Finishing a Snooker Cue

[SteveJ]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering whether some of you finishing guru's could suggest a means of finishing a snooker cue from bare wood up.
While I'm familiar with some techniques I was curious what you guys would suggest, and I am a bit of a newbie in this area.

The timber used for the shaft of the cue is ash with various other hardwood's included in the butt. The priority though is finishing that ash to be smooth and durable. Lustre would be a bonus if not a priority. The grain of the ash will also need to be filled, and I would avoid any varnished finish as it tends to get sticky and catch on the bridging hand when playing - which I assume leaves oil or wax based finishes.

All the best,
Steve.

P.S. Fantastic forum btw, I've learned loads already and I only joined yesterday!

 

[Calpol]

Welcome SteveJ!

I've never finished a cue but I'm pretty sure they are generally oiled, which oil though I don't know! :?

 

[Ironballs]

Steve, welcome, no idea what would be the best finish, maybe a water based spray lacquer?

If you only joined yesterday then you won't know that we demand to see pictures, lots of

I've not seen a snooker cue on here before though some have mentioned giving it a go, would be interested to see it. Bung a few pics in Projects if you have any

Cheers

Damian

 

[Richard Findley]

I'd also recommend oil. Soemthing like this would be fine:

This is a "High Build" finish, which means the more coats you put on the higher the gloss you achieve. 3-4 gives a lovely sheen. You can top coat with some wax to really top it off!!

Hope this helps,

Richard

 

[SteveJ]

Thanks for the advice guys, never seen finishing oil before might have to give it a bash.

I'll try and see if I can get some piccies sorted out at some point, not that the results of my labour are particulaly wonderful to date, getting there though .

In the past I've used Linseed Oil and danish oil to refinish old cues, I was curious whether there were any other products worth trying... finishing oil is definatly on the list.

Specifically I was wondering about the Osmo floor finishing stuff and Organoil Burnishing oil - any suggestions?

Also I was pondering the use of a sanding sealer in conjunction with grain filler and an oil finish - should I use one? How do I use it?

Sorry for the inquisition guys, I'll get some pics up soon, maybe even a WIP style thread - those things are fantastic!!

Steve.

 

[Chris Knight]

Steve,
It's just a Danish oil by another name - a more accurate name in truth I suppose. You find such products differ in drying time and the amount of coloration they impart.

A good test is to pour a small amount of each onto sheet glass and wait for it to dry, timing how long it takes and judging the clarity of the film created. I did this for half a dozen such "oils" some years ago and of the ones I tried, Liberon finishing oil did best. Chestnut oil was not one of the ones I tested and I have no personal experience of it.

 

[wizer]

I would also suggest giving it a good rub with Renaissance Wax when the finish has dried. Ren Wax repels finger marks and protects the finish.

 

[SteveJ]

Thanks again for the advice guys, the ren wax is microcrystalline based right? I've some of my own which I made up from pellets - it does give a good finish but I prefer the oil finish route.

I'm gonna continue to experiment untill I find something that I feel is 'just right' - lots of ideas now . I do really like the finish of a Danish oil but the colour it produces in the Ash is seriously nasty in my opinion, will try to formulate an alternative :lol: .


Steve.

PS I've added a thread in projects:

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/view ... hp?t=32770

 

[wizer]

Steve please don't put Danish oil anywhere near Ash!! Use a shellac or a lacquer (or both).

 

[irishthump]

Hi guys, don't post much but I'm a regular visitor.

To the OP:
My father runs a snooker club and has been maintaining snooker cues and performing repirs on them for many years. After working on a cue, replaicing a ferrule for example, the shaft will usually have had it's finish sanded away. He prefers to treat the bare wood with a few applications of raw linseed oil. This will often be enough and in the case of older cues no other finish was used, the patina being build up through constant contact with sweaty and oily hands during play. But if you want this effect the best thing to use is beeswax.

Hope that helps.