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Maker of pool cues from 1982 to present currently in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Perry Weston started to play pool at the age of 10. Growing up in Wisconsin, Perry liked to play in the local tournaments. He got more serious about the game while attending college. Eventually, he decided to order a cue from a local custom cuemaker.
After a long time waiting for a cue that never arrived, Perry
decided to use the knowledge he had received working in a machine shop to make
his own custom cue. He got some components from another cuemaker, and completed
the cue in 1982. When a friend offered him $50 for the cue, Perry sold it,
knowing that he could make another. Soon, more of his friends wanted him to make
them custom cues, and the word began to spread.
Sterling silver has become a popular material for inlays and rings on Weston cues, and phenolic and ivory are commonly used to craft the joints. Perry makes every component except the bumpers, tips, and screws, which are custom made to his specifications. Perry offers CNC or traditional veneer points, and he is constantly modernizing his shop with more advanced equipment. Perry was one of a few cuemakers who was selected to make cues for a Smithsonian exhibit in the late 1990s. Recently he trademarked the name "Weston Custom Cues."
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Perry
constantly experimented with ways to improve the design and construction of his
cues. In 1993, Perry left Wisconsin to make cues in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Perry's cues have been easily identifiable since 1984, when he started engraving
"Weston" vertically in cursive on the flared butt caps. In 1998, he started
placing them horizontally in block letters. In 2005, he changed to script
letters. Around this time Perry switched from piloted stainless steel joints to
flat-faced linen phenolic joints. Then he switched from 5/16-14 joint pins to
radial pins. In about 2000, Perry started coring his butts with a solid piece of
rock maple to eliminate the splice.