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Shafts: trimming, sleeve installation

Nippon Shafts
Jugger18 said:
Love this thread. About to do the same. THPer is sending me a 7M3 with a callaway adapter. Need to pull it and install the TM adapter I bought off the bay. I would prefer not to use GG for this but I dont have a shaft puller. Just the heat gun.
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I wil pull this for you as well if you dont want GG to do it
 
Might be cheaper to just send you the shaft then to pay GG. How easy to do is this without a puller? I was considering creating a DIY with a block and a hydraulic jack
 
Jugger18 said:
Might be cheaper to just send you the shaft then to pay GG. How easy to do is this without a puller? I was considering creating a DIY with a block and a hydraulic jack
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I wouldnt do it without a puller, to easy to ruin the shaft. I rhought about the DIY puller route but when I statted looking at the cost it was just as easy to go with the Roberts. Cost is about $20 more than DIY but I know its built right.

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=121263505031
 
ChristopherKee said:
Thanks for the link, I think I might pick one up.
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No problem. Thats the one I have. Put the shaft in, 2 pumps on the handle, about 15 seconds of heat and the head/adapter breaks loose, another 4 pumps on the handle and its off. Takes longer to set the shaft in there than to pull the head.
 
Hawk said:
I just sanded the tip, dripped some epoxy in the adapter, and smoothed some on the tip before I installed. I have a quick set epoxy, but still let it sit for awhile.
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Generally speaking this is correct, I will just add one warning as some aftermarket adapter makers do not always prep the inside of the adapter (this also applies to connecting to a clubhead directly) I always prep the hosel or adaper to rough up the inside of the adapter if its not already prepped. I use the sanding drill bits from Golfworks, there are other methods or wire bits--you just don't ever want to connect to a smooth surface unless you enjoy seeing a driver head fly downrange or into a lake etc..

For graphite you need to use fine sanding method or do it by hand to avoid stripping away the graphite on a belt sander type of tool. Lots of youtube lessons on shaft/hosel prep.

Golfworks tour set epoxy is my favorite--same torque rating as the 24 hour cure epoxy but it is usable in 4 hours with 25 min workable time. I can do a full iron set with it now after much experience. you wont want to go generic epoxy unless you research it and know of a club builder that uses or recommends it--they all have different ratings and are not all equal.
 
I will 2nd the Roberts puller. I have had mine for a while now and it's flawless. Pulls, re-gripping it just flat works.

As for re-using adapters, I have pulled 3 off and epoxied them on different shafts. I use a heat gun and go slow, heat on for about 10 -15 seconds and let sit for the same and repeat. While doing this I apply some pressure to the jack, with the pressure once the old epoxy starts to break loose you will see the adapter move. I than give it a little more heat and remove the adapter. While the glue is still warm I clean out the inside of the adapter. Ferrules will be toast every time but I buy those in bulk so not a big deal.
 
mark blanchard said:
I've done hundreds of these and have several more tips to offer that are not covered above.

1. Always try to clean as much old epoxy out of the adapter hole as possible, if it has been used before.
2. Coat both the hole and the shaft fully. Be prepared to wipe off a bunch of excess.
3. If the shaft has been used, always drill through the old epoxy in the tip of the shaft to prevent bubbles etc. Blow through it like a blow gun. You want epoxy to squish into this hole as well as coat the outsides.
3. Sanding the collar is very important for a good bond. I use a FILE not fine sandpaper. Rough it up for a good bond but don't cut deep.
4. Aligning the graphics with the adapter. If it's a rotating adapter (like Taylormade, meaning the shaft will rotate depending on setting) then it doesn't matter where you align the graphics to the neutral setting because you'll like move the setting and you need to use a round unribbed grip. Most (not all) shaft manufacturers tune their shafts to graphics DOWN. With TMag that would be graphics in align with the Neutral setting which will then align with the arron on the bottomside of the hosel. If you know where you want to set this shaft and head already, you can try aligning graphics with that setting (+2, -1 etc.). The Cally and Titleist adapters can stay straight up regardless of your altered setting, allowing you to use a ribbed grip, which I like. You can only do this with TMag if you regrip the shaft AFTER you find the setting you like. If you use a ribbed grip, you have to be very careful to get it on straight, and you might fail once or twice, but if you get it there it really helps with keeping that clubface square or reminded you to open or close it to a necessary degree.
5. I like 20 hour epoxy for its extra bond. But pretty much any golf shaft epoxy works well. While you can usually pull shafts and reuse them, adapters are toast after one use. They melt and warp and distort if not extremely careful in the pull.
6. Let the shaft sit STANDING UP, Tip down, not in the club, while drying. You want all that epoxy settling evenly at the bottom.
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Great reply!
 
