ARATAKI CUES

How to Care for your Cue

• Always ensure your hands are clean and dry and free from grease and grime. If your hands feel sweaty, take the time to go and wash them, but make sure you dry them thoroughly. If they’re slightly damp, your cue will drag over the bridge and feel sticky.
  Take note, that when you go to pick up your pint or another drink, the moisture on the outside of the glass makes your hands a little wet, you then pick up the cue and now that’s a little wet. So, better to Keep your cue dry!
• Keep your cue clean by occasionally wiping it with a slightly damp (not dripping wet) Microfiber cloth, then immediately buff it dry with a clean Microfiber cloth. This works wonders and will leave it feeling super smooth, but if your cue has become particularly dirty, you may need to use a mild detergent, or one of the specialist cleaning products available.
• Apply cue oil to the shaft. This gives a smooth finish for comfortable cue-ing, an attractive appearance that ages naturally, and helps to stop the cue from drying out. To maintain this finish, apply some cue oil occasionally, give it time to soak into the wood, then buff it dry with a clean Microfiber cloth.
  If the cue appears dry, repeat the application as many times as necessary. It will not hurt the cue to put a little extra oil on, because the wood will only take what it needs, but if you use it excessively, you may find it will feel slightly sticky.
  However, you can soon get it feeling smooth again by regularly buffing it with a dry Microfiber cloth.
• Keep your cue in a case when not use. This protects it and helps to prevent it from warping.

What Not to do

• Rub the shaft of your cue with sandpaper or abrasive pad. This is not the answer. This will destroy the finish of the cue, wear away the shaft, and scratch the surface, thereby attracting dirt. It may also allow moisture in and can affect the stability of the wood. If you want your cue to feel smooth, simply clean it as above. Throw away those little bits of sandpaper and green/red scouring pads in your case. You do not need them to make your cue feel smooth.
• Lean your cue at an angle against the wall, or leave it near heat, e.g. a gas heater / fan. This will undoubtedly disfigure your cue!
• Leave your cue in your car, or anywhere else that is likely to get cold or damp. This can cause the cue to ‘sweat’ and become very sticky, as well as cause any glue joins to raise, and possibly cause it to bend.
• Bang your cue on the floor or the table, or throw/drop it!
  This can cause a number of problems, including dents on the shaft, splits in the butt, weights coming loose, broken joins etc.

So… What do you do the next time you are about to play that all important shot and your cue feels sticky?

You stop, take the time to wash your hands, wipe down your cue with a damp Microfiber cloth, then buff it dry with a clean Microfiber cloth.

This will take but only a few seconds and will help ensure that you get down on the shot with a silky-smooth cue, and there will be one less worry in your mind distracting you from playing the shot well.