How to care for your pool cue

Now that you’ve bought your own pool cue and hopefully followed some of the advice from previous articles before making it, you’ll want to take care of your investment. A good cleat is relatively durable and forgiving, but all cleats require some care and maintenance. We are going to talk about wooden pool cues here, graphite and fiberglass sticks are practically bulletproof and require a little less care.

CASES. You’re going to need a case to take your new cue to the pool room. You would think it would be obvious but nevertheless I constantly see people coming in with their new cue in hand. Come on, you just spent your money and took the time to pick out a pool cue you love, but can’t find some kind of case? Basic cases are made of vinyl or soft material. These will protect your cue from minor drops and bumps, but not much else. I highly recommend hard cases just because they offer so much protection. Some cases are tested by driving a car over them without damaging the cleat inside! Your pool cue can take a lot of damage in your car, in your house, and even in your pool room, so protect it as best you can.

While we’re on the subject of transporting your cue, never leave your pool cue in your car, especially the trunk! Wood is very susceptible to changes in temperature and humidity, so avoid storing your pool stick in your vehicle at all costs. The wood will expand and contract, which could lead to warping, loose joints, and cracked spots.

TIP. The tip of the pool cue (the part that hits the ball) is the most important part of the stick. You can play pool with a tree branch or a broomstick, or with the crookedest stick in the house, if the tip is solid and the right shape, you can play with it! It is not a joke! Screw-in tips are a serious no-no, so don’t even go there. “Real” tips are glued on and come in a variety of hardnesses. Soft points hold chalk better and are better for applying “english” but wear down and multiply quickly. Extremely hard tips last forever, but need constant re-chalking. Some say they also make a more accurate shot. A medium hard tip should be fine for most players. The tip must be able to contain chalk, so it is necessary to scrape it off periodically. The roundness of the tip must be maintained with a styler. Most players compare the roundness to that of a nickel, although some prefer the narrowness of a “dime curve”. Shaping and scraping too often will cause the tip to disappear quickly, so only shape and scrape when necessary. The sides of the tip should be flush with the ferrule, not stick out. Get yourself a scraper/styler and take care of that tip!

THE AXIS. When you first bought your pool cue, the shaft was nice and smooth, and it slid through the bridge hand very easily. That didn’t last long, did it? The sweat, oils, and dirt from his hand will stick to his shaft very quickly, making it sticky and not as smooth. How is this prevented and how is it cleaned? There’s not much he can do to prevent this from happening in the first place, other than wash his hands frequently and keep them clean and dry. Some people use powder, such as baby powder, in the bridge hand and in the cue. A small amount of powder that has been rubbed well into the hand is fine – it softens the skin, but the powder should never be used as a lubricant. Wash your hands! Dust will cause the pool cue shaft to stick faster and will ruin the pool table felt. Nothing looks worse or plays worse than clean green felt with white baby powder all over it because some idiot thought they had to put powder on it to shoot better! It just isn’t so don’t do it. It’s bad for your taco and bad for the table. Have a little respect, huh?

Wiping the shaft of your pool cue with a soft cloth during play will limit the amount of dirt that collects on it. Not eating or drinking with the bridge hand is also a good habit. It’s a good idea to occasionally use a very light leather burning pad. However, over time, the pores of the shaft wood will become completely filled with dirt and oils and will need to be thoroughly cleaned. I’m going to tell you how I do it, just remember that if you make a mistake you could ruin your taco. Always. The first step is to thoroughly clean the shaft (not the ferrule) with a soft cloth and a bit of rubbing alcohol. You don’t want to soak the wood in it, use just enough to clean the wood. Continue cleaning with rubbing alcohol until you see no dirt on the cloth. The alcohol removes dirt and oil from the wood and opens up the pores of the wood. Now you just want to let it sit and dry for several hours. Now it’s time for the wax! That’s right, I said wax. You need to use 100% carnauba wax for this. Because wax is fine, as long as it’s 100% carnauba wax.

Just like waxing a car, apply a coat of wax with a soft cloth or applicator and let it dry until hazy. You can’t let it get too dry, just let it sit for a while and be a little patient. Once the wax has completely dried, you’ll want to wipe it off and immediately start working the shaft with a leather burning pad (or a simple piece of thick leather if you don’t have a burnisher, which you should anyway). Wrap the leather around the shaft and shake it up and down as fast as you can (yes, it sounds dirty). The more you rub and the faster you rub, the hotter the wax will become, allowing it to penetrate the pores of the wood. When you’re done, you’ll have a beautiful, smooth shaft once again, but you’re not done yet! You will have to redo all the steps except the alcohol part. Apply more wax, let it dry, rub it in, repeat until you have at least 3-4 well-worked coats of wax on the wood. Now take care of the tip and go play pool!

THE BACK. The butt of your pool cue should not need much maintenance. Keep it clean and wipe it with a soft cloth during and after the game. Don’t hit things with it and don’t drop (or throw) it on the ground. Joints will loosen, wood will crack, and parts will separate if you do. Then you will have to buy a completely new cue.

“Dings” in the shaft. There is nothing more annoying than running the pool cue across the bridge and feeling little “knocks” on the wood. As much as we try to take care of our pool cues, these little teeth always seem to appear, as if by magic. Here is a method I learned that will remove minor blemishes from the shaft of your pool cue stick. First, you must clean the spindle with isopropyl alcohol as in the paragraph on cleaning the spindle. This will open up the pores of the wood. Next, find a place where you can put the axle where it won’t roll and get bumped. Lay the axle (horizontally) down with the dents you want to remove facing up. Now soak a very small piece of tissue with water and roll it into a ball (think miniature spitball) and place the ball of tissue directly into the notched spot on the shaft. It is important that the ball of tissue is not larger than the actual notch in the shaft. Let it sit until it dries completely; what happens is that the wood in that small area absorbs the water from the fabric and swells, bringing that point to the level of the surrounding wood. In a perfect world the “ding” would have disappeared, but what usually happens is that the “ding” turns into a small “thump”, which is fine because the thumps can be worked out with a recording pad pretty easily. . Once you have all of your “dents” level or slightly above level, it’s time to wax the shaft. Follow the instructions above for the proper method to do so. Of course, another way to remove dings and dents from your pool cue would be to take it to a professional, but where’s the fun in that?

NEVER USE ABRASIVES. Ever. Period. That means no sandpaper, no scouring pads, no wet/dry paper, nothing. If it was designed to remove wood, keep it away from your pool cue! You never want to remove a layer of wood just to smooth it out; you’ll want to clean up the existing wood to maintain the shape, balance, and feel of the cue.

Your pool cue represents an investment on your part, so keeping it clean and in good condition will make it last a lifetime. That’s a lot to play pool!