Schon weight bolt. How to change it?

How I can change the weight of my Schon cue?
I want to change my cue weight from 19oz to 20.5oz..

Do you sell the weight bolts?

[Sid]

Schon weight bolts are glued into place and there for usually have to be heated to remove. If you remove a Schon weight bolt by yourself, it will void Schon's Warranty. The best way to handle a weight change for Schon cues is to send it back to Schon and let them do it.

for other brands, here is a article I have in our new knowedge base.

First, remove the rubber bumper in the bottom of your cue. Most just wiggle out, others might have a small screw to remove. Most are very easy, McDermott Cues are a bit tougher. Becasue of their design, it is hard to get a grip. McDermott has a special tool that we can sell you if you want, or you can try other methods...but be careful, you can bugger up your bumper if you use pliers with teeth on it.

Next, you have to remove the the weight bolt in your cue. Each cue is different as to what it takes to remove the bolt, but here are some samples

Predator Cues - 6mm allen wrench
Lucasi Cues - 6mm allen wrench
Viking Cues - 1/4 inch allen wrench
Pechauer Cues - Large Phillips head screw driver
Mcdermott Cues – Large flat head screw driver or 6mm allen wrench
Schon Cues – Voids Warranty – must be sent back to Schon Cues
Cuetec Cues - N/A - Does not have weight bolt system

Next, weigh your cue without your weight bolt. Remember to put the rubber bumper back in loosely so you get the true weight of your cue with everything except the bolt. If you don't have a good scale to do this, the local post office or a meat department in your grocery store has very accurate digital scales to find out exactly how much your cue weights at the start.

Write the weight of the cue without the bolt down somewhere. That weight will never change. You can also weigh the bolt. Lets say the cue was 18oz, and the bolt was 1oz. Your cue when you started was 19oz.

Using the example above, if you wanted a 20 oz cue, you would need to order a new 2 oz bolt from us. (18oz Cue + 2oz bolt = 20oz Cue. Let us know how much you want the weight of the bolt to be, and we will make the bolt your desired weight. Bolts cost between $3.00 and $5.00 each plus shipping.

Now lets say you wanted the cue to weigh18.5 oz. You have two options. Order a .5 oz bolt from us. (18oz cue weight + .5 oz bolt = 18.5 oz). Or you could take the original 1oz bolt and cut it down to .05 oz. A hack saw and a vise works fine. I like to thread a nut over the bolt before I cut it. Then, if I bugger up any threads with the hack saw, when you unscrew the nut, it straightens out any fouled threads.

First of all thank you very much for the information. :)

I'll just send the cue to Schon for the weight change. :cry:

Thank you again!

[aliasbigdog]

Why do they glue the bolt in??? I hate having to ship off my favorite cue and make do w/out it while it has been shipped off...just for a weight change.

[Neil Fujiwara]

Why do they glue the bolt in??? I hate having to ship off my favorite cue and make do w/out it while it has been shipped off...just for a weight change.

Weight bolts can come loose and rattle, sounding like something is broken in the cue. You would be surprised at how many people don't know how a cue is made and that there is a bolt in the rear of the cue. Most people don't change the weight of their cues even if they know how, maybe that's why they glue them in?

[Rick]

Yes that is why they do this, so if you try and change it yourself the cue will not be under warranty if something breaks. There is a trick to change the bolt yourself, but I didn't tell you and I am not held responsible if you damage the cue. Let me know if you want me to tell you. thanks

[Neil Fujiwara]

Ooooh, Rick knows a secret!! Tell me, tell me, tell me!!

[Rick]

You will need to get one of those pencil soldering guns, the one with the sharp point. Next, you will take the soldering gun and stick it in the hole of the bolt, you wont have to hold it there very long. I will hold my left hand in the area of the cue where the bolt is so I can feel if it is getting too hot. There is glue on the threads so you only need to hold the gun long enough to loosen up the glue. I would say about 20 to 30 seconds would be long enough and then take your large screwdriver to take the bolt out. If someone does try this let me know how it went.

[Neil Fujiwara]

Very interesting, thanks for the tip Rick.

[aliasbigdog]

Thanks for the soldering iron tip. I had already tried unsuccessfully.

Let me re-address my question. I have had a cue that the bolt came loose on. At first, it seemed like the tip or ferrule was loose...same w/ loose bumper...very annoying. I've shot many other cues w/ no problems at all...and they had no glue.

