Reddit mentions: The best billiards equipment

As said really, there is no best as everyone has preferences. I play with Xiguan tips which are a Chinese layered tip, they're pretty soft but I love them, best of all they're seriously cheap, current price is £6.48 for 10 tips on eBay. If you like something a bit harder then Cuesoul tips are also really good, come in different hardnesses and again are really cheap at £10 for 6 tips from Amazon.

I've tried many others such as Elkmaster, Blue Diamond, Kamui and Talisman. Didn't like the first two. Kamui's do play really well but they glaze over so fast so I end up scuffing them multiple times a session and they don't last 5 minutes. Talismans used to be great but they're crap now and always delaminate on me, not sure if they've changed the glue or what but they suck.

As for break cues, any phenolic tip will do the trick. They're kinda tricky to fit where you can't trim them to size easily without a lathe, so I'd suggest getting a professional to do that for you, but with regular leather tips you can fit them yourself.

If you're fitting them yourself btw (which I'd recommend if you're trying a few out, it's always a great skill to learn anyhow as tips don't last forever) then this video will help tremendously. Couple of things though:

I find the removal of the tip and old glue much easier if you rip off the tip, then apply some superglue debonder to a rag and then just rub back and forth over the ferrule where the old glue is until it comes off and you're left with a perfectly clean and flat surface. Then allow it to dry for like 10 minutes and you'll be good to go.

Also, you can trim down the tip flush to the ferrule with one of these tools which is basically a giant pencil sharpener, which you'd use like this. You can trim a tip flush to the ferrule in less than a minute with this thing.

You'll get some good tips on how to power break in here, so instead of rehashing those I thought I'd mention another option.

Modern pool pros no longer do the "hit'n'hope" type of break that was popular years ago. Good players have figured out that it's possible to make the same ball on the break every single time, as long as the rack is tight. And a lot of new racks have emerged over the years that give a perfectly tight rack... especially the Magic Ball Rack.

So my suggestion is... put the power break away for a while, and see if you can learn how to make a ball intentionally on your breaks. This will be useful for a lot of reasons:

1. By taking the focus away from power you'll learn control, careful aim and tip placement
   
2. You'll realize just how important a tight rack is, and train your buddies (and yourself) to rack them TIGHT
   
3. You might find you actually make those "called balls" with a little consistency
   
   If you're playing 8 ball, there are 2 types of break you can use, and both types have at least 3 different balls that are likely to go (though far from guaranteed).
   
   Type 1: The controlled power break - this one is honestly hard to execute. Try it if you want but don't be surprised if it has limited success. It needs a perfect rack, accurate hit, and probably a 20+ mph break. So in other words, it's exactly what you were saying you struggle with haha. But it's amazing to see top pros make it work.
   
   When it's hit well, the balls in the 2nd row (14 and 15 in this diagram) head towards the side pocket. Also one of the corner ball flies all the way around the table, going 4 rails and ending up in a corner pocket. But for that to happen they have to dodge a LOT of traffic.
   
   The diagram: https://pad.chalkysticks.com/ee1b2.png
   The actual break in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3eVaA_er1s&feature=youtu.be&t=600 (10:00)
   
   This is one of the best breakers in the world so he makes it look easy. You can see the yellow stripe fly directly into the side, and the green stripe hits the nipples and comes very close. You can also see the corner ball (light blue stripe) fly around 4 rails and go in the corner. Keep watching this guy throughout this match and others, and you'll see it's no fluke... it's the same balls dropping over and over.
   
   Type 2: 2nd ball break. My preferred method cuz I suck at power breaking. You hit a 2nd row ball intentionally instead of the ball at the top. No rule against it. This creates an entirely different result, but it's also got at least 3 balls that very reliably go towards pockets. It also has a small chance of making the 8 on the break.
   
