No problem David. I'm hoping to do a few more videos soon if time allows.

Hi Arvin Once I've completed a sanding process I apply my grain filler, let it dry and then re sand. Once happy with the finish I then start applying oils. I will get round to doing videos on the whole process but at present I am making various oils, fillers and dyes. Once I'm completely happy with them I'll show how I apply them. Hope this helped.

@@thesnookercrazygroup3562 Thanks bro . Will be waiting for more of your videos.

@@thesnookercrazygroup3562 hi bro how long do we need to let the grain filler on the cue . Do we need to sand down the grain filler at the beginning itself or use a dry cloth and remove the grain filler and then sand it down. Please guide me thanks bro

@@arvinsubramaniam544 Hi Arvin. I'm sure there are many different ways. Drying time depends on what you are using; if you aren't sure then let it dry for a day. Some of mine are a few hours and some are an hour. Personally I make sure there aren't any lumps etc and would remove with a paper towel if possible if you are using something resulting in this (where possible i.e. something wax or ink based). I always skim using 600 to 800 to remove excess (usually 600) which gives me the results I want. I then apply the finish i.e. oils, waxes or both.

@@thesnookercrazygroup3562 Thank you bro very good information. Thanks for guiding me . Thank you bro

Hi Zain Do you have any more info on how the oil reacts eg Drying times, does it set hard, does it change the colour if wood (ash/maple), does it go rancid, does it finish matt/gloss etc I quite like playing with various oils to see how they react and had some limited sucess with food oils outside of linseed.

Ha Ha. The workshop has chipboard and has moved a little over the last few years. My son managed to actually go through the floor where he was lifting so much when it was a Gym. The workshop is still a work in progress but I'll try and avoid the creaky bit. Thanks for subscribing!

@@thesnookercrazygroup3562 Still squeaking...................still busy lol.

Hi David Not sure what type of oil you have used which can make all the difference or if the whole cue is sticky or particular woods so I'll generalise. There are many types of butt woods that affect how oil dries and some either take a lot longer to dry, never really dry as they produce their own oil or dry just fine but too much oil has been put on or even the wrong type if oil. A neat linseed oil can end up very sticky and take an eternity to dry and yet a lot if cue makers still prefer this, they will though use as thin a coat as possible as it gives it the best chance of drying without issues, they will also wipe as much excess off as possible after applying each coat or it may become that sticky mess. Most guys use the boiled linseed oil as it has white spirit in it which helps it dry a lot quicker, I tend to use my own mix as I am after a different feel so have to work a little harder to get the cue dry. Others just use a few thin coats of finishing oil as if used correctly, it will dry in a few hours e.g. 5 hours or overnight. We could talk for hours on the multitudes of oils (and other things) that can affect how a cue is finished, why it is taking an eternity to dry or why it is sticky but I'd need to know the small bits of what was done. Generally (and I don't mean you) guys put too much oil on, don't wipe the excess on, use the wrong oil or don't allow enough time between drying. When this happens and the cue is sticky (and dry ish) I would be looking to cut it back a layer and redo a coat of 2 but use thinner layers, check the oil I am using, wipe off excess within the oils guidance notes and ensure I allow a drying time reflective if the wood I am applying the oil to. I generally start to try and wipe some excess off with white spirit before cutting back with any 0000 steel wool but I'd have to feel the cue to know what method I would use. One thing I haven't mentioned is that if the butt is actually made if resin and not ebony then there aren't any pores for the oil to soak into which is why some cue makers use lacquer. In this instance a wax or a wax lacquer finush on the butt would be better. I have an intricate written step by step oil finish on my website below the video if you want to check against how you oiled which may or may not help, I'll pop a link below. If you still don't find a solution, message me on Facebook Messenger, my page is, 'The Snooker Crazy Group.' Hopefully some of that might have prompted some ideas but difficult to guess without holding the cue or watching each step. www.snookercrazy.com/how-to-oil-your-snooker-cue/

Hi Elmir Did he add a grain filler to the grain prior to oiling the sanded shaft and was the cue oiled or lacquered prior to his work?

