QUESTION:

fenris wrote: "How do you guys clean and maintain your cue? What tips do you guys have to keep your cues well maintained?"

ANSWERS:

badandy wrote: "I always keep it in the case and upright. Never bang it around, getting PO'd and slam the cue etc and never lean it against the wall. Dont lend the cue out, few hands have touched my cue, thats the way i like it, no dents.

As far as cleaning, i use a soft detailing rag or piece of Simonis to wipe it down fairly often to keep the chalk down. Every once in a while i hit it with 2K or 12K sandpaper. About once a month i spread cue silk on the shaft then sand the cue silk into the grain. Some times i use cue cleaner instead of cue silk. Both work very well.

I have a habit of every time i take the cue out i wet the side of the tip then burnish it with a piece of leather. The side of the tip is now permanently black and shiney. A lot of times i put a little Johnsons spray wax on a piece of Simonis and use it to wipe the ferrule clean to keep the blue chalk ring down.

Every once in a great while i wax the butt."

jules wrote: "Use Karseal Cloth and a Scouring Pad. Someone here once suggested for me to wipe the wrap with alchohol(not damp the towel but wet enough) I strongly advise people not to do this for it will ruin your cue."

aeg wrote: "scotch bright high performance cloth used for cleaning lenses really gets those finger prints and powder off the cue butt without scratching the finish i don't really clean the shaft (i like the dark shaft look at least people know i play regularly) occasional wiping with pranella while playing makes it smooth again i don't clean the linen wrap cause i think it has wax on it and it doesn't get dirty. my ferrule doesn't get any chalk on it cause it's made out of an old cueball."

mick wrote: "I have found that 5:1 diluted orange oil removes almost 100% of the dirt/chalk on the cue. Then I burnish it with a white scotch bright (very soft abrasive) then polish with a leather pad."

kingcarem wrote: "I agree with using diluted orange oil on the ferrule only.

For the shaft and butt I have always used only a soft dish soap, very diluted, and wet rage to wipe off all the hand oils or other dirt. Once you have the shaft sanded down well enough, no need to continue sanding it to get that feel back, you just need to clean off the oils."

agent_xxx wrote: "I clean my cues and cue case once a week with the following items: 

- sandpaper (1000, 1500 and 2000 grit): Used for the shaft of my break/play cue to keep it smooth and shiny. At times, i use a damp sandpaper... slightly wet and I got excellent results.

- wax paper and iron: Used for the linen wrap of my break/play. I slide the wax paper on the linenwrap afterwards, I then iron the wrap.

- pledge furniture cleaner and pranella cloth: Used for the butt of my break/play as well as the shaft and butt of playing cue. Yep, even the shaft indeed coz it is coated. The spray keeps my cue shiny and smooth as well. I also use this to clean my 2x2 custom case.

I usually take 30 minutes to 1 hour of cleaning time on a weekly basis."