   The diagram: https://pad.chalkysticks.com/fb63c.png
   (for clarity, I'm not showing the 2's path to its nearest pocket, but often it goes)
   
   The corner ball opposite from you seems to fly straight into the pocket if the rack is right and you hit from the correct angle. https://youtu.be/TfXcWdJ6WuY?t=90 ...watch the 9 ball. Very often, the corner ball on the other side of the rack can go too. Sometimes both go. Sometimes one of them banks into the other corner.
   
   This is the ball you're really playing to make, the other balls I mention below are just "Plan B".
   It's all about a combination of a tight rack and the correct aim. You don't aim to hit the 2nd ball as full as possible. You aim to cut it a little... almost like cutting it down the diagonal line formed by the triangular shape of the rack. Here's where you're trying to hit: http://imgur.com/35cec4U
   
   Plan B - 2nd (or 3rd) row ball BANKS into the opposite side. For me, this happens almost any time the corner ball comes close but fails. Watch the purple stripe: https://youtu.be/TfXcWdJ6WuY?t=170
   The rest of the video shows some of the other stuff that can happen on this break.
   
   8 on the break: This is pretty complex... sometimes it seems to fly straight in and other times it only seems to work with a late kiss. But it does often go into the opposite side pocket. This guy does a good job explaining the aim, which is the less-than-full hit on the 2nd ball I mentioned earlier. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iabp28yp00
   
   Beware, a very common side effect of this break is all the balls cluster on the side rail, the same side you broke from. I've seen on a couple of occasions literally every ball on one half of the table. It makes for a really tough runout.
   
   Also... you're breaking from the side rail. So be careful not to elevate the cue (it's easy to jump off the table) and make sure you use some firm draw (it's easy to fly directly off the rack and scratch into the corner). You can optionally add some left or right english to help move the cue ball back towards the middle of the table. Otherwise it tends to get stuck along the bottom rail or even scratch in the other corner. But adding sidespin does make it tougher to execute.

i disagree on saving for a 200 cue. sure if your going to be playing in a couple years and you know it for a fact then its a good idea , but if you want something cheap and reliable just to see if its even something you want to stick with your current budget is fine imo.

a lucky by mcdermott or valhalla by viking will suit your needs.

all your looking for at this price range is a consistent cue that you can get used to.

I have personal experience with a lucky cue, my friend shoots with it and it is exactly what you seem to want right now a bare bones solid cue.

hes been playing with it for around three years and the shaft is still straight.

Im going to tell you something if you end up sticking with this game you will probably want to upgrade even if you buy a 150 or 200 dollar cue.

lucky -
https://www.seyberts.com/lucky-cue-l7


valhalla -
https://www.amazon.com/Valhalla-Viking-Piece-Stick-Irish/dp/B076BVFHWQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1522192879&sr=8-1&keywords=valhalla%2Bcue&th=1

just my .02

Wow great reply. The amazon one looks pretty good and I'm totally comfortable with that price. The customization of the second one would probably be great if I had any strong opinions.

This is the office cue that seems to be the best we have: https://www.amazon.com/50-off-Spider-19-20oz-billiard-retail/dp/B00G87LCFQ/ref=sr_1_5?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1482432174&sr=1-5&keywords=spider+pool+cue

I do enjoy the sort of modern design aesthetic, but if the C950 is a better value for consistent performance then I'll probably just pick that up. Your thoughts?

I've been looking into doing the same thing myself pretty soon. Some useful things that I have found have been

• Use unsuited speed cloth with 1/4" foam under for the table base since liquids bead on it and its easy to pick up cards on.
  
• I'm planning on doing a table with an 3-4" indented center that is able to be covered. I'm still deciding whether I want to have leafs that are seated in the table that I can remove when I want to play, or having a lid/lids that hang over the side of the table.
  
• There is a site that you can order custom board gaming tables at, where I got some inspiration. I'd look through their site to see if you want to use any of their ideas.
  