@@thesnookercrazygroup3562 so he used grain filler after the sanding down and I have oiled it many times since and it’s building up the colour again so it’s a lot less noticeable now! The cue is a properly handmade cue so no lacquer at all!

Hi Bruce Can be a few reasons mate. Generally you may have either applied too much, not removed any excess or it's not had long enough to dry hard. If you've used Dave Coutts then the oil will be fine. I've used Dave's and you only need a drop at a time. Less is more s to speak. If you put a minimum amount on, remove any excess after 15 minutes or so (with a lint free cloth) then let it dry over night. I normally cut it down between coats with some 0000 grit steel wool and then apply a couple more thin coats. Once the final coat has dried, buff it as hard as you can; personally I throttle the life out of it until you can feel the warmth coming off the cue. Buff it as much as you can for at least the first month and you should get some really good results. I'm always changing how I oil a cue dependant on the woods, previous finish etc but I have a rough process here if you need to take a look. www.snookercrazy.com/how-to-oil-your-snooker-cue/

@@marclockley7553 thanks mate! I think I've put more oil on than you suggested. And i need to get 0000 steel grit. Hope it will work.

Cut it back a little bit with the steel wool and buff it to death for a while to see how that goes before any major works.

@@thesnookercrazygroup3562 ok, will do that. Thanks mate.

Lint free

Obviously I'd need to have your cue here to know how smooth it is but I also have dry hands at the moment and oil will help (Rather than bare wood). It also depends how much you buff and smooth it with papers and any other smoothing substances. If you wanted a really grippy surface than oil it but don't buff as much. You could also give it a layer of lacquer if you are after grip; all personal preference really.

Do i laquer butt end after the cue oil?

Yes. I oil the whole cue initially.

@@marclockley3229 and I'm assuming no sandpaper or 0000 wire wool on the ebony butt?

Yes. Grades of sandpaper depend on condition of ebony. I use 0000 between coats to help key between coats.

Hi Gary If you could email me a pic with some measurements of the badge to my Snooker Crazy website www.snookercrazy.com/ then I could take a better look. Thanks

Hi George As a minimum I'd always cut it back with some 600 paper to remove old oils, dirt and grime so the new oil has something to key into.

The only ones I've encountered are when the grain filler/sanding sealer in the cue has been coming out which leaves tiny holes and grooves in the surface which catches the whiskers. Generally if a cue is re-finished it should cure this if done correctly.

The Snooker Crazy Group is this something I could do myself or would I need an expert or at least someone with a little more experience to do it for me? Maybe you could do a video on how to do this. Thank you for your reply. It’s greatly appreciated.

@@mattleeb3904 black shoe polish inside the grain and then a few coats of oil will fix it

If done correctly an oiled cue should not be sticky. The oiling process I generally use can be found here: www.snookercrazy.com/how-to-oil-your-snooker-cue/

Hi. I use lots of mixes of oils and sometimes oils and waxes. The video was a while back but then I think it was a mix of 1/3 tung oil, 1/3 linseed and 1/3 white spirit. Once mixed I used to add another 20% if the total volume as white spirit again.

Hi Before oiling I would take a look at a few cleaning methods on one of the other videos: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Y7GDlsqQlrmxk3k.html See how you get on with the various cleaning methods prior to a complete refinish. Thanks Marc

