment to give a non gloss, good glide action on bare maple bass guitar necks. it may work well on ash also. Not sure how available it is in the UK. I believe it was formulated originally as a gun stock oil so one could try hunting shops for info.
As a point of interest, oiling bare maple doesn't really improve the maple's moisture resistance but only helps to prevent "greying" of the tight grain. I have played my bass guitar bare maple neck (NO oil) for years with only a regular cleaning with rubbing alcohol to cut any oily feel. Plays like glass.
B.

[The Stig]

I use Tru Oil on my butt for added grip as i don't like a butt that's too slippy in your hand, i wouldn't use it on a shaft as it will be too much like a varnish feel and won't slide through your bridge. Tru oil is actually used for gun stocks in the USA to give a really nice shine and presumably good grip as you wouldn't want a gun stock to be too slippy, like you say people use it for guitars as well but it's origins are from being used on wooden gun stocks.

[vmax4steve]

The butt of my cue is french polished and the shaft treated with beeswax polish once a year.

[piper74]

I use Tru Oil on my butt for added grip as i don't like a butt that's too slippy in your hand, i wouldn't use it on a shaft as it will be too much like a varnish feel and won't slide through your bridge. Tru oil is actually used for gun stocks in the USA to give a really nice shine and presumably good grip as you wouldn't want a gun stock to be too slippy, like you say people use it for guitars as well but it's origins are from being used on wooden gun stocks.

I do not like a butt that is too slippery too. Can you give more details on using the Tru oil? Can it be easily removed? How do you apply it?

I normally use a slightly damp cloth to wipe down my cues, then immediately with a dry towel. The shaft will be smooth, but so will the butt.

What other options do i have to make the butt slightly grippy other than tru-oil? Right now, cue butt is too smooth and has a tendency to slip out of my hands.

Thanks!

[JLiang91]

I oiled my cue for 24th, after that it have the smelly oil smell. It's been 2 months, how to get rid of it? @@

[bigandyg]

To much oil, white spirit or similar and soft cloth.

[Ash & Ebony]

I oiled my cue for 24th, after that it have the smelly oil smell. It's been 2 months, how to get rid of it? @@

This is a common issue with the oil. It is a type of oil that has characteristics similar to a "rubbing varnish" like Danish Oil or most antiquing oils I believe.(it's not strictly an oil). It takes some time to cure. I personally wouldn't use it on a cue SHAFT because it can get "gummy" if you apply too heavy a coat.
Here's a couple of reads on tru oil.

http://forums.ernieball.com/music-ma...oil-smell.html

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/finely-fi...sh-report.html

[The Stig]

I do not like a butt that is too slippery too. Can you give more details on using the Tru oil? Can it be easily removed? How do you apply it?

I normally use a slightly damp cloth to wipe down my cues, then immediately with a dry towel. The shaft will be smooth, but so will the butt.

What other options do i have to make the butt slightly grippy other than tru-oil? Right now, cue butt is too smooth and has a tendency to slip out of my hands.

Thanks!

It's very easy to apply and remove, just like any other oil.

Get some 0000 grade wire wool and lightly rub down your butt until it's very smooth and the old finished has been removed, then wipe off any excess dust. Get a clean rag, ideally one that's free from fluff and bits then just apply a small amount of oil to the rag and rub the oil on like you do with Linseed oil. Use nice smooth strokes so it gets evenly applied and wipe off any excess, leave it for between 12 - 24hrs to dry. Once dry give it a buff with something like a microfibre cloth, if your happy with the finish after 1 coat you can leave it at that. If you want to put another coat on just lightly wipe it with the 0000 grade wire wool so its perfectly smooth, wipe any dust off then apply another coat and repeat the above process. It's really easy to use, just like any other oil, the process is the same.

It's an oil not a varnish which is great, the finish is very nice and a lot grippier than Linseed oil is.

[piper74]

It's very easy to apply and remove, just like any other oil.

Get some 0000 grade wire wool and lightly rub down your butt until it's very smooth and the old finished has been removed, then wipe off any excess dust. Get a clean rag, ideally one that's free from fluff and bits then just apply a small amount of oil to the rag and rub the oil on like you do with Linseed oil. Use nice smooth strokes so it gets evenly applied and wipe off any excess, leave it for between 12 - 24hrs to dry. Once dry give it a buff with something like a microfibre cloth, if your happy with the finish after 1 coat you can leave it at that. If you want to put another coat on just lightly wipe it with the 0000 grade wire wool so its perfectly smooth, wipe any dust off then apply another coat and repeat the above process. It's really easy to use, just like any other oil, the process is the same.

It's an oil not a varnish which is great, the finish is very nice and a lot grippier than Linseed oil is.

Thanks Stig, I was under the impression that Tru-oil is some sort of wiping varnish.

I was wondering if it is possible to apply the tru-oil thinly, wait for like 10 minutes and immediately buff it off.

This way, the layer of tru-oil will be very much thinner. I only want a little bit of friction for the butt and not totally smooth like the shaft.

[Ash & Ebony]

Thanks Stig, I was under the impression that Tru-oil is some sort of wiping varnish.

I was wondering if it is possible to apply the tru-oil thinly, wait for like 10 minutes and immediately buff it off.

This way, the layer of tru-oil will be very much thinner. I only want a little bit of friction for the butt and not totally smooth like the shaft.

Here's another couple quotes from a woodworking site re. "tru oil". I would suggest to practice on another item to establish method & result before you treat you prized cue. This is a finishing treatment not regular cue oil.
B.

1. ......Tru Oil is made by the Birchwood Casey company. I have looked everywhere I can think of on the internet and on this website and can't find much information about it. All I have been able to find is whats printed on the bottle:

"Its unique blend of linseed and natural oils dries fast and will not cloud, yellow or crack with age and resists water damage."

It also says to dilute it with mineral spirits."

2. "It" (tru oil) "is Polymerized Linseed Oil!!"
Raw linseed oil takes forever to dry. Boiled Linseed Oil (BLO) has metallic dryers added to make it dry faster. Polymerizing is a process which involves heating the oil in an oxygen free environment to the smoking point. This makes the oil dry (take in oxy to cure) much faster and dry harder. It also makes the oil very thick. Tru Oil has already been thinned about 4 times from the factory . Tru-Oil will dry when you are still rubbing it in, hence the need to thin it a little more to slow it down. One word of caution BLO is a fire hazard-----Tru-Oil is a fire hazard times three!! I dispose of my Oil soaked rags by burning them.

P.S. just rub it down with a gray nylon pad between coats!

[The Stig]

I used one very thin coat of Tru Oil and it's done exactly what I wanted it too, made my butt nice and grippy and at the same time it has a really nice finish. You don't need much at all on a rag, I think I read either on the bottle or on the net somewhere that Tru oil is dry in 3 hours and ready to buff, I was in no rush so just left it over night.