Choosing Billiard Balls And Cues
A billiard ball, which is also known as a cue ball
, is a type of ball used in a variety of different cue sports. Some include carom billiards, pool, and even snooker.
Different games require different cue balls, and they can vary from color, number, type, diameter, and pattern. The hardness of the ball, the friction coefficient and resilience are some very important ball qualities, since they play a very important role in various games.
The first cue balls invented were made out of wood, but then clay quickly took over and dominated for many years. Ivory cue balls were very popular for a long period of time, until it became realized that too many elephants were being slaughtered for material goods.
Only about 8 balls could be made from each elephant, and the demand for cue balls was overwhelming. Because it became difficult to obtain ivory to make cue balls, another material had to be found.
John Wesley Hyatt invented cellulose nitrate, which is a composition material that became the first industrial plastic. This plastic was a good material at first, until problems in production occurred.
Because the cellulose nitrate would sometimes explode during production, it became impractical and other methods were sought out. Many other materials were tested for cue balls, including many synthetic materials and plastic compositions.
Bakelite and Crystalate were both tested, but were not able to fill all of the requirements that a cue ball needed. Cue balls require a material that is resistant to cracking and chipping, especially since a pool cue can provide a great amount of pressure on a cue ball.
Some Belgian manufacturers use a phenolic resin. Other companies use different products, such as polyester resin or acrylic to make cue balls, but all are able to stand up to the force that hits the cue balls.
Just like many other inventions, the cue ball took many years to be perfected. Even though there are many different types of cue balls available, everyone has their own preference as to which material they like to play with.
Some are harder than others, while some seem more accurate. Manufacturing companies are always looking for ways to improve their products, and the material of cue balls may be changed if something stronger is developed.
It can be very difficult to tell if you will like a cue stick just by reading about it. Even the terms that people say to describe the characteristics of cue sticks are difficult to quantify.
This would be terms like hard, soft, well balanced, forgiving. Some things you can quantify are length, weight, balance point, shaft taper, shaft diameter and squirt.
1. The plainest butt is probably also the most solid. If you want fancy inlay work, consider Baroque antiques, not cues, unless you are collecting rather than playing with them.
2. Beyond being solid and the right weight and length, and perhaps having the style of grip you prefer, there is little the butt does for the cue.
3. The tip is important. Many tips are no good. Tips can be replaced; learn how to do it yourself. The tip has more effect on how the cue plays than the butt.
4. The shaft is the most important part of the cue. Shafts are relatively cheap. Some highly regarded cue makers make unusable shafts.
Choosing the right equipment for your pool game is going to be a personal choice. There are many accessories out there that can enhance your game and make it a much smoother play for you.
The trick is to do some market research before making any purchase.
by: Terry Daniels
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