Hi Alex I've not done this myself but I do know a player that has an oiled Parris cue and swears by furniture polish to keep the shaft smooth and slippery. He has used it for years

lve finished the que now and it is looking really nice 👍 Cheers 🍻

Hi First off, I would always say go back to where you purchased a product as they may have some more accurate advice as they will know what it is made from and exactly what's in it. I would want to know what is already on your cue. If it is oil then follow the finishing sequence on my website regarding re-oiling your cue. The waxes would then go on the top of an oil finish if required (if it is in fact a wax?). If you already have a wax finish on your cue shaft then personally I wouldn't be putting oil on top of a wax finish. I would remove the wax with mineral spirits etc (lots of videos on the internet for this). Most people in the Uk usually have a completely oiled cue or an oiled cue with wax over the top of the oil on the butt. If the cue is lacquered then some will wax over the lacquer after establishing some form of grip ( that's another story ) to ensure the shaft is more slippery as lacquer isn't too popular on bare hands for playing ( in general ). As I said earlier though. If there is a new product (secret mix) on the market, I would drop the person an email as they would generally have an application sequence already. I'm not sure what Mike has made his products from so unfortunately it's not an easy questions to answer. What I can say is that if you have an oil and your shaft and butt is oiled then I would use the oil first. The wax will then sit on top of this for a shine. If you try and put oil on top of wax you may have a real problem unless it is an oil wax mix but you'd have to ask Mike that one. It might be worth asking him anyway as he would have an application process for each product. Hopefully this helps a bit but Mike would be the best person to ask for an accurate answer based on his products formula.

@@thesnookercrazygroup3562 Hi Marc, Thank you so much for putting so much effort into replying my comment. I have a lacquered cue which I am going to sand the lacquer off (don't have a scraper and can't get one coz of lockdown, I'm in New Zealand by the way). So I would have a cue with nothing on supposedly, with lacquer freshly taken off. From what you said, I should just oil it first anyway? And wait to see if I get a reply from Mike. Do you have any sort of contact of Mike? Thanks a million you are really helpful 🙏

@@carlosfung2091 If it's lacquered it depends if its ash or not. If its ash you have the grain to consider as I would want to fill this first before any thing else. As it's lacquer I would want to know the make first to ensure you actually have a wooden butt. Many lacquered cues have a man made resin based butt so not always ebony. If you go straight into sanding you may damage the butt beyond repair and ruin the look, always a tough choice so I'd identify the cue before deciding how to proceed.

Sorry, as regards contacting Mike. Register on his website first, you can then use his 'Contact Us' section to mail him.

@@thesnookercrazygroup3562 This is definitely not an ash, not sure if it is maple or another type of wood as it is an old club cue with no badge on it. The butt is also most certainly not an ebony butt. Would it be possible if i send you a photo of it? Thanks

Hi Christian. Obviously there are many types of oil from plain linseed oil to boiler linseed oil to many different mixtures and finishing methods. You need to have a look at the drying times of the specific oil and when completely dried then look to buff the butt / shaft. Personally I can sometimes let a coat dry a couple of weeks, buff (and burnish) and then cut the whole cue back with 0000 grit steel wool and then apply another coat and complete the whole process again and again until I'm happy with the shine. You also need to take into account whether the butt woods have their own natural oils such as Cocobolo, Olivewood, Macassar etc as many people just finish with fine polishing papers above 1000 grit utilising the natural oils of the wood. There are many ways to finish but I wood start with the advice on the particular oil you have bought. Not the easiest subject as there are so many ways and rarely do people let the oil completely dry and some oils quote a month between coats!

How you prepared the cue before oiling will make a big difference, with linseed oil though buff it with a lint free cloth vigorously, the more you buff the more the shine will develop

@@davidwalton5829 Spot on Dave I'll have to get round to doing a full blown video of shaft preparation and then a base coat and subsequent coats and what happens between.

​@@davidwalton5829how to you strip the cue back to bare please to give a fresh start to apply new oils ECT thanks

You can use mineral oil for a natural look to the wood but be careful if there are any additional additives: www.hunker.com/13403990/mineral-oil-as-a-wood-finish

I would probably always use a cue makers oil to be on the safe side unless you have experience with oils but we all dabble including moi!

Hi Ronald. No, that's not necessary. The oil is so thin and will wear off a brass joint in no time if it sticks which is rare.

