Flaws and imperfections in materials or wood. RAVEN cues are built with every effort to prevent flaws and imperfections of any kind. Some minor flaws and imperfections are to be expected. I've never seen anything that was made by hand that didn't have some. It may require very close inspection or even high magnification to find them, but they are there in every cue by every cuemaker. Materials used for some inlays, ferrules, joint collars, rings and butt caps are most often man made materials. They are known as phenolics, multi -polymers, thermo-plastics, linen-based or thermo-set laminates. These materials were originally created for industrial purposes. The pool cue industry is just too small to have much in the way of materials created specifically for it. For industrial purposes cosmetic imperfections (slight color variations from lot to lot, dark spots or blotches in the material, etc. are of no consequence. So long as the machined part performs its function what it looks like is unimportant to industry. Unfortunately, in a cue, cosmetics are important. When RAVEN cues are built many of the parts that are machined for a specific cue are discarded and never used because of cosmetic imperfections. The problem arises when those cosmetic imperfections are not noticeable until the cue is actually turned down to size or has had finish applied to it. At that point there is virtually no practical solution other than to leave the part in place. Wood is a sheer joy to work with. As it is turned, sanded and polished it often reveals figure and character that was not evident from the onset. There are other surprises too. Because of how wood grows any damage by insects or environmental sources is covered by successive layers of exterior growth. Most of us have seen instances where barbed wire or something pressed against the trunk of a tree has actually been overgrown by the tree and becomes embedded. As layers of wood are cut or sanded away they sometimes reveal previous damage or disease to the tree that was not noticeable to begin with. Some woods may retain sap that appears to be small crystalline balls like amber or lighter colored streaks in the grain. That isn't always bad. Burls ( twisting and swirling patterns in different woods) are actually a disease to the tree. Years ago burls were not used by woodworkers and were thrown away. Today burls sell for many times the cost of regular wood. The point is sometimes the natural imperfections are attractive and sometimes they are not. My assurance to you is your satisfaction guarantee. Some people could care less if there is a blemish in the wood or butt cap. Most people wouldn't even notice they were there. If you are the sort of person who is bothered by those tiny imperfections we probably have a lot in common. They bother me too. | ||
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