Pool Cue

[DanG]

If the is cue is something special, you might try turning down the tip and using a metal ferrule (copper pipe? or other) where this one is splitting. Install with epoxy to take up any gaps.

[Lee Michaels]

All these pool stories. OK Here's mine.

First of all, although I enjoy the game, I suck at it.

But when I was 19, there were a number of pool halls in the neighborhood. Also at that time I was part of a new, experimental program of "mainlining" deaf students into the community colleges. These kids have spent their entire lives institutionalized in deaf programs and schools throughout the country. I was their age, had a hearing problem, so was immediately accepted by them. They did not trust almost any adult and most hearing people. I became the liaison between the deaf kids and the staff there.

Two blocks from the school was a large pool hall. I was asked to "chaperone" a group of deaf kids for a pool hall visit. There was an older deaf guy who hustled there and met them there. What unfolded before my eyes was amazing and soon became local folklore.

It turns out that these kids were raised in environments where there was and abundance of pool tables. They have been practicing since they were children. And since most people think of deaf kids as being "slow" they made the perfect hustlers. My part in this scheme was to orient these budding hustlers to this new, garish pool hall environment. It took a little while for them to get there interaction with hearing people down. And they were not permitted outside of the dormitories at night at first.

But over about three months, they learned to blend in, And they started to let them out at night. They went to school during the day. The hustled pool at night. After awhile, they started hitting all the pool halls in town. And the average pool player in town soon was poorer for the experience. Some of those kids, who never help a regular job in their life, were buying cars with their earnings. They were taking cabs everywhere, eating in nice restaurants and wearing nice clothes.

They called me in to ask if I knew anything about it. I did not know how extensive it had become. After a few polite inquires, I told them to tone it down and not buy anything that would draw attention to themselves. Since I was "one of them", they took my advice. After all, I wasn't telling them to stop. Just cool it a little. I ran into some of those kids years later. They were still hustling pool. And it was a big portion of their income.

And they were grateful to me. They were kind enough to give me a few lessons. But I never had the eyesight or physical coordination for it. But I still like to play a game now and then.

[Steve B]

"Lee Michaels" wrote

I'm 62, and have been playing pool since I was as tall as a pool stick, the requirement at the youth center where I learned to play. I always liked it, but to get over to the snooker tables, you had to prove yourself with "Pappy", a great pool player, and dominant male at the youth center. So, I learned from a master.

But still, it's like playing a musical instrument, shooting, or other things that involve ingrained talent. You either have it, or you don't. And after that, it's practice, practice, practice. Yes, eyesight and physical shape has something to do with it, mainly eyesight.

But it's like bowling. Anyone can do it, whether they suck or are good, but it's fun anyway.

Steve

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[Swingman]

You're right about it being like playing a musical instrument. You get in a groove, your "chops" are honed to razor sharp, and you back off playing for a while and you feel almost like you have to start over again. It's a great feeling when you know your chops are solid.

And that was indeed Willie Hoppe someone mentioned ... I think he also had an autographed cue stick that was much coveted. IIRC, both the Mosconi and Hoppe cues ran in the $75-100 range, which was a helluva lot of money in those days (early 60's).

So much so that I copied them by taking my two part custom el cheapo to the college industrial arts wood shop, chucking the handle up in the lathe and cutting a slight groove in the handle just deep enough to wrap it with braided fishing line.

Also bored a hole into the handle end and filled it with with two ounces of lead, making my store bought 22 oz a 24, with some inertia behind it.

This was after carefully sandpapering the barrel to just the right taper, with a very slight concavity to it, which I preferred.

Of course, if you walked in a strange bar with a custom two piece cue in a case, the hustle was either over, or just starting! :)

Most of the time it was best to leave it in the truck, until the nut cutting ...

[Lew Hodgett]

Yep.

Thank you.

Lew

[DanG]

My suggestion was not meant to shorten the cue, only to see about finding an appropriate diameter tube or pipe that equals the existing OD and turn down the diameter of the tip enough to install it.

I agree that time spent is only worth it if this is something special.

[Casper]

William Frederick Hoppe was a true billiard champion. You don't hear much about him or Greenleaf and those guys anymore.

Another great player, IMHO, is one I affectionately call "Wille" but his real name is Nick Varner. A masterful Kentucky boy. Why do I call him Wille? Well it's because he always reminds me of Gene Wilder playing Wilie Wonka, having almost the hair style and body size.

`Casper

[Bill]

IMO, If it's really good 2-piece cue, I suggest you buy a new shaft for it. If you paid less than $50 for it, then I think it's time for an upgrade. No good cue's were designed to be made shorter anyway (the same goes for fishing rods that get crushed in the car door).

Like Lew said about computers being a tool--replace it with one that works and enjoy your game.

Bill

[Puckdropper]

"DanG" wrote in news:i4sano$q0p$ [e-mail]- september.org:

Nothing special about the cue, except I like the feel. I know it's useless, but I'll keep playing with it here and there to see how it goes. Maybe I'll learn something useful... if not it's still fun to see the end go flying after a shot. (Same reason we'd keep playing with a baseball with missing seams.)

Puckdropper

[Jack Stein]

If you know anything about squirt and deflection, you would not use a metal ferrule. You want the tip (last 6 inches) as light as possible.

[Bob La Londe]

I don't see why a plastic or bone ferrule wouldn't do the same job.

[Bill]

Recall too that a good installation of such a ferrule involves putting on an over-sized one and taking it down with a lathe. With a new tip, it would typically probably cost $30-40 to have that done. It sounds as if the original tenon is long gone (broken off), so a bit more work is required. If I owned a lathe, I would try to do it. Otherwise I'd be cue shopping (hardly an unpleasant affair). I don't recall exactly where the line in the sand is now, but I think anything over a certain amount, say $150, is all for show.

Bill

[Bob La Londe]

Been a long time since I looked at pool cues, but the last time I looked the low end McDermott was about $117. You could get a Diamond for about $80, and a good quality Players for about $50. Never could bring myself to spring for a McDermott, but I had a Diamond, still have a Players, and had a number of the good old $39.95 Dufferin (carefully hand selected of course) cues over the years.

Flash back time: I'll never forget the poor guy who challenged me to basic $5 a game 8 ball once. I wasn't good, but I was better than him. After the

4th game he said it had to be my fancy pool cue, so I handed it to him covered my eyes and randomly grabbed a bar stick off the wall, and told him to put his money down. (I turned away from him so he wouldn't see the expression on my face when I discovered what I would be shooting with. LOL. I was thrilled it still had decent leather.) He took me up on it. I got one of those perfect one in a hundred spreads on the break and ran the table on him. He must have enjoyed the show because he was grinning when he handed me his fin. You just gotta love a good sport.

[Bill]

Quite a collection of them here.