A new revolutionary Snooker cue ferrule will launch in just under two weeks-time in June from Century Pro Cue Tips. The product comes off the back of their successful box of four graded tips which have had top professional and amateur players and fans raving since they came on the market. It's the first of its kind as the ferrule is made from a special grade Titanium alloy that lasts far longer than brass. Brass ferrules ware down over time and can even discolour.
Here, cue expert Andy Hunter discusses the different types of ferrules. Watch below.
How to Improve Snooker Consistency
Creator Andrew Colgrave explained briefly in a Twitter Direct Message how the idea of making this new product came about.
He said: "It mainly came about as a direct result of measuring brass ferrules to see how they change and deteriorate over time. We noticed that after as little as 10 tip changes a standard brass ferrule would start to taper inwards, due to tip installation techniques, burnishing the tip sidewalls and repolishing the ferrule. In order to get a snooker tip playing correctly, it needs to be installed a certain way, which includes burnishing the side walls to strengthen the tip, doing this technique cannot be carried out on brass ferrules as it has a negative impact on them.
So, if you play with a 9.8mm ferrule you could lose as much as .5, so the ferrule will go down to 9.3mm!"
He said this could have a direct impact on consistency for the snooker player as you get used to playing at a certain tip size. Colgrave added: "I then looked at ways to improve ferrules using new advanced materials as modern day brass is very poor quality and should never be fitted onto expensive custom handmade cues.
This, of course, is just my opinion on this."
His partner owns an engineering firm in Sheffield and they have been working together to manufacture a 21st Century ferrule to replace brass ferrules. They have had many difficulties making them, as the alloy they are using is very difficult to work with. But they have now overcome these issues and will have the product ready to go to market in the next two weeks.
He further added: "I am also hoping to obtain the Sheffield Made badge for this product due to our long history & heritage with Sheffield Steel. We have already linked up with some top companies here in the UK who will be registered installers and stockists of this new exciting product. We also have a very well-known international cue maker who is going to try them out."
A few such companies who will fit the new product are the likes of Cue Craft, based in Worksop, Chesworth Cues, which have a branch in Sheffield, Green Baize at Stockton-On-Tees and well-known master cue maker Coutts Cues, Lincolnshire.
Mixing 21st Century Technology with Snooker Tradition
Colgrave then said: "My dream is to bring 21st Century tech into the marketplace coupled with long-held traditional values and cue making standards."
On the Century Cue website, it reads: "Sporting standards are continually improving as advances in training, technique, and application are developed and introduced.
However, unless the equipment used keeps pace with these changes, progress becomes impaired or even stops."
The website goes on to say Snooker is no exception and that although brass has been the material of choice for snooker cue ferrules for over a century, it is far from ideal. Due to the relative softness of brass, every re-tip reduces the size of the ferrule.
The CC-Ti-F is a dark silver colour and will never tarnish once it's polished up, Colgrave said. Tip changing is made easier as you do not need to repolish the ferrule. "You simply put some masking tape around the top of the ferrule to stop glue over-spills. Shape your Century Pro Cue tip and you are ready to go," he said.
Brass ferrules need to be polished or cleaned up with wire wool every now and then to get rid of excess glue or scratch marks and to repolish them; some people use a brass metal polish such as Brasso to shine up ferrules. None of this is needed with the new Century Pro Ti-f Titanium ferrule.
He added of his creation: "The new ferrules are very rich looking and just belong on a custom snooker cue."
