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Q & A and Talk Column

Chris,

I have been looking around for a source to make a new shaft and ran into your site. The only cue I have ever owned was a Palmer I bought in early ’70. It was just the plain jane version I used when I shot pool in Elizabeth NJ.

The attached files are zoomable so you can see some detail. It is a working cue so the wood shows use. I would like to clean it but I am too paranoid about moisture and wood.  Anyway the silver sleeve at the beginning of the wrap I added after about 5 years because the wrap was slightly above the shaft diameter and was beginning to fray, so I spun up the sleeve and mounted it. Hope this helps your site.

I bought it new made to my specs (13mm and 22.5oz.)and had to wait a couple of weeks to get it. I bought it in my Junior year while at New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, NJ and that was between 9/69 to 5/70. I know it doesn’t jive with the catalog but I am quite sure of the timing because it wasn’t until then that pool was paying for school and I could afford a stick.

I bought two spare ferrules and have one extra left, I wore out the original. I had the option of a screw on or glue on at the time.

Mort

June 6, 2005  Mort writes...

Mort,

Well, those guys at Palmer would have been proud that you've used this cue for the last 35 years and it has held up so well. They would certainly be loving the fact that you would rather find a good shaft for it than to buy a new cue.

It's a first catalog Model #1 based on the Brunswick bar cue. This cue would have normally been made in the 1965 - 67 time period. It's obvious that yours was made at a later date and you ordered it from the first catalog cues, which were still available at the time. The first catalog cersion had a slightly different brass shaft insert. The insert was flat and the shaft had a larger wooden tenon. Your shaft and joint set-up looks like 2nd catalog to me, which was right for the date.

Any good cue maker should be able to make you a shaft. I would recommend Jim Buss because he makes good playing shafts and does nice work on Palmers. Scott Sherbine makes a nice shaft and he can match your collar exactly. I would save the old shaft "as is" for collectibility.

One suggestion: If you keep playing with the cue, a rubber bumper would be a good idea - the same kind they use on a SouthWest cue. Even though the cue didn't come with a bumper, this will minimize the possibilty of breaking your butt cap.

Thanks for the pics!

All the best,

Chris

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