Cheers mate

Way down my list but I'll replace that bit of flooring. My son went through the floor whilst lifting weights!

@@thesnookercrazygroup3562 watch the video you can hardly hear your advice cos of it.Its like something out of a monty python sketch.

Hi Rebecca Not sure what protection you have on the butt at present? If it's a painted veneer then I would have thought if you had removed the finish it would have taken some of all of the paint with it? If you have a finish on paint then I would leave that part to ensure you don't damage the paintwork. If it's a lacquer or varnish finish then the wood underneath will be fine. As for the shaft, lots of people remove the lacquer or varnish and then oil or wax dependant on your preference. If you are going to remove any lacquer I would be very careful as most are toxic and their constituents are unknown in most cases.

Hi I am working on my own oil at the moment so not a sale item. If you use the Mike Wooldridge or Dave Coutts oil you won;t go too far wrong.

hi there. thanks a lot for that, may I ask is it important, to oil your cue ? dose it make the shaft more flexible ? as I like a stiff shaft, & I was told by a cue maker back in the 1980,s that you don't need to oil the but, if its a pure BLACK EBONY butt, as its a very dense material, I would be most greatfull if you could advise me on this, thanks again, marty.....

Hi Marty To be honest, I'd struggle to prove that oiling the cue makes the shaft more flexible although I'm sure others would have an opinion on the matter. Personally, If your shaft is still, in my personal opinion the oil will not remove that quality. Oiling my cues in the past hasn't changed the stiffness to any degree that would affect play and feel. If it's any Ebony butt (and not all are) then yes it's a very dense material. Obviously some butts are one solid piece of wood and others have splicing which is glued with less dense materials on top in the form of laminates and decorative woods (splice work). I've never heard of not sealing the wood with either an oil or wax or sealing mixtures, can't say it's wrong though but rarely is wood seen without some sort of treatment. Dense or not, wood is porous and obviously the rate at which it will accept water is proportional to that density. If you have splice work of any description I certainly would want the butt not having a sealing coat to resist water as this in time may either affect: The glue, the woods swelling at different rates (potential cracks) and even something as minor as feeling the lines of the splices where water has penetrated. It's a very opinionated answer and I'm sure others will have a strong view on it but I would always seal the shaft and don;t have any experience of a strong argument not to. Hope this helps but still just my opinion. Marc

hi there, no that's a great answer, as my cue is from the 1980,s & is hand spliced, 100% pure black ebony, no splices, & the shaft is a straight grained , pure ash, & my cue is very similar to dings snooker cue, no fuss, just 2 types of wood, & I was told it was KILM DRIED, the cue is as straight as the day I had it hand made, BUT AS FOR TREATING MY CUE, I have been using a WAX, from craftmans cues, its perfect, treats the wood well, & dose NOT become sticky likes of some cue waxes....& as you no, if you have oiled your cue, correctly, then added a finishing wax, your cue should not need treating for a good few years, I think it just depends on how you store your cue, may I ask what is your opinion on the peardon 1 piece 2x slot leather cases, ? as my dark tan leather one, is 20, plus years old now & still going strong, not likes of these cheap looking ones....lol

Hi Marty If it's like Dings then it's well made; from memory Dings is from Stamford, I may be wrong as the brains getting older! I also wax one of my cues that has had many coats of oil by me over the years. Apparently it is a view that the waxes and oils don't mix but as you can see if the oil has dried well then a think coat of wax and a decent amount of buffing can give great results in a short amount of time. Obviously you have to find a decent wax that suits and like most of us, when you find one you stock to it (excuse the pun!). I have been playing with a few wax mixtures to try and get one that works well on cue butts so keep an eye out if I ever get one I am fully happy with. Storing a cue well has to be one of the most over looked things in my opinion and causes lots of problems. Putting a cue in car boots, cold or damp areas, gritty old cue cases with damaged bits of sandpaper falling apart and all the grit grinding around the shaft etc etc. Cases don't need to be expensive but the cue does need a bit of insulation in my opinion to protect it from certain atmospheres and of course reasonably robust. It's nice to have a good looking cue case but not essential. As regards the Peradon 2 slot leather cases they look reasonable for the money (circ £190). Having made a leather case they are very good value for money as there is a major amount of work that goes into them. Are they very sturdy? Again they will suffice for what they are designed for which is dropping the case and protecting the cue. If you take a cue craft case, you could give that a battering and it would still be fine. I have made a few carcasses and then gone about trying to destroy them to text the strength and there are few cases like this. Hopefully, later this year I will release my own brand cases when I have finished other projects. If it's looks you are after then the Peradon leather is ok, if is popular and strong then I would probably buy a craftsman 1 piece aluminium. Cases are a minefield! I have a Crispian Jones case that is leather and tough, that cost £460 last year and was second hand so you get the picture!