  As for wrapping leather around the edge of the table, the thing that comes to mind for me is how billiards pockets are attached to tables. Depending on the style of wrapping you want to do, I would maybe wrap a piece of foam with leather, gluing it on the backside, then use Pocket Nails in order to secure it to the table. I would probably glue it to the table as well to ensure it is secure. You could also just glue it and use shorter decorative nails of your choice.

How about a case? I have a JB Rugged case and I haven't found one in the world so far that I like better. You can pick one out that they have in stock, or design your own. They're the bomb.

https://jbcases.com/cases-for-sale-instock/rugged-cases.html?size=49

Cues are so subjective that it would be best to have him pick one out than to surprise him with one. Also, if he hasn't been playing very long, he should probably wait a while before getting a new cue so he can hit with others' cues and get a feel for what he likes and doesn't like.

Edit - some other ideas:
Last4Ever Tip Tool
Aramith Super Pro cue ball
Aramith Measle cue ball
BallSak cue ball case

They are all dosed at approximately the lower end of what http://examine.com says is an effective dose.

From memory, I dosed the BCAAs at 5g ( as opposed to 10g as often recommended ) because they are the most expensive ingredient.

A few of the stims like synephrine, hordenine, and higenamine are just there in minimally effective amounts, as I had ordered small sample size packets to experiment with during my year long cut.

I'm hesitant to list amounts, as I don't want to be responsible for people mixing up batches of some 'magic potion' because 'some dude on the internet said it would turn me into a face eating zombie.'

I ordered all of the powders from http://powdercity.com, as they have really good prices compared to elsewhere, with the exception of the matcha green tea powder which I got from a vendor on amazon.com in bulk awhile back. Oh, and the HMB for whatever reason I have a hard time finding for a good price from a US vendor, so I ordered 1kg of it from a vendor in the UK.

I mix it all up at once in an old bodybuilding.com foundation series 2lb casein container, as the BB.com containers are heavy duty plastic with lids that seal well, compared to some other whey powder tubs that are kind of flimsy.

I put 4 or so mini billiard balls in the tub with the powder and shake, rattle, roll it around until everything is mixed really well. It doesn't take long to get a good mix with the balls in there, and I give it a shake and roll briefly before I use it each time for a few seconds for good measure. They sink to the bottom and don't get in the way of me trying to spoon it out until near the end, at which time I know I need to check my powder stock as it's almost time to mix a new batch. Then I just take the balls out for the last dose or 2.

As for how I determine amounts and dosages ... for each ingredient, I take the single dose weight, and multiply it by the batch size. So for a 500mg dose x 30 doses = 15 grams total. Then I weigh out 15 grams using a small digital scale, and dump it in the plastic tub, and write down the total weight. I do this for each ingredient. At the end, I add up the total weight of the entire batch, and divide it by the # of doses, so in this example, total weight of all product / 30 = weight for 1 dose. Then when I make my preworkout drink, I just weigh out the single dose amount.

Add a little gatorade for a minor amount of carbs and dem electrolytes that plants crave, and a sugar free hawaiin punch drink packet ( the lemonade flavored ones are my favorite, avoid the orange, not tangy enough, and the 'tangy' flavors seem to mask the more bitter components well ) as those are the cheapest flavoring I can find locally ( like $1 for 8 or 10 packets at walmart ) and drink it down.

I found this subreddit after identifying a project I could try and do myself so I don't even know where to start. Please forgive my naiveté. I'm looking to restore/create leather drop pockets for a special pool table that's been in my family for 30 years and I'd like to update it. Currently I have plastic pockets just resting on top of the irons, but the proper setup would to have the pocket irons wrapped in leather with a drop netted pocket and a couple facings on either side. I took some pictures of my current setup (no leather) and a setup I saw at a local store. I'd like to replicate the store version:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/J3UqDR9QScdNFcA67

The one in the store felt very stiff and I'm not even sure if that's real or fake leather. I'm guessing I'll need to glue some leather on top, rivet or snap the nets in place and sew some facings on. Can someone help me out with what types of leather and tools I'd need to tackle this project on my own? I'm starting to see that "tooling" leather is thicker than some stuff I would use to wrap certain objects so I have no idea what types of leather to buy. I can buy the nets myself if that's difficult to DIY from here but full replacements including the irons are pretty expensive to just buy a replacement set as you can see here.

