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Post by secondary on Sept 7, 2011 11:27:07 GMT -5
I have been looking at schools like Mitchell, Golfsmith, Maltby, etc where you roll in for two days or so and get a crash course in the basics of club building. Outside of the Henry Griffitts up here, there aren't a lot places to "hang out" and learn. Does anyone have any personal insight to any of these places? Just kicking around ideas for a new hobby since I am getting ready to deal with winter for the first time in a while.
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Post by Richie3Jack on Sept 7, 2011 12:10:23 GMT -5
From my experience, Mitchell has the best equipment/tools. I don't think the club building is all that hard to learn yourself. I think the more advanced stuff like frequency matching, club fitting, MOI matching, etc, is a little more difficult.
Go to Golfsmith and get their DVD on some club building basics. Costs like $2. It helped me figure out the best way to do ferrule installation
3JACK
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Post by cloran on Sept 8, 2011 8:08:22 GMT -5
I've thought about doing the Golfsmith course myself, but opted for the alternative:
1. Go to local Salvation Army.
2. Buy lots of clubs, cheap.
3. Get yourself a blow torch, pipe cutter, and vice at a hardware store.
4. Get some epoxy, various grips, grip tape, lead tape and solvent at your local golf shop.
5. Get band-aids and burn cream at local pharmacy.
6. Get to work... remove heads, change grips, cut shafts, have fun!
THEN...
7. Scour the internet for a swing weight scale.
8. Pick up a Dremel with grinding tools, cutting tools, and polishing attachments (fantastic investment, btw).
9. Have MORE fun...
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Post by Richie3Jack on Sept 8, 2011 8:58:40 GMT -5
Yes, cloran's method works well...mainly because regardless of the school you were to go to...you still need practice on how to work things and how to get better at working things. Something like working a hand torch takes some practice. I'd still advise getting the GolfSmith DVD since it's a good step-by-step way to do grips and shafts for only $2. Their way of doing ferrule installation helped me figure out how to do those suckers...and it was really a simple way to do it (can't believe I didn't think of it).
You should get to know the basics.
With shafts, you really need to understand the different shaft tip and clubhead hosel sizes. Of course, there's ways around them if they don't quite fit...but we are best off matching the shaft tip size to the hosel size with our clubs when we start out.
We should also get to know the difference between taper tip and parallel tip when it comes to iron shafts. And how tipping a shaft affects the shaft characteristics and how trimming from the butt end affects the shaft characteristics.
The good thing is that for basic work...the tools are pretty cheap. The most expensive item you may buy for shafts and grip installation may be the vise or the hacksaw. A 'basic' set of tools for grips and shafts would look like this:
- vise
- rubber shaft clamp
- tape (used for grip install and graphite shaft trimming)
- solvent (for grips)
- hacksaw (graphite shaft trimming)
- pipe cutter (steel shaft trimming)
- yard stick or tape measure
- marker
- epoxy
- granulated sugar (works in place of shaft beads)
- popsicle sticks (mixes epoxy together)
- box cutter
- kitchen scale (measure weight of head, grip, etc...easy way to figure out swingweight)
- 80 grit sandpaper
- hand torch
- oven mitt (heads get hot when you remove them)
It's rather inexpensive for basic stuff. Once you get more advanced and want to do things quicker, then you start spending a bit more money.
3JACK
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Post by secondary on Sept 8, 2011 12:33:46 GMT -5
Thanks for the suggestions. No Golfsmith around. No anything arond. Play it Again Sports went out of business if you catch my drift. I should have done this in Tucson where there was not only Golfsmith but all the other places. Constant moving across country has kept me from setting up a shop situation. But seeing Richie do it in his place in Fl makes it apparent that it can be done rather easily. I was just thinking of Mitchell because it might speed up the learn curve a bit and make it so I don't have to go clean out a Salvation Army in Spokane (90 miles one way). I got you that I will need some practice. I have a few sets laying around to play with also.