My question is why glue...as opposed to either a milder adhesive or thread loc? something to stop it from vibrating loose, but not such an ordeal to change. Schon has a unique feel and balance, that a weight different than what one is used on another cue may be needed.

???

[Neil Fujiwara]

This is why in the P2 we use a rubber hose to mount the weight bolt in, to eliminate buzz even if the bolt starts backing out.

What kind of adhesive would you suggest? Teflon tape? Is there such a thing as a low-level adhesive that would work in this application?

[audiopro]

loc-tite makes thread lock in various intensity. However, a little known secret. Heavy type bearing grease will actually help hold bolts in place. We use that when you want a moderate level of thread lock, but not so much as provided by loc-tite or the like.

[Neil Fujiwara]

Remember that most bolts are threaded into wood, will that affect the lubricant/ adhesive negatively?

[audiopro]

Oh... I would have thought they would have put a metal insert of some sort inside...

Having not done something with that exact setup I could not speak for sure, but it seems it would still yield similiar results.

Perhaps using a retaining nut on the bolt would work? Of course then you would need an allen type bolt or the like... I'll draw a quick pic and post..

[Neil Fujiwara]

That sounds pretty complicated and another source for failure if that retaining nut comes loose also. The rubber hose we use is a pretty damn good idea, but it takes time who knows if the benefit is worth it. This type of situation doesn't come up very often.

[audiopro]

Something like this... After you thread the bolt, you lock it down with the grey screw...



Whether that would solve the problem, I dunno. But it works for many other applications, I don't see why it would not work in this application.

[audiopro]

That sounds pretty complicated and another source for failure if that retaining nut comes loose also. The rubber hose we use is a pretty damn good idea, but it takes time who knows if the benefit is worth it. This type of situation doesn't come up very often.

Yeah, fortunately for me, my cue has no weight bolt at all, and weighs in at 19.5, which is perfect for me...

I think if the rubber hose method is working, than that is great. If it aint broke...

[skor]

When I used to play/throw darts I run into problems that the shaft would get loose, the solution was a rubber "o" rings (that are sold at darts supply stores) that I put on the screw thread and when I screw the shaft to the butt (darts remember) it stayed tight untill I had to replace the shaft, I'm sure that this type of rubber ring could be installed on the screw thread of the bolt.

BTW this is my 2000 post..... WOW when I first joind this forum I had no idea that I have so much to say... 8)

[Neil Fujiwara]

Congrats Skor, that's a lot of information you helped people with.

I too have dart O-rings and think they are lovely, I will suggest that to the designers of the 4K cues. But again I have to say that this situation RARELY rears it's ugly head, so I don't know if a design change is necessary.

Either way it was a fun exercise, it's great to find people that can think "out of the box".

[audiopro]

Congrats skor, you have without a doubt contributed a great deal to this forum. 8)

[aliasbigdog]

what about a type of silicone...something that doesn't harden, but will not let the bolt loosen on its own. It shouldn't take much for the application. But, you'd still be able to pull the weight w/ screwdriver and only a little extra effort.

[Neil Fujiwara]

That's not a bad idea, kind of like the Teflon tape. By golly we are going to build a better pool cue bit-by-bit!!

[audiopro]

Don't forget spring loaded tips for break cues!! :D

[Neil Fujiwara]

Dr. Cue already has one of those, we have to make a better one!! Everybody whip out their MacGuyver Swiss Army knives and prepare for the A-Team type assembly!!

[aliasbigdog]

I had just bought a Schon...never shot w/ one before. Beautiful cue, but couldn't get used to the hit or the weight. Tried to change the weight and had been very baffled that a company as Schon that has put so much into their cues had made the weight so very difficult to change. When I get a new cue, especially as expensive a Schon, the last thing I feel like doing is sending it back out for a weight change.

Thanks for all the input.

[Neil Fujiwara]

To put it in perspective, most of your custom cues (including $2k-$100k) are not weight adjustable. You order the weight you want, and if you want to change it that process involves drilling, tapping, adding weight, plugging and can possibly damage the cue.

And that is IF any cuemaker will touch it after the cue has been built.

[audiopro]

Dr. Cue already has one of those, we have to make a better one!! Everybody whip out their MacGuyver Swiss Army knives and prepare for the A-Team type assembly!!

Easy....

Push button activated CO2 catrirdge that helps propel the cue forward when activated!!!

