Joss billiard cues: from the pool hall to the movie screen

Joss billiard cues: a brief history of Joss billiard cues

In the movie The Color of Money, the famous scenes with acclaimed actor Tom Cruise swinging his cue like a samurai sword were not really a Balabushka but a Joss billiard cue. The signal is immortalized today in the production signal called N-7, which is aptly called the Color of Money signal. Sometime in 1968 in a two-car garage in Baltimore, Maryland, Dan Janes and his partner created the renowned Joss Pool Cues. The duo began work using an old-fashioned hand lathe, a butcher’s band saw, a drill press, and a single workbench. They took some of the early steps of contemporary cleat making moving away from the traditional four prong design, innovating the “floating point” concept and many others. During that time, Dan Janes had excellent personal relationships with the world’s greatest billiard players of all time, including: Eddie Taylor, Ed Kelly, Larry Lisciotti, Luther Lassiter, Jimmy Fusco, Richie Florence, and Joe Balsis, just to name a few. . His unique insights, along with Dan’s personal relationships with these stick masters, helped make Joss’s signals virtually an instant hit. For more than three decades, Joss Pool Cues has been at the forefront of cue creation.

In 1972, Dan Janes bought his partner’s stake, thereby taking full control of the Joss Pool Cues business and continuing solely to make original cues in Maryland. By then, the dowel-making business was beginning to scale up, which meant there was a need for faster and growing production. Eventually, Janes moved to a bigger place and his son Stephen joined him in doing the signs. Dan and Stephen’s father-son tandem still work side by side at the store while Debbie and Amanda Janes oversee the office and sales. On the night of July 11, 2003, Dan Janes, the creator of Joss Cues, was inducted into the American Cue Makers Association Hall of Fame. He always finds ways to improve the game and beautify his pool cue creations while maintaining the traditional look and values ​​of the cues of yesteryear. Since he started a few decades ago, Dan has taken the profession of taco making very seriously. His innate love of the board game coupled with his penchant for detail gives him insight into what is important in every pool cue he creates and makes him one of the greatest pool cue makers of all time. Since 1968, Dan Janes and his family have been dedicated to making the highest quality pool cues. Although Joss Pool Cues continues to grow as a company, the personal commitment remains.

Joss Billiard Cues – Limited Edition Cues

Many of Joss handmade pool cues are “limited editions” and are destined to become a family heirloom cue and possibly a valuable antique for future generations. Whether you want inlays, dots, mother-of-pearl, holly, bird’s eye, ebony, or cocobolo, there’s a Joss pool cue design for that. A distinguishing feature of most of these signs is that they are made with Irish linen wraps that are black with white specifications. All Joss cleats have a 5/16 x 14 piloted stainless steel joint collar, black bands without a silver ring, and a standard tip diameter of 13.25mm.

Joss billiard cues: how to care for your Joss billiard cue

When you have purchased one of the Joss billiard cues, it is also important to maintain its good condition. Keeping your prized Joss cue in the same condition as when you first bought it will be very advantageous for your game of billiards. You will have to pay unnecessarily if there is any damage to your pool cue, it may result in you having to pay for repairs or worse, a new pool cue. Taking good care of your pool cue is pretty simple, as there are only a few things to remember. Here are some tips on how you would care for your taco.

  1. Your Joss pool cue must be in the right environment. It should never be left in a place that is too hot or too cold. Never put it in a wet area or even inside the car overnight instead, put it in its protective case.
  2. After every use or game, clean the shaft of your Joss pool cue. Using a small amount of isopropyl alcohol on a dry dishcloth, clean the shaft. Next, take a dry towel and go over the shaft once more. While playing pool, sweat, oil, and other substances can get on your shaft and if these things build up on the shaft of your Joss pool cue, they can actually damage it.
  3. After cleaning the shaft of your pool cue, clean the socket and tip of your Joss pool cue. This will prevent the build-up of chalk and dirt on the tip and splint of your pool cue. Wet a dish towel and gently wipe the splint and tip with the towel to clean these two items. After wiping it with a damp towel, take a dry towel and check the splint and tip one more time to make sure they are both completely dry. Any moisture that does not dry properly could damage the splint or tip and corrode the entire stick.
  4. Never crush the tip of the Joss pool cue. The tip of the cue should always be curved like a nickel or a quarter. Otherwise, you will not hit the cue ball correctly or accurately. Although there are already some elements to shape the tips of the cleats, it is best to keep them curved. Never use sandpaper to fix your stick.
  5. Never lean your Joss pool cue against a wall or the side of a pool table. Doing so, even a little bit, can cause your pool cue to bend and therefore reduce its accuracy. If your stick is damaged, do not attempt to repair it unless you are experienced in doing so. Instead, let someone who knows how to repair it, otherwise it may damage it more or worse; you will be forced to buy a new one.

Following these tips will maintain the great quality of your Joss pool cue and ensure that you develop a lifelong relationship with your movie screen companion.

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