Custom Cue Case For My Son

[lranger]

At Christmas, my son asked me if I could make him a cue case for his birthday. Here are pictures of the case I just finished.

The tubes are pvc tubing lined with soft sueded pigskin. In fact, all the lining is sueded pigskin. The tubes were taped together and then covered with 4 oz. vegtan leather, creating what I call the inner case. Then, the outer case is made of 8 oz. vegtan.

I mixed the dye myself. It is 2:1 Reducer to Tan Fiebings dye, with a little bit of Red mixed in. I used Eco-Flo saddle tan hi-lite on the basketweave tooling, then sprayed the dye with an air brush, and finished up with a couple coats of Super Sheen. Then, it all has several coats of clear Kiwi shoe polish.

It is mostly hand stitched using #346 polyester thread. I used a machine to install the zippers.

It was quite a project.

Edited February 23, 2015 by lranger

[PsychoSmart]

That is really cool. The stamping is done but not overdone, and the clasp was a really great idea on closure. Plus the little metal feets are great.

[tomt]

that looks real nice

[TheCyberwolfe]

How'd you manage that long overlapped seam down the back?

[lranger]

That was a bit of a chore, Cyberwolfe.

I cut a piece of 2x4 to fit just right inside the case to punch the holes. Then, I started stitching in the middle, going toward the end. Obviously, I couldn't see inside the case, but I would insert the needle from the outside first, then lay the needle on the inside up against the inserted needle, by feel. I would then pull the outside needle out and try to find the hole with the inside needle, which was close at that point. Most of the time I didn't have much trouble finding it. After I pulled the inside needle out I'd insert the outside needle, then reach in with a pair of needle nose pliers and pull it on through. Then I'd have to reach back in to pull the threads good and tight. It quickly wore the hide off my knuckles, so I had to put a bandage all the way around my hand.

It took quite a long time to complete, but it was a case of "have to". Takes determination.

[Jon P]

Simply stunning!!

[lranger]

Thank you very much Jon P. It took a lot of figuring, planning, and work, but I really like it my own self. This is the first cue case I've ever made, so I really didn't know how they were made. I just looked at pictures and tried to figure out a way to do it.

I really do appreciate your comment.

Thank you Tom T. You wouldn't be Tom T. Hall by any chance, would you?

Thank you PsychoSmart. You think just like I do. I think tooling gets overdone a lot. I was trying to make this case nice and clean looking, without the clutter of leather handles and strap holders made of leather being sewn to the outside of the case. I used D's with the metal clips to fasten them to the leather. But, the trouble is apparently you can't buy them any more, at least not the ones with the long clips, and the short ones are too short. I had to take the short clips off the 3/4" D's and put longer ones on them that I took off some 1" D's I had.

I always liked Little Feet. Great band, and I really like your specialty. I have trouble with that too.

Thanks again to all.

[Tramps Leatherworking]

Wow, that is the nicest cue case I have ever seen, your son must be quite the pool player...

[MonicaJacobson]

That's a beautiful case. I love the dye job.

[lranger]

What a nice compliment Tramps. Thank you.

I didn't even know he played pool until Christmas when he asked me about making him a case. See, he's in Florida, has been going to college, just graduated, and I have been in Montana for ten years. He's playing in a league down there. I sent him a few pictures of the case just before I finished it and he was really blown away. He's been going around showing everybody the pictures and he says some of the guys in the league want one, too. Sooooooo, maybe I'll get the money back that I spent on this one. Whether or not, it's worth it to make him happy.

[lranger]

Thank you, Monica. It's one of those instances where you actually get what you have pictured in your mind. In this case, the look and the colors all came out just like I had pictured in my mind.

I don't know if it comes out in the pictures or not, but when you shine a light on this case, it looks like there is a light inside the case illuminating the tooling areas.

[Windrider30]

I really like that, and cool idea about making a case within a case with the use of the pvc piping!

[wantedleatherworks]

makes me wanna become a pool player. absolutely beautiful workmanship

[lranger]

Thanks Windrider30 and wantedleatherworks.

The innercase can be pulled out, if repairs ever needed to be made, by cutting the stitching around the top of the case. It just slides in and out.

[ENC]

I went to Vegas for the nationals with a friend whose team won the San Diego regional playoffs in A.P.A. APA is basically a national bar pool league. There were some dealers there selling equipment including cue cases. 2x4 cases ( 2 butts 4 shafts) in all black with no tooling were selling for over $700. They didn't look anywhere as nice as the one you made. So yes there is money to be made in cue cases.

The only suggestion I have is to add a pocket that is big enough to put a cue ball in. Cue balls in bars are just a tiny bit smaller than the rest of the balls so the will drop through the return track when you scratch. Many of the players bring their own cue ball so that the target balls don't get lift on contact. It certainly doesn't make any difference in my pool game but some of the top end players I have talked to say it dose for them.

Good luck, your work is fantastic.

Ray

[lranger]

Thank you, Ray, and thanks for that info.

I need to, and would like to improve on the tubes and tube lining. The problem with using pvc tubing is that the available sizes make it extremely hard to line it and still have enough room for the sticks to fit, particularly the butt ends. Plus, all that pvc makes the case somewhat heavy. I don't really know how much of an issue the weight of the case is to people, though, since the case's main purpose is to protect their high cost custom cue sticks. It seems that other cue case makers have gotten away from using the pvc tubing, but I haven't been able to figure out how they make the other type of liners. I'll keep trying.

Edited February 25, 2015 by lranger