How to Oil Your Snooker Cue

 

Sections

Additional Considerations
Our procedure: How to Oil Your Snooker Cue
Supplementary Notes
Some Tip Fitting Videos

 

Safety First!

When we talk about how to oil your snooker cue we take it for granted that some readers do not have a great deal of practical or workshop experience. Always follow the manufacturers guidance on their products to ensure you work safely!

  1. Always follow the safety advice supplied with your chosen oil product.
  2. Dispose of the tissues / cloths / gloves etc. in line with your purchased product as some oils have the capacity to spontaneously combust in certain conditions.
  3. Always protect your hands by using suitable disposable gloves and avoid any skin contact with the oil.

Additional Considerations

  1. Ensure you oil your cue away from any ignition sources.
  2. Oil your cue in an area that would be easy to clean any spillages e.g. not over fabrics.
  3. Be aware, some oils can spontaneously combust without an ignition source.
  4. We always use oil in a well ventilated area.
  5. Vapours can cause dizziness and drowsiness.
  6. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for removing oil from hands and skin contamination (or any other contamination).
  7. This procedure is for bare prepared shafts or previously oiled cues (not lacquered cues – see ‘How to Remove Lacquer from your Snooker Cue Shaft – Snooker Crazy’).

Our procedure: How to Oil Your Snooker Cue

  1. Ensure your shaft has been correctly prepared and is ready to apply a suitable oil.
  2. Consider how you are going to support the cue when it is drying e.g.
    • Place something suitable in the butt extension joint to take the cue off the ground.
    • Put masking tape on and above the ferrule so you can move the cue.

                                We use generally use one of two methods, either:

  1. Place the male section of a butt joint into the butt to raise the cue off the ground and apply a large piece of masking tape to the ferrule and above so you can lift the cue and rest it against a suitable support whilst drying.
  2. Put the male section of the butt joint into a wooden floor support and a large piece of masking tape on the ferrule an move the cue by the masking tape and screw the cue butt into the male joint and leave vertical so the cue can dry.
  3. Use a lint free cloth / paper towel to apply oil onto the whole cue (wood) so the oil soaks in.
    • If you don’t use enough oil you will be able to see dry parts as you apply it.
    • Rub the oil into the grain to ensure all sections of the wood are treated.
  4. Use enough oil so it easily soaks into the pores of the wood but not too tight so it takes too much effort. I
  5. f you use so much that the cue oil is running you will end up with a mess if you are not careful or experienced in how to handle the excess! It won’t take long to see how much is enough when you see how the oil reacts to getting it wrong so, steady as she goes!
  6. Let the oil stabilise and then wipe any excess off the cue with a lint free cloth or paper towel.
    • We generally wait between 20 to 30 minutes to remove any excess of oil.
    • Always follow the guidance notes on your oil container for any recommendations.
    • The oil excess has to be removed as it can dry uneven and / or turn into a sticky mess which is hard to remove or dry.
  7. Generally we recommend to let the oil dry a minimum over night after removing excess. (As we deal with a lot of cues they are normally left to dry at least a week in between coats).
  8. Once dry, buff the cue:
    • Use a suitable lint free soft cloth.
    • We tend to squeeze the cloth tight and move the cloth up and down vigorously so you can feel the heat under your hands over the whole cue (this is not easy!).
    • The more you can buff, the better the shine will be (with enough coats of oil!).
  9. Once buffed we use 0000 grit steel wool and gently go over the whole cue ready for another coat.
  10. We repeat steps 2 to 7 until we have a minimum of 3 coats.
  11. Clean and buff your cue into the future to ensure that grime, oils and dirt don’t get a chance to ruin that beautiful feel and shine of your cue after all this effort.
  12. The continual buffing of the cue over the next few week will give the oils the best chance to shine as they naturally dry further.

*Keep a suitable lint free cloth in your case at all times*

 

Supplementary Notes

These notes are our own thoughts for applying the oils we use and you should follow the guidance notes on the products specific to the oil you have chosen.

If you are in any doubt please seek advice from the oil manufacturers or their safety data sheets.

*We do not take responsibility for any issues arising if you choose to follow the procedures we use*

We hope this have given you a better insight into how we normally finish our cues.

 

Some Tip Fitting Videos

How to fit and shape a mushroom snooker tip

How to re-tip a snooker cue with a laminated tip – Talisman Pro

How to change a snooker cue tip – Short Version

How to Re Tip a Snooker Cue