​

This company seems to be the ones that did the restorations for classic billiards in the previous link and have some more pictures of the process. After the basics, I'd like to attempt doing my own "carving/tooling" of the eagle logo, but I'd like to know what that would entail as well like this photo

Lay a sheet of paper down where you want to put your hand; just make sure you lift your hand when you want to move it, because if you just slide the paper around you're still going to smudge. Use a paper with as little tooth as you've got to lay your hand on; waxed paper, with the waxy side down, is good for this.

Or work with your paper up on a vertical surface like an easel, tote board, or taped / pinned to a wall, and use a mahl stick to steady your hand.

Or make or buy a bridge like this.

My favorite tip tool is the Last4Ever tip tool. I like the dime radius but there is a nickel radius version and a combination one too.

I also like my Justa Bridge head a lot.

My preferred chalkers are these cheap magnetic ones. The one I bought years ago was like $2 on eBay and took a month to get to me from Singapore but I love it.

Also, a Q Claw or other type of cue holder is essential for me and I keep leaving mine at the pool hall so these have to get replaced pretty regularly.

I recommend you to read about cue tips. This is an exact point of impact . Having a good cue tip is crucial for decent сueing.

Here is some short tables for begginers, just to understand the difference.
When you look at the number of pool cue tips there are available today, it can be extremely overwhelming. That's why I've created this Cue Tip Tables. I hope it would help people. Anyway:
>You will just have to experiment & find what works best for you.


The methodology we use for testing tip density is as follows:

• Use a standard Shore A Durometer (0-100 hardness scale)
  
• 1Kg (2.2 lbs) of pressure
  
• Measure the density of three tips per brand
  
• Take the average of the three measurements to determine a density rating
  
  Soft tips
  
  
• more cue ball spin
  
• more maintenance
  

• frequent replacement
  

  
  

  Tip Brand | Tip Size | Hardness
  

  --------|:--------:|---------:
  Kamui Black (Super Soft)| 14mm | 67.5
  Elk Master | 10mm-14mm | 66.8
  Moori soft | 14mm | 72.8
  
  Medium tips
  
  

• balance between cue ball control and consistency
  
• usually preinstalled by manufacturers as the standard tip
  

• plays consistently with less maintenance
  

  
  

  
  

  Tip Brand | Tip Size | Hardness
  

  --------|:--------:|---------:
  Fuji (Medium)| 13mm | 78.5
  Tiger Emerald | 10mm-14mm | 78.2
  Kamui Black (Medium) | 14mm | 78.5
  
  
  Hard tips
  
  

• create less spin
  
  
• require less maintenance
  
  

• are more liable to miscue
  

  
  

  Tip Brand | Tip Size | Hardness
  

  --------|:--------:|---------:
  Zan (Hard)| 13mm - 14mm | 87.4
  Kamui Black (hard) | 13mm-14mm | 84.8
  Bufallo (Hard) | 14mm | 86.8
  

I use this tip shaper, then get it down to a perfect dome with an emery board.

Once it's a good shape, scuff up the leather with the rough part of the tip tool, chalk it up and tap it with the back of the tool a few times.

edit: idk who downvoted this but it's a pretty standard method, and the It's George is an excellent tool.

No worries! Here's a starting point!

This too. Any lot on Ebay is a good place to start.

So I'm gonna just list a bunch of things off the top of my head that I can think of.

Some more supplies you'll need:

Silicone Grease: Use this any time you have to seal something or lubricate it. Eyedroppers get sealed with silicone grease, pistons lubricated, stuff like that. I use it to seal the hoods on hooded pens (Parker 51) rather than shellac (a kind of adhesive - it's next on the list) because to remove a shellacced hood, you need heat. Heat is dangerous. Plenty of Parker 51 hoods have been destroyed by people going crazy with heat trying to melt the shellac.

