A simple routine
| When | Task |
|---|---|
| Every shot or two | Chalk lightly |
| Every session | Wipe the shaft with a dry cloth; check the tip shape; put the cue back in its case |
| Every few weeks | Scuff and reshape the tip if it is glazing or flattening |
| Every month or two | Clean the shaft; clean joint threads and faces |
| As needed | Replace tip, bumper or wrap; have dents or a loose ferrule repaired |
Chalking
Brush the chalk across the tip with light strokes, turning the cue a little each time, until the surface is evenly covered. Don't drill the tip into the cube. Look at the tip: if there is a bald patch, chalk again. Keep chalk off the ferrule and shaft; it is abrasive and stains.
Scuffing and shaping the tip
- Scuff when the tip looks shiny and stops holding chalk. A tip tool with a fine abrasive face roughens the surface. A few light passes are enough.
- Shape when the tip flattens. A shaper with a curved face restores the dome. Work gently and evenly around the tip.
- Trim if the tip mushrooms over the ferrule. A cue repairer can trim and burnish the edge so it sits flush.
Over-scuffing wears tips away quickly. Only do it when the tip needs it.
Cleaning the shaft
For wooden shafts, wipe with a clean, slightly damp cloth to lift chalk and skin oil, then dry immediately. For stubborn grime, a cleaner sold for cue shafts used as directed is safer than household products. Afterwards, burnishing with a piece of leather or a clean cotton cloth seals the surface and makes it slick.
- Avoid sandpaper and coarse abrasives. They remove wood and change the shaft's diameter.
- Avoid soaking a wooden shaft. Water raises the grain and can encourage warping.
- Carbon fibre shafts just need wiping; follow the maker's instructions for any cleaner.
Joint and ferrule
Wipe the joint threads and faces clean so the halves seat flat. Check that the ferrule is not cracked or lifting. A loose ferrule or a small dent in the shaft is cheap to repair early and expensive to ignore.
Storage: heat and humidity
Wood moves with temperature and moisture. The worst places for a cue are car boots and interiors in summer or winter, damp basements and garages, beside radiators or in direct sun.
- Store the cue in a case, lying flat or standing upright, at normal room temperature.
- Don't lean it at an angle against a wall for long periods.
- Let a cue adjust to room temperature before playing if it has been somewhere cold.
- Break the cue down for storage; leaving it assembled stresses the joint.
If you suspect a warp, sight down the shaft while rotating it. A slight warp can sometimes be corrected by a cue repairer; a bad one usually means a new shaft. See cases for protection.