innovation
From the leather tip, to the rubber bumper, a Viking cue is constructed with the best components, experience, and care in the billiard industry. We manufacture 99% of the parts we use on our cues and guarantee that our product is 100% American made. All Viking cues come standard with an Everest tip by Tiger. The tip is bonded to our specially designed ferrule that is the best in the industry. Our ferrule material is extremely durable and will not stain, crack, or burn, for as long as you own your cue, we guarantee it. The design of the ferrule and the tenon, on which it is attached to the solid maple shaft, is designed to provide a solid hit on the cue ball with minimal deflection. This translates simply to more shots made and less miscues.
The joint of a cue is a crucial component that takes a serious beating. Each joint we assemble is done with the assistance of a custom CNC lathe, to assure precision and consistency. All of our joints rely on wood-to-wood contact surfaces to provide the cue with a one-piece feel. We offer joint collars made of either a high-impact resin or stainless steel to tune the hit-style of the cue to your tastes. Our quick-release joint-pin allows the cue to be put together with 70% less twisting, yet holds firm until you decide to have mercy on your opponent.
The typical butt assembly of our cues consists of three pieces of wood finger-jointed together, to improve the strength, balance, and straightness of the finished butt. The butt is then "rough-cut" to a specific diameter, uniformly stacked, then stored in our environmentally controlled warehouse. The wood is allowed to cure for a minimum of 2 months before it gets worked again. Once the curing is complete, the cue is machined again, this time it's the inlays, rings, joint-collars, and butt-caps that are installed. The butt's diameter is turned down one more time to the finished dimensions. We let the butt sit and cure one more time before moving on to the finishing process.
Our finishing process is the most time consuming, and rewarding step of making a Viking cue. The first step, if necessary, is staining the wood. We lock in the rich color with a sealing coat and then it's off to the fully automatic spray booth. Our custom spray booth applies our high-tech finish to the cue and then passes it in front of a special ultraviolet light to harden and cure the finish. The cue then goes through a multi-stage buffing and polishing process to make it shine like glass.
Wrapping a cue takes a skilled hand and lot of practice, but the outcome is beautiful. Irish Linen is generally used for the wrap area of the cue, this not only looks very nice, but it also gives you a solid spot to grip your cue. We also offer no-wrap, leather, and finish-over-wrap as an alternative. Last but not least, weights are installed inside the butt of the cue to achieve the desired weight. We thoroughly checked over the entire cue one last time, then seal it in a bag. Now it's ready to be shipped off to some lucky pool player somewhere in the world.