Now, any good repairman will use heat before trying to unscrew a hood - but with silicone grease, there's nothing to melt. So they'll just heat it a bit, then try to remove the hood, and not have to heat it any further like they would with shellac. Limits possibilities for damage.

Get a jar of Trident silicone grease off Amazon, or go to a local dive shop and say you need to grease an oxygen tank's valve. Shouldn't cost more than $10 for a crapton of it.

Shellac. This is essentially glue that melts with heat. You want orange shellac. Not sure what's wrong with any other shellac, but I don't care enough to ruin a pen finding out.

You'll use this mainly to attach sacs to pens. Possibly to seal threaded barrels (use silicone grease if the barrel needs to be sealed or nothing if it doesn't. Screwing it in should be enough on its own. No need to use shellac or even silicone grease. The exception is piston fillers and stuff that'll spill ink if you unscrew it. Then you use shellac. A lever filler or a button filler doesn't need silicone grease or shellac except if it's a loose fit), possibly to seal hoods (silicone grease is my tool of choice, but some disagree), and who knows what else. If you think "Oh, super glue would be great here!", stop and use shellac.

Anderson sells this, as do tons of other places. Hardware stores. It's not a pen-specific thing, you can find it locally cheaper than any pen repair place will sell it to you, but you only need a little bit. If you have need for removable glue in other places, get a big can of it from a hardware store.

Talc/graphite powder. Talc is better, but graphite is fine too - just messy.

They're used to keep the sac from sticking to the barrel walls. You'll learn more about it on Richard Binder's page.

Speaking of Binder, you'll see that he says "talcum powder" instead of talc. They're different. Talcum powder has additives in it that can damage a latex sac. Don't mess with talcum powder. This is the stuff you want. Not something like this. Look at the ingredients list, and look at all the stuff that isn't talc.

Sacs. If you're in the US, Woodbin probably has the best price out there. They're in Canada, but the shipping is fast and cheap (like $4). You'll want latex sacs for the most part, but some pens with really pretty celluloid (especially jade celluloid, which discolors when latex sacs degrade and offgas. Other colors do too, but jade is famous for it and very common) will warrant a silicone sac. I haven't bought any silicone sacs yet, so I'm not actually sure that Woodbin sells them. They probably do though, and you should pick some up.

Get a few of every size. Esterbrooks take size 16. Middle sizes like that are most common, but when you get into nicer pens (and some not-so-fancy ones. I've got this awesome Wearever combo with a nice stub nib on it that I restored with a size 19. Big sac, big pen. Cheap pen, low quality though. Not exactly a Sheaffer Balance combo) you'll see bigger sacs coming into play.

A hemostat. Basically medical clamps that are good for pulling j-bars, retainers, stuff like that out of pens. Alligator clamps are precision, they're good for sticking levers and snap rings and retainers back in, but sometimes you need more force than alligator clamps allow (they've got pretty weak grip). For that, use a hemostat. For both hemostats and alligator clamps, get something fairly cheap, and long enough to fit down barrels. 5.5" alligator clamps are doing fine for me, even on OS pens. Get a hemostat of similar size.

Now, snap rings. These are a pain in the ass sometimes. Read Richard Binder's guide on removing/replacing/inserting levers in pens if you don't know about snap rings.

Snap rings are basically just little bits of springy wire that hold levers in place on some pens. Usually lower end pens I think, but not always. I've yet to encounter a lever fill Wearever that doesn't use one, but there's a first time for everything. Vintage pens are notoriously inconsistent. Companies would make a change to a model, but use up old stock, so you've got some pens that look like they might be frankenpens. A non-snap ring Wearever could be something like that.

