This is part 3A of Kim Walker’s pool cue “How It’s Made” series—read parts one and two to round out your knowledge. (There will be six parts in total, published on a staggered schedule.)
In this section, I will glue the points in the butt sleeve and the forearm.
I use a laminating epoxy. I always mix the epoxy on a scale to get exact proportions.
I paint the point grooves and the points with the epoxy, and give them a few minutes to soak the epoxy in.
The points are clamped into the grooves and left for the glue to set until tomorrow.
The next day, the second set of points are glued into the forearm and the butt sleeve.
The day after that, the forearm and the butt sleeve points are turned round and tapered on the lathe.
Now that we have points, no custom cue is complete without matching rings. Using the same veneers as in the points, I will make a veneer “sandwich” that will supply the matching colored strips for the ring billets.
After applying glue, the “sandwich” is pressed together to let the glue dry until tomorrow. The press is made of two pieces of oak wrapped in freezer paper; The glue will not stick to the plastic side of the freezer paper.
Read Part 3B here.
If you’d like to talk to the author, Kim Walker of Southern Cue Systems and Walker Custom Cues, you can send him an email at southerncuesystems@bellsouth.net or contact him on Facebook. Photos: Cover image, Flickr/Mike DrongowskiEditor: Hannah Blue
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