[Rick]

Something interesting..... They use the bolt for mechanic purposes when building the cue, also Schon puts the smallest bolt in each cue so there is no lightening of the cue anyway. So I can see where Schon is coming from. Anyone can make a bulsa wood handle and put a bolt in to make it heavier but to use quality wood and inlays to get your weight, should be a good thing.

[aliasbigdog]

Thanks for the info. The cue I had was only about half oz too heavy. I kept finding the extra weight making me hit harder on soft shots. If I could have pulled the bolt, I could have shaved half oz off the bolt.

Next Schon I order, I'll just have to make sure to get a bit of play time w/ a couple schons of diff weights and make sure to order the right stick w/ the right weight.

Side note: please check Schon CX v/s STL

[Neil Fujiwara]

If that's what you are having issues with, try choking up on the cue about an inch. It should shorten your stroke so that the weight of the cue doesn't come into play as much. Let me know if it helps........or hurts.

[nathar]

try choking up on the cue about an inch. It should shorten your stroke so that the weight of the cue doesn't come into play as much.

That's great advice Neil. Before I took lessons last year, I had no idea how much more speed control you could achieve just by changing the position of your grip, for both soft and hard shots. Not to mention how it helped me fine tune my lag shot, as I can now consistently lag to within an inch or two of the rail.

[aliasbigdog]

[/quote] If that's what you are having issues with, try choking up on the cue about an inch. It should shorten your stroke so that the weight of the cue doesn't come into play as much. Let me know if it helps........or hurts.

Sorry...don't know how to re-post quotes.

Neil,

Thanks for the advice. Although my game is not ESPN status, I've worked for long time to get my stroke where it belongs for me. In buying a new cue, I should have made sure it was the right weight. I'm not going to re-invent the wheel for weight. Position change on the grip makes as much difference as the weight...I'm already happy w/ grip position. If I'm going to spend the money for a custom cue, it should be custom "to me and my game". I'll change things when a SHOT demands, but still the cue should feel like an extension of my arm.

I did try to adjust as you had suggested...just not right for me. Thanks for the advice anyway...I can use all the help I can get.

[aliasbigdog]

Sorry...that wasn't supposed to sound as rude as it does.

I'm not familiar w/ custom cues. All the other cues I've ever bought, a simple weight adjustment, if needed, was all that was necessary. Then, when I'd get down to shoot, it felt right...like it belonged there. Then it was just a matter of whether I liked the way it hit or not and balance.

In spending this much for a cue, I should have made sure the weight was right before ordering. (Schon CX37 was the cue I ordered)

Neil, is the weight bolt changeable on Predator? That is one of the two other cues I am still considering.

[Neil Fujiwara]

Yes, we have an interchangeable weight bolt system that is used in all of the cues make. It is a 3/8x16 countersunk bolt, we have bolts that range anywhere from .2- 2.2 ounces. It uses a 6mm Allen head wrench and the bumper of our cues are press fit, so no tools are required to remove it.

Thanks Neil. I'll be checking them out in near future. I'm somewhere between Predator, Schon, and Pechauer. The hard part is finding somewhere relatively close that has them so I can feel the difference before spending the money.

That still brings me back to my original question though: Why is it necessary for Schon to glue in the weight bolts if so many other cue makers don't need to?

aliasbigdog

Sorry...it wouldn't let me put my user name in this time.

[StB]

The hard part is finding someone to let you try their Schon.

P.S. Neil, I should be getting kick backs from Predator for all the people testing the 314 vs the Z shaft at my pool hall. We've got a lot of guys with Predators now, there were 0 when I started playing their a year ago, now there are 6 (I think)...and none of them are new faces.

[pw35235]

Hi,
I just got my Schon and it's a piece of cake changing the original bolt (Aluminum). First, just remove the small bolt that holds the rubber with an allen key, then remove the rubber.

You can either use a hair dryer or a gun heater for the next operation. There is a chance that you can burn the diamonds or decorative if you put the gun to close to the cue. I would suggest to shoot the heat from the bottom directly onto the bolt only, for 30 sec approx. and then use a flat screwdriver to remove the bolt. You may apply force for it to come loose. It's a light epoxy that Schon uses, not too solid glue.

Replace with a heavier bolt accordingly. You do not have to put the small bolt since the rubber can hold on its own.

Got mine from 18.6 oz to 19.6 oz max. The weight is slighly towards the back, but I'm used to it.

Hope this help.