Disregard what he says about pushing down at a 45 degree angle to free the snap ring from its notch in the barrel. Push it straight down, then push it to one side once you've moved it down a bit (out of its notch in the barrel, but you probably won't be able to tell immediately). If you push at an angle, you risk cracking/chipping/damaging the plastic/ebonite. If you do it my way, you could maybe damage the snap ring, but snap rings are easy to remake, and there's nothing special about any of them. They're little bits of wire, nothing more.

I can't tell you how to make a new one, cuz I haven't had to yet. Look it up if you need to know at any point.

This is advice on fixing lever fillers, but also relates to snap rings specifically. This is why I don't like them much.

They're disposable. I hate that word, I think it's wasteful. Pens, razors, phones, appliances, cups, plates, just about everything we buy nowadays is disposable, and it's a disaster for our planet. (rant over) But really - if you need to damage a snap ring to possibly repair a pen, do it. Better to waste a snap ring than a pen. Bending them out of shape does nothing, they revert to the original shape when you put them in the barrel (by compression) but cutting them shorter does reduce how much pressure they exert on the lever.

Read this post about a lever filler I recently restored. I posted the same thing on FPN and here, but this thread was more active. Same title I believe, search for it if you want the other ones. Or look at my submissions.

So aside from my snap ring advice, my lever filler advice is that when you're having trouble making everything fit nice, diagram it. Draw it out. Be detailed. What's having force exerted on it? In what direction? What might be impeding something's motion or keeping it from going where it needs to? Plastic shrinks over time (really, it does. It's a pain in the ass), how could shrinkage have contributed to this problem? How could any of this be changed, either by me or by someone with greater skill/equipment to fix the problem?

For example, go look at my diagrams from that post. The diagram of the lever, specifically. I thought for a while that the plastic had shrunk, so now the back of the lever was just barely pressing up against the inside of the barrel, keeping it from laying flat without me pressing on it. I was wrong - but it wasn't a stupid guess. Well, maybe it was, there probably woulda been more resistance if that were the problem.

But the point is, look for all possibilities, and try whichever one will cause less damage to fix first, not the one you think will succeed. I bent that lever a bit when I didn't have to, and had to bend it back. That's permanent damage to the metal now. Shoulda noticed the snap ring that I could've cut short and done that first.

One last thing for now - when you ask for help online, be detailed. Draw your diagrams and post them. Give all the detail you can. Give your theories. Give pen models and dates and everything you can.

)

+1 on the willard shaper. the media is brazed on and will last forever.

​

q claws are a great accessory.

​

blue diamond chalk

​

maybe a red dot cue ball by aramith ( seems like EVERYone in APA league brings their own)

​

some people like to shoot with a glove, they are relatively inexpensive.

​

quarter holder like this

Looks cool. I was looking around for a similar solution as well and found a couple below. Yours looks great though!

I had jb cases add the ballholder in my lid. Also there is one for sale on Amazon as well.

The Aramith Super Pro Cup TV Cue Ball is a very good cue ball. If you don't like the "measles", you can get the non-TV version. There are also cue ball carrying cases that clip onto your cue case.

Before I started buying individual balls though, I'd weigh your cue ball and a few object balls to make sure the cue ball is actually heavier.

> I'd get a cheap break cue rather than changing the tip... you can probably find one for $50 and a tip change will cost you 30 in a lot of places anyway

For the same amount, I'd just get this break cue (which I did buy) - http://www.amazon.com/Rage-Heavy-Hitter-Break-25-Ounce/dp/B00EAIF6SY. I used to just break with my playing cue too, but I tried out my friend's break cue and love the heaviness of it (since I'm not a hard breaker) and just let the weight of the cue spread the balls for me. My break % has jumped at least 20-30%

Very cool. It's a very thin cellophane material with the outline of a triangle or diamond. Holes in the outer edge hold the outside balls in a constant state of pushing against the inside balls. Absolute perfect racks and you don't scuff your nice new cloth by sliding a traditional rack back and forth.

