Care

Cue care comes down to three things: a clean shaft, a maintained tip and sensible storage. A cue is not ruined by playing, but by damp, radiators and chalk rubbed into the wood.

Clean the shaft with a wood cleaner and a leather pad, never coarse sandpaper — every sanding takes diameter away for good. The tip needs a shaper to keep its radius and a scuffer so it holds chalk; a mushroomed edge is trimmed back. This section also holds oils and waxes for wood, microfibre cloths and moisture absorbers for cases. Do not store a cue leaning against a wall or in a car boot — a few weeks of temperature swings and the wood bends. Related sections are tips, glues and tools and cases; leave repairs to cue service.