Should you use 0000 grit steel wool to clean your cue?

[blahblah01]

Just don't go on AlliExpress and order cheap Chinese pressed tips :wink:

I've 3 or 4* sorts you can try out if you want

*one lot are in an Elk box with "Made in USA" on the sticker.....

[anish147]

Have you ever used 0000 grit steel wool.

It is actually designed for use as follows:

0000 Finest For buffing and cleaning. Buffs woodwork, shellac, lacquer and varnish (use with wax or oil.) Cleans windows without water or cleaners. Remove rust from chrome with kerosene.

I've used it on hundreds of cues along with the various grades of sanding / polishing paper and like them, I think it has a place.

I'm always trying to make sure I try things rather than what I get used to or I might be missing something great!

That's a great philosophy which I share, but it's lead to a flat full of junk too, as I just keep buying and trying different things, lol. I guess I enjoy the experimenting with tips, cues chalk etc as much as the game itself. I know I should just stick to one cue, chalk, tip and focus on the practising, but a part of my motivation is the trying out of new things.

[blahblah01]

Well my pledge didn't last too long

Yep on Ferrule mainly.

Soaked in White spirit and used gently it was OK - gently must be the key and used across the strands.... Aldi's non-scouring sponge\rough white stuff things are OK too.

Not a clue what was on the shaft, but I think they tried to make it look like Maple as colour is coming through really well, which has put the mockers on my plan to use the Craftsman Wax to try and bring some colour out of the shaft.

I'm kinda stuck now re what to do with it, can about to be opened and the football....

[Shockerz]

Yep to his experience and "touch", as well as Ninja\VMax et al....

My new (very old cue) is Greenheart, which seems very soft from the side, so no way am I using wool on it.

Have you ever used 0000 grit steel wool.

It is actually designed for use as follows:

0000 Finest For buffing and cleaning. Buffs woodwork, shellac, lacquer and varnish (use with wax or oil.) Cleans windows without water or cleaners. Remove rust from chrome with kerosene.

I've used it on hundreds of cues along with the various grades of sanding / polishing paper and like them, I think it has a place.

I'm always trying to make sure I try things rather than what I get used to or I might be missing something great!

[Shockerz]

As an aside, I'm watching the MW clip on repairing scratches and he advocates wax on side of tip (but NOT oil)

I've been thinking he is a bit heavy on the paper and wool ie grades: but it is the difference between a Pro using expensive stuff, as buys in bulk as opposed to someone looking after their own cue?

It's also how you use them I think.

To shape a tip I actually start with 80 grit and skim so the tip doesn't get the full force of the grade of paper.

I guess we all try our own methods until we are completely happy.

I also might use 600 grit on a ferrule which would take brass off but it would normally be well used which makes a difference. and then finish with 0000 grit steel wool; lot's of ways to achieve the same result.

[blahblah01]

Yep to his experience and "touch", as well as Ninja\VMax et al....

My new (very old cue) is Greenheart, which seems very soft from the side, so no way am I using wool on it.

[anish147]

As an aside, I'm watching the MW clip on repairing scratches and he advocates wax on side of tip (but NOT oil)

I've been thinking he is a bit heavy on the paper and wool ie grades: but it is the difference between a Pro using expensive stuff, as buys in bulk as opposed to someone looking after their own cue?

Just my opinion, but he has far more experience so he can get away with using coarser materials - it's as much how he uses it as well as what he's using. I'd only end up creating a dip in the shaft or something if I followed his video exactly. Also, the grains on an Ash cue are naturally softer than the non-grained parts, so even if you applied the same pressure along the whole of an Ash shaft, I may end up eroding the cue more around the grain and create dips.

I'm sure Ninja/VMax have a better take on such things?

[blahblah01]

Hmm, same point as I have just posted re the difference between a Pro and looking after 1 cue - so yes to your point about thinner ie Pro can have a mix made up....

[anish147]

So: lol

Pierce film\foil seal on Tru Oil

Pour\squirt enough into Glass Jar, with Thinner

Tape over the pierced film\foil.

Do not stir the mixture too vigourously ie avoid bubbles. (found on youtube somewhere)

Apply thin covering to Butt, and leave over night.