Hi Greg You don't have to completely remove an oil coat before applying another coat but you do want to make sure the cue is free of dirt, grime and hand oils. I would always clean the cue first and then at the very least go over the surface with 0000 grit steel wool to give the new oil something to key to. The above is a very generic statement as I would always like to see a cue before deciding what to do. The cue might just have the factory coats on it or may have been re-oiled since. You can always get a few tips off our website if you're not sure. www.snookercrazy.com/how-to-oil-your-snooker-cue/

@@thesnookercrazygroup3562 Cheers, Marc. I'll at least go over the shaft with some light work from the steel wool and see what I can do from there. Thanks for the Snooker Crazy link.

kit wong Use grain filler then use linseed oil

Aston Kitchener thx!

Use black 'earth pigment' powder. Cuemakers use that or ebony dust. You mix some in with the oil, the cue will turn black, this is normal. Then use 0000 grade steel wool to rub off the black coat off and the grain remains black.

Eric Shaun thx! Do u mean rub the shaft with black oil, then rub off exceeds while still wet? Or rub off until it have been absorbed?

@@kitwongck I rub it off after 10 minutes if the job I'm doing on the cue is to restore the grain. You can always put a clear coat of linseed over the top at a later date (like when you won't need your cue for a while). If you want to darken the ash of the cue as well as filling the grain, rub the black oil off with a cloth instead, but it does take a lot of rubbing. I mix about a tablesppon of linseed oil with about 1/4 teaspoon of earth pigment powder. Depends how dark you like it.

Hi It's an oil I mix myself which has taken a few years to get right. I have been playing with selling it but just haven't had time with too many other projects. Hopefully I can complete the oil and wax products and then I'll do a video on the full process but it might be a few months yet as I'm updating the websites. Generally I like to put an oil on the shaft and an oil/wax mixture on the butt. Keep an eye on here and I'll get to the ils as soon as I can.

This is a minefield when entering the oil debate! Of the three you mention, boiled for me. Lots of oils out there and also wax finishes which can be pretty good if applied correctly.

Can you use furniture polish on the que after removing the varnish?

@@alexbrown6624 They would all be fine. I personally use a mix of Danish Oil, Raw Linseed and Liberon. I do add another ingredient to get a golden yellow colour, but that’s my trade secret

@@skullyGV It's funny, even after dabbling with cues for 40 odd years I still enjoy mixing various types. I've considered selling them on the website (snookercrazy.com) many times but time is always short. You mentioned changing the colour of the shaft, I have a few for yellowing, a dark brown, an ashen / charcoal and some just clear mainly oils but oils, waxes, damar resins, celullose, french polishes, epoxys and even a super glue finish. Personally I prefer the feel of the cue rather than how much it shines. The shaft for me would be oiled in a type of raw linseed I have found and a butt that is super smooth from cellulose and then if I can't polish to the standard I want then I'll add an oil/wax mix which polishes well and adds a little grip. Sounds like you also enjoy it so hope you find the enjoyment I have.

@@marclockley3229 no matter how much you tinker there will always be a better formula. Never ending science lab in my shed haha