Magic Ball Rack 8, 9, and 10 Ball Combo Pack https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CP8QFDQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_203NDbF3VEKKQ

My university gym can only use liquid chalk so I've bought a bottle for when we run out sometimes and found the best use of it for outdoors. Use liquid chalk as a base layer, and then continue using my regular chalk when needed.

This is what my gym uses, and I find it better than Mammut brand, http://www.amazon.com/Edelweiss-Liquid-Chalk/dp/B000MWC9IM

I bought this one. Not only is it a fantastic break cue, it's a three piece and makes for a solid short cue as well!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EAIF6SY/

Looks very nice, I will be building one eventually.

For now I am just using this on the cue ball after each session:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007LERQU0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I figure if I clean all the balls once a week they won't get too dirty.

I second u/GreenGiantt 's recommendation of Predator. I bought https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DMVNFZG/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 a while back and really love it.

For those looking to skip the process of creating your own leather carrying case, my friend actually makes a cue ball case called a Ballsak that is also weatherproof.

Since I am unfamiliar with chalk or liquid chalk, could you recommend a quality brand?

Would something like this work?

This is what I use. It is cheap, stays out of the way and holds the chalk pretty well. I shoot right handed and keep it attached to the front right pocket of my pants.
It works great for square chalk but I had to modify it a little because I use [Predetor] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DMVNFZG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) chalk. I used the chalk holder part of this and glued a small washer to the bottom.

>this weird coating

Yes, it's called soap.

I use this stuff - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aramith-Billiard-Pool-Cleaner-Polish/dp/B007LERQU0

Out of interest, has anybody ever tried making a ball cleaner out of a rock tumbler or vibrating bowl like this: https://www.sandblasters.co.uk/250mm-vibratory-tumbler-parts-cleaner--polisher-20kg-capacity-model-10-sp-b-79-p.asp

I've already been down the orbital polisher in a bucket route and one of the idiotic bar staff at my local club burned it out after a few weeks

It's chalk in liquid form that dries really quickly. It's perfect for gyms where they ban regular chalk (like mine) http://www.amazon.com/Edelweiss-Liquid-Chalk/dp/B000MWC9IM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370651741&sr=8-1&keywords=edelweiss+liquid+chalk Edelweiss is the stuff I use and it works like a charm for all my lifts. I've used others but I like how thick this particular brand is and how much chalk it coats your hands in. Warning all liquid chalks look like semen of different viscosity before you apply them and they dry. You've been warned.

Did not know this existed. Just looked it up -- thank you!!

Creatine Monohydrate Powder 1kg @ $10.87 ... $0.054 per 5g dose

Instantized BCAA Powder 500g @ $25.18 ... $0.252 per 5g dose

Citrulline Malate ... 500g @ $23.05 ... $0.092 per 2.5g dose

L-Carnitine ... 250g @ $13.54 ... $0.081 per 1.5g dose

Caffeine ... dirt cheap

Mini Billiard Balls ... $15.50 ... put 4 of these in a large container ( I use an old bb.com casein tub ) and shake, rattle, roll to mix. Helps to break up any clumps, and won't chip / leave particles in your powder.

I use the above products. Creatine I put in my post workout shake, the rest I use in my pre-workout, flavored with sugar-free drink packets from Walmart + 1/2 serving of gatorade powder.

( if you don't have a small 0.01 gram scale, get one, they are cheap and extremely useful, especially when dosing caffeine ... amazon, ebay, powdercity, etc )

I like the 'It's George'.

Here ya go.

http://www.amazon.com/Silver-Cup-Premium-Powder-Shaker/dp/B005U4A9KW/ref=lp_3042527011_1_3?srs=3042527011&ie=UTF8&qid=1459381479&sr=8-3

I also have some pure talc in storage, coincidentally for fountain pen restoration as well. If you're looking for just a tiny bit, let me know and I can probably just send you some.

https://www.amazon.com/Aramith-AR1060-Ball-Cleaner/dp/B007LERQU0