Buff (300o ish paper or the dreaded Wire Wool stuff) and repeat until shiny, shiny....

Exactly!

I haven't used thinners to be honest, though it may well help with thinner layers. Since the butt is already waxed, just by rubbing the tru-oil on for a few minutes will coat it thinly enough and it won't soak through so you won't get thick patches of oil left on it. You don't need much oil at all - a few drops - so I don't bother pouring any out into a glass - I just let a few drops drip from the hole directly onto a soft cloth and put the tape back on as contact with air will make it start drying out

[blahblah01]

As an aside, I'm watching the MW clip on repairing scratches and he advocates wax on side of tip (but NOT oil)

I've been thinking he is a bit heavy on the paper and wool ie grades: but it is the difference between a Pro using expensive stuff, as buys in bulk as opposed to someone looking after their own cue?

[Shockerz]

Shockerz - if you have some of this Tru-oil, try it on top of one of the cues you've already finished off and after a few coats it would be good to see if you think there's a better shine. Sometimes I convince myself there's a difference but it may just be in my head!

Another tip - if using Tru-oil - do NOT peel off the seal on the bottle - just make a smallish hole in the seal. Once you've used what you need, put some tape on top of the seal to cover the hole. If you don't do this, when you come back to the bottle after a few weeks, you'll find it contains hardened bits of the edges that have dried up, and you'll struggle to apply it in thin layers and avoid bumps - good tip from another YouTube video somewhere!

Ok mate I'll give it a go.

I have a cue at the moment that I have given 6 coats of oil to see if I can get my grimy fingers to leave a mark which I could just about get one into it.

I then steel wool'ed the shine off of it.

I then waxed it to a nice shine.

As it's sat there with wax on it, I'll steel wool it again and apply some tru oil.

What I always ask is, what is the tru oil like for finger prints.

I have tried lots of oils that give a great shine after a few coats but even after ample drying time you lose the shine after playing a few frames with greasy hands and it won't always buff out so that os my test of a good mixture.

...............Off to the workshop for a little while to try it.

[blahblah01]

So: lol

Pierce film\foil seal on Tru Oil

Pour\squirt enough into Glass Jar, with Thinner

Tape over the pierced film\foil.

Do not stir the mixture too vigourously ie avoid bubbles. (found on youtube somewhere)

Apply thin covering to Butt, and leave over night.

Buff (300o ish paper or the dreaded Wire Wool stuff) and repeat until shiny, shiny....

[anish147]

Yep, I fully appreciate oil on wax sounds odd. Tru-oil is not your usual oil. Watch a couple of YouTube videos - there's one in particular by a German guy I think who compares the finish of about 5 different oils on a block of wood.

Tru-oil will dry and leave a thin film, and I assume it's this thin film that eventually produces the nice gloss. So I use Fiddes wax to protect the whole cue, then just a few layers of Tru-oil afterwards on the butt to maybe 2 inches above the splices for added shine. If it didn't leave the film, I probably wouldn't bother as I couldn't see how it would permeate the wax, which is your point

Shockerz - if you have some of this Tru-oil, try it on top of one of the cues you've already finished off and after a few coats it would be good to see if you think there's a better shine. Sometimes I convince myself there's a difference but it may just be in my head!

Another tip - if using Tru-oil - do NOT peel off the seal on the bottle - just make a smallish hole in the seal. Once you've used what you need, put some tape on top of the seal to cover the hole. If you don't do this, when you come back to the bottle after a few weeks, you'll find it contains hardened bits of the edges that have dried up, and you'll struggle to apply it in thin layers and avoid bumps - good tip from another YouTube video somewhere!

[blahblah01]

Thanks for explaining all this

[anish147]

re the Comment in that Vid, the Thinner is helps with a thin coat and quicker drying time.....



Any reason why the wool over 3000 grade paper?

Thinner also helps because you're less likely to introduce thick/thin layers - ie you'll be more consistent in achieving a super smooth finish without lumps or bumps. For me, the quicker drying is neither here nor there because I'm leaving it overnight anyway.

3000 grade perfectly fine. In fact, I used 3000 grade then a soft cloth to buff on the second cue I did