Chalking Phenolic Tips
8/29/2009 8:50:37 AM
Chalking Phenolic Tips
I am in the market for a break cue and am trying to decide between a hard leather tip and a phenolic tip. My concern is that with a phenolic tip being basically a hard plastic that it will not hold chalk and miscues will be very abundant if I am trying for a low english break such as the 8-ball break from the side into the second row of balls. Does anyone have any advice or experience as far as the chalkholding ability of a phenolic tip versus a hard leather tip. Thanks.
Chalking Phenolic Tips
Replies & Comments
Mitch Alsup on 8/29/2009 8:58:02 AM
I have a phenolic tip on my jump cue (currently). It will hold chalk (Master Blue) but IS picky about how the chalk is applied. It will not hold chalk if you drill into the chalk cube. It will hold chalk if you stroke the cube onto the tip.
Also be advised thea BCAPL has banned phenolic and other hard plastic tips. Expect teh APA and some other leagues to follow suit. Phenolic has been found to leave craters in the surface of the cue balls after a strong break (hit).
You can get hard leather that is almost as hard as phenolic and will hold chalk (i.e Talisman XX). If/when I retip the jump cue it will have a T-XX on it. I break with a cue that has a Triangle tip on it--which seems hard enough.)
AMGprecision on 8/29/2009 10:04:11 AM
I currently play APA only but I definately don't want to invest in something that is going to be banned anytime soon. I have my eye on a Fury Jump/Break cue that has what I believe to be a phenolic ferrule and tip. If this is true, I can just get a talisman xx as you said and install it onto the phenolic ferrule right? Also, I've heard alot about a "white diamond" tip and was wondering if that falls under the tips that are no longer allowed in the BCA and what not...
quickshot on 8/29/2009 2:36:40 PMI had a player b/j cue witha phenolic tip and did not like it. It did not hold chalk and miscued often. I ended up taking it off and replacing it with a leather tip. Do yourself a favor, forget the phenolic tip. The BCA banned them. That alone should tell you something. I honestly believe they are a flash in the pan.
Just a note about some break cues: the tip and the ferrule are a single piece. You need to take it to a guy with a lathe (unless you have a lathe). He will face off the old tip and create a flat face on the ferrule. Any leather tip can be applied after the ferrule is faced. Do not, repeat, do not try to take the phenolic all the way down to wood. Just the curved tip section. Some of these cues do not have a tenon of wood behind the ferrule. If you do take it all off and don't find a tenon, you will need to remove the ferrule, add a tenon and then put on a new ferrule and tip.
Update... I bought a new playing cue from michaeljscues.com and it came with a mcdermott promax micro carbon cue (woo freakin hoo i know, but it was free). So I'm just gonna put a white diamond tip on it cuz i heard those are still legal being as their layered and not phenolic. Heard nothing but good about em and I got out of the deal with a playing cue that I really wanted and a break cue for cheap... Did I make an alright call their? opinions?
MonsieurX on 1/5/2010 5:16:49 AM
I have a phenolic tip which i bought some time ago. Just couldn't jump with the JB cue's original tip.
To chalk it nicely and uniformly like a leather tip, form a fist over your cue tip and blow hot air with your mouth on it. The deposit of humidity will nicely grab the chalk for a break.
This still wont prevent you from miscuing if your cue movement is not straight... But there is a solution to train that: learn to break with the phenolic and without any chalk... if you are not dead on, you'll know immediately :)
Chalking Phenolic Tips
- Title: Chalking Phenolic Tips
- Author: AMGprecision (Scott Beasley)
- Published: 8/29/2009 8:50:37 AM
