Problem with talisman soft

[FMeister]

Hi,
I am having a problem with my talisman soft. When I put this tip on my cue, I find that I can play remarkably well especially that I used a lot of side when playing, probably the best I've ever played. After a few days, retiming back to the game I find that the tip has flattened since it is soft and requires a bit of reshaping. But I can never get the feel of that if the first time I played with it. After a lot of shaping I find that I am replacing the tip again!!! Only to got through the whole process again.... Any thoughts... Will a medium density tip be the answer???

[thelongbomber]

Three likely reasons your tip might be coming "out of shape":

1. During tip application, you used a lathe. Lathes are good for cutting perfect rounds on the edge but they also have a very bad side effect: they break the delicate vertical/horizontal fibres both from heat/friction and cutting to quickly. Layered tips are especially delicate and need to be handled with care. The best way to apply layered tips is to cut them roughly once. Use them for a few sessions and then seal/burnish the edges later once the tip has compressed. You will know it's time to burnish when you see tiny fibres sticking out of the edge of your tip - this is good for a new tip by the way.

2. You are not chalking properly. Actually, how you chalk has more to do with maintaining a dome shape than any other single factor!!!!. Chalk from the middle out to a corner like this: rotate chalk on the top of your tip lightly and then down and off to one side letting the corner of the chalk be the last part that touches your tip. Rotate your cue while doing all the above. Be gentle as overly vigorous chalking can easily take a tip out of round. Soft layered tips are especially sensitive to vigorous chalking. Just apply a delicate amount of chalk - don't stand there chalking/thinking and making a huge ruccus and squeeking sound!!!

3. You cut too many layers down too early. With layered tips, put them on, cut them to rough shape on the sides, and then dome them only until you need to. If you try to shorten a layered tip with sanding, you are defeating the purpose of the tip's promised capability. Soft tips have fewer, but thick layers. Hard tips have more thinner layers.

Hope that helps!!

[sydneygeorge]

I had a similar experience and tried a Kamui med hard and will never return.

[hotpot]

Try reshaping it by turning your cue around so youre hitting the high spot and it will level out .

When you use sandpaper u are softening the tip especially if its too course .

[sootyvrs]

I started off with a Talisman Soft and thought it was fantastic when I started playing with it but then decided that it didn't quite have the"right" feel so went to a Talisman M.

Again the tip felt fantastic to start and then it got harder and felt like a stone on the end of the cue! Lost confidence after a few miscues as most know it doesn't hold chalk like a softer press tip.

I did have a Phoenix M tip on a spare cue and that felt very similar to Talisman S at the start and I decided to try and prise it off the spare cue to put on my preferred playing cue but ruined it so may try that again sometime to see if it remains consistent like when it's new.

I have now give up the ghost with Talisman and gone back to pressed tips which MW Supertip is my current favourite.

[Deepscrew]

as a rule would a laminated tip last longer than a pressed one?

[sootyvrs]

Yes Laminated usually last longer as they stay consistent longer due to them being generally harder but there are exceptions if they de-laminate or get damaged due to miss cues but that can also happen to pressed tips I guess

[sydneygeorge]

Yes considerably longer,my experience has been with Talisman soft and Kamui med & med hard.
You can fit, shape and play no need reduce the height.
The Kamui MH is my favorite and it feels the same all the way through the life of the tip,superb grip and feel.
Several months ago for the sake of an A - B comparison I fitted a " Premium" quality pressed tip.
I played for exactly 1.5 hrs before removing it and re fitting a Kamui.

[sydneygeorge]

Sorry, I forgot to state I am talking about Kamui Black.

[deant1982]

I had a similar issue with a Kamui MH. I put it on, levelled it to the ferrule and shaped it. After about 3 weeks, I noticed it was very slightly mushrooming out over the ferrule again where it has now been played in (quite a bit). I simply took the edges off to the ferrule again, and its now fine. (Its just me thats crap).Best thing to get is one of them "billiard tip shaper" things or what ever they're called. They look like a giant pencil sharpener, but do the job brilliantly.

Also @Thelongbomber I had read that burnishing a laminated/layered tip was a no no as it causes the glue to heat up, resulting in it breaking down and the tip delaminating? Does burnishing/sealing the tip only apply to pressed tips?

Dean

[cally]

IME burnishing a lam tip ain't a problem, Maybe you were reading not to burnish with a lathe maybe...

A lathe may create too much heat and cause trouble with the glue like you say but doing it with a note/leather/brwon paper etc ain't gonna cause any probs with too much heat, unless of course you spin it upto a reasonable RPM by hand, other that that you'll be all good.

I always burnish all tip whatever they are, they look so much neater...