My thanks to Phil for continuing the role he established in the BQR as something of a specialist in all matters relating to the care of tables, ball, cues etc. As someone who often sees a new tip disappear with the first power shot I welcome some ideas on how to do it properly; has anyone got other ideas on the subject? Incidentally I have just received a letter from Martin Goodwill who used to practice regularly with Phil in Wiltshire but is now sadly consigned to the desert sands of Saudi for a couple of years serious money making. Martin assures me that Phil is the master of cue tipping the main reason for this being that whenever he plays a bad game he replaces his tip (I have a similar propensity with cues!!) He is the only person that Martin knows who can have a new tip on and playing as if it were six months old in about fifteen minutes maximum!
Many people fit a tip to a cue and then decide if its too hard or too soft by playing with it for an evening. The hardness of a tip can in the main be determined by picking at the edges of it with your fingernail and after a little practice it is not too difficult to select a particular hardness which suits you prior to fitting, and eradicate those evenings of frustrating play with a tip which is either too hard or too soft for your own game. I personally buy 100 11ml blue diamond tips at a time, grading them into 8 different categories of hardness with the expectation that I will be lucky to find one dozen with the density which suits me.
When using this method fitting it is made easier if the tip is 1mm in diameter wider than the ferrule as positioning becomes easier whatever the make of tip is used.
Prior to fitting, the base must be made very flat, this can be done by holding a piece of abrasive paper on a flat surface and rubbing the base of the tip over it.
The importance of this procedure is most rewarded towards the end of the tips life when it tends to wear thin, as usually the base breaks up first if not correctly fitted, consequently a few extra weeks of confident play can be obtained from the same tip.
Firstly the old tip and glue has to be removed, if this method was used to fit the original tip, the only way to do this is in slices, the top of the ferrule most be perfectly flat and occasionally a flat file may be needed to achieve this. The wood of the cue inside the ferrule needs to be slightly hollow to the depth of about 2 hairs breadth (below the level of the ferrule). The tip should then fit snugly onto the top of the cue. Cut a short strip of insulating tape slightly less wide than the length of the ferrule, stick the tape around the ferrule about 1mm below the top of the ferrule. Fold a sheet of tissue paper so it has a sharp edge and wrap it round the tape 2mm below the top of the cue, holding it in place with a freezer bag tie.
Using super glue, the liquid type is easier to use and gives a better hold all over the base of the tip (loctite3 now on the market as Loctite super Atak). Apply 3-4 drops to the top of the cue, then place the prepared tip on the top of the glue with just a few grams of pressure this way ensures that every part of the tip is glued to the cue. The above method means that all the excess glue is soaked up by the tissue paper which after a couple of minutes drying time, can, along with the insulating paper be removed leaving the ferrule perfectly clean from any residue glue.
Taking a Stanley knife with a new cutting edge for every tip, lay the blade on the ferrule and cut straight up through the over hanging part of the tip, this procedure needs to be done about 30 times as the cue is slowly turned through 360 degrees. The reason a fresh blade is required for each tip is because a new blade will glide easily through the tip without pulling any of its fibres apart which means the tip will require little or no playing time. A magnifying glass can now be used just to check that the tip is securely seated and stuck all the way around.
The tip is now a flush continuation of the ferrule and a complete rounded dome or a shallow dome can be shaped with abrasive paper, it is easier to achieve a symmetrical shape if the cue is constantly rotated while shaping takes place. Most players nowadays prefer to play with a tip which is not too high and in this case it is easier to slice the pre-moulded part of the new tip off with a Stanley knife before the final dome is fashioned.
If the above procedure is used it is very difficult to tell there is a new tip on the cue from the feel of the shot alone which means that no playing time is needed.