Plus Mitchell looks close enough that I could maybe drive up to Erie PA and spend a day or two!
Thanks for the list of materials, I know I saw it before but this helps.
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Post by Richie3Jack on Sept 8, 2011 12:45:21 GMT -5
Yes, I basically do all of this stuff in my kitchen. I have one of thsoe small vises used for jewelry. I just attach it to my kitchen table. I only need it for grip install and for trimming *steel* shafts. For graphite I just use a hacksaw and put it on a cutting board and cut away. Removing a shaft just hold the club in the shaft with your hand and heat away. When the epoxy starts to break, grab the oven mitt and pull the head off. Doesn't require anything more than that.
You could always go on eBay, get some old ass clubs for $10-$20 and fool around. But, Mitchell makes top notch equipment and makes better equipment than Maltby or Golfsmith.
3JACK
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Post by tba on Sept 8, 2011 13:53:07 GMT -5
Yes, I basically do all of this stuff in my kitchen. I have one of thsoe small vises used for jewelry. I just attach it to my kitchen table. I only need it for grip install and for trimming *steel* shafts. For graphite I just use a hacksaw and put it on a cutting board and cut away. Removing a shaft just hold the club in the shaft with your hand and heat away. When the epoxy starts to break, grab the oven mitt and pull the head off. Doesn't require anything more than that. You could always go on eBay, get some old ass clubs for $10-$20 and fool around. But, Mitchell makes top notch equipment and makes better equipment than Maltby or Golfsmith. 3JACK Helpful Hint: When you cut graphite shafts wrap some masking tape on the cut line or just butting up to your cut mark and you will avoid splintering of the fibers. Also you can get some or make some rubber L - shaped pieces that fit on your vice that will hold the graphite shafts in the vice without damaging them, just don't tighten the vice too much as you can break the shaft. Shouldn't be a problem I never crushed a shaft doing it. That way it's easier cutting the shafts. |
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Post by tba on Sept 8, 2011 13:58:48 GMT -5
Almost forgot when you wrap the masking tape wrap it around about 5 times as it also gives a nice edge to butt the hacksaw blade against when cutting the shaft.
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Post by Richie3Jack on Sept 8, 2011 14:20:47 GMT -5
Yes, I wrap blue painter's tape where I plan on cutting. I'm glad I watched some videos on that before I did it. It takes a few tries to get used to cutting with a hacksaw. I basically start out slow to keep the cut straight and then pick up the tempo a bit. Also, put on a bad shirt because it's easy to get graphite on a shirt or on your fingers and stain it  3JACK |
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Post by tba on Sept 8, 2011 15:08:04 GMT -5
Yeah, all the info you can get before you attempt club assembly or dis-assembly is worth it in the long run.
Can save you time and money and a lot of frustration.
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Post by cloran on Sept 8, 2011 19:44:16 GMT -5
I actually use my pipe cutters for graphite too, then some sand paper to smooth out the cut end... hasn't failed yet.
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Post by cloran on Sept 8, 2011 19:53:25 GMT -5
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Post by bentshaft on Sept 8, 2011 22:58:59 GMT -5
I've thought about doing the Golfsmith course myself, but opted for the alternative: 1. Go to local Salvation Army. 2. Buy lots of clubs, cheap. 3. Get yourself a blow torch, pipe cutter, and vice at a hardware store. 4. Get some epoxy, various grips, grip tape, lead tape and solvent at your local golf shop. 5. Get band-aids and burn cream at local pharmacy. 6. Get to work... remove heads, change grips, cut shafts, have fun! THEN... 7. Scour the internet for a swing weight scale. 8. Pick up a Dremel with grinding tools, cutting tools, and polishing attachments (fantastic investment, btw). 9. Have MORE fun... |
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Post by secondary on Sept 9, 2011 11:15:50 GMT -5
Thanks for the book link Cloran.
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