New Cue Sticky?

[james.k.sullivan]

Hey guys,
A couple of days ago i bought myself my first cue for £40. A WAC BCE cue which i am really pleased with. I have noticed, however, that the shaft seems quite sticky/dry/untreated. At least it is more sticky than the ones at the club. Is this normal? Is there something i can do to make it slicker and smoother? I've seem people recommend sand paper but i'm a bit nervous to do that as its brand new. I also have only used it once so i don't think it needs a clean.
Thanks
(By the way, i'm new to both forums and snooker so tell me if i'm being stupid)

[vmax4steve]

No you're not being stupid. Cues of this price range usually have the shafts varnished, if so take it off with some paint stripper like Nitromors. Follow the instructions on the tin, and then treat the bare wood with some antique furniture polish or linseed oil and give it a good buffing with a soft cloth.

[Deepscrew]

Nitromors a cue, now there,s a new one!

I'd try a damp cloth followed by a dry one first.

[james.k.sullivan]

Thanks. I hadn't thought of paint stripper. To treat it, would i be better getting cue oil or something cue specific as opposed to DIY style polish/oil?

[vmax4steve]

Nitromors a cue, now there,s a new one!

I'd try a damp cloth followed by a dry one first.

Read it again deepscrew, if varnished. I have taken the varnish off several cheap cues with Nitromors, works a treat without roughing up the shaft.
Don't buy anything expensive to treat the bare shaft with. I use an antique furniture polish twice a year on my cue and it has kept it straight for twenty five years. That's what treating the shaft is for, preventing the wood from drying out which leads to warping.

[Terry Davidson]

vmax is right if the shaft is varnished. After removing the varnish use very fine steel wool or even a very fine scouring pad LIGHTLY on the shaft to get it really smooth. Then see if you can get some RAW linseed oil (not the chemically treated stuff which has a chemical drying agent in it). If you can't get the raw linseed then poolqjunkie on here (Auroracues(dot)com) sells a very good cue oil which is not too expensive (if he has any left as they sold quickly when he offered them).

I bought a bottle of the Aurora Cue Oil and when I smooth out a shaft on an older cue I put on about 3 coats of oil, letting each one dry overnight and then wiping down with a soft and dry cloth. I just did this to a 20-year-old Parris cue which had a rough shaft and I used some very fine scouring pads and didn't apply a lot of pressure and the shaft came out silky smooth. In fact I sold the cue the day after I finished refurbishing it.

Terry

[Terry Davidson]

I forgot to mention, when using steel wool or a fine scouring pad keep rotating the cue continuously so you don't wear down the shaft unevenly

Terry

[james.k.sullivan]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I used nitromors to take the varnish off, fine sandpaper and steel wool to get it reeeeealy smooth, and then sealed it with Mike Wooldridge's cue oil. Perfect!

[james.k.sullivan]

Thanks guys for all your help. I used nitromors first which worked an absolute treat. Then I rubbed down with 1200 grade sandpaper and fine wire wool to get it smooth. Finished with some cue oil from Mike Wooldridge and the cue is perfect!!! The oil is great! Colour is improved, shine is better and it feels much more like wood, as opposed to the plasticky finish of varnish.