The leather tip of the pool cue stick should be rough to make the chalk stick on it. You should clean the cue stick and oil the tip to keep it in good working order.
How to Maintain the Shaft
If you have Ash cues, clean those using boiled linseed oil. Use a non-abrasive cloth to wipe down the cue after oiling it. If your cues have a varnished shaft, start cleaning them using 240-grade sandpaper. From there, move to a 600-grade sandpaper before finally finishing off with a 120-grade sandpaper. Make sure you oil the cue after sanding it.
Inspect the cue joints to ensure they have no dirt. Use a 600 and 1200 grade sandpaper to remove any dirt. Before refitting the tip, check the ferrule for any movement.
Burnishing and Conditioning the Cue Shaft
When oil and debris get trapped in the pores of a wooden shaft, they make it sticky. To prevent the stickiness, you can close the pores through burnishing. When the wood is exposed to friction, it heats up and expands. As a result, the pores close. To burnish the shaft, rub it fast up and down using Cue Slicker.
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You can also use the same method to smoothen out “mushrooming” tips, hardening their outer edge. Use a small amount of water to accelerate the burnishing process.
Keep Your Cue Shaft in Excellent Condition
A simple maintenance routine involves cleaning the shaft using a non-abrasive cloth to remove oil and dirt deposited on it. Clean the shaft after every few games. Burnishing the cue shaft will ensure the cue stays slick, and regular maintenance will keep the shaft gliding smoothly.
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If the shaft has some deep dents, repair them before the next game. One way of doing this is by making the dent protrude by rapidly rubbing a plastic or glass rod over it. From there, sand the dent to be level with other parts of the shaft.
Finally, when you want to chalk the cue, rub the chalk across the top rather than grinding it into the center. This ensures the cue ferrule will not get stained.