Some further clarification because some folks didn't like my answer regarding the likely destruction of a tip adapter during DIY removal.

1. I was assuming that as a newbie first time DIY guy doing one shaft, he DIDN'T own a shaft puller. The Roberts is fine machine -- and it's a $140. You really gonna spend that to pull one shaft? IMO, the $20 cheap aluminum pullers that go in a vise suck and are not worth the money. In the meantime, complete new adapters are about $35, while new OEM ferrules are $5 to $10 by the time you get 'em.
2. If you don't own a nifty expensive puller, you must grab the tip with pliers while you vise down the shaft in a rubber cradle and PULL on it while you heat. A jig (bar of metal with a small hole drilled through it for the adapter to screw in) is better than pliers, with which you'll probably leave teeth marks on the soft metal adapter, if not warp it outright. Some adapters use aluminum parts with PLASTIC NIPPLES. For a delicate piece of metal that is designed to alter the orientation of shaft to hosel by as little as one half of 1 DEGREE, do you really want to be torquing on it at all? Besides, your plastic ferrule will melt in the heat no matter what you do, so you're back on the 'bay or GS buying more parts anyway.
3. If you mail this shaft adapter to a THP buddy for his delicate pulling and preserving of the tip, that's $10 out and $10 back in shipping.
4. It probably goes without saying that you must make sure you have the RIGHT diameter tip adapter for your shaft. A .335 tip will not go on a .350 shaft, but a .350 tip will rattle loosely on a .335 shaft and NO amount of extra glue should be applied to make up for the gap. Sure as shooting will dry crooked, and there goes your precious .5 degree orientation you're trying to conserve.

Now you see why I don't try to save tip adapters. I can never be sure how I may have bent them in the ordeal and they're only $35.

Here's another nifty trick -- once you find a shaft that you like or one that has been fitted to you, SAVE IT for the next generation of drivers by that manufacturer! My Optiforce dual cog shaft is going straight into the Big Bertha that I decide to keep. I also have a RBZ Stage two shaft/adapter that I used to test an R1, SLDR and now Jetspeed. You can resell head-only drivers on the 'bay just as easily as ones with shafts and they're easier to ship.
 
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I think I might try to do this myself with the shaft I just bought. Then again, I really, really don't want to screw it up. Stupid easy?
 
captaincaution said:
I think I might try to do this myself with the shaft I just bought. Then again, I really, really don't want to screw it up. Stupid easy?
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yes it is very easy just make sure you have the right tools
 
captaincaution said:
Please elaborate
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Installing the tip is easy. Just takes some sandpaper to prep it and the epoxy. Trimming a shaft isn't a big deal as long as you have something that can cut it efficiently. Some guys use dremels, some use chop saws. I've always just used a hacksaw with a PVC blade. A couple wraps of masking tape around where I'm gonna cut. Measure, mark & cut. I've found with the hacksaw, if you flip it over right before you cut all the way through and start from the uncut part it alleviates any threat of splintering. Make sure it's a sharp PVC blade. I usually take a sand block to the trimmed edge to clean it up a little before gripping and/or tipping. If I get into doing this stuff again regularly, I'll definitely get some sort of small chop saw. Here's one from golfworks, though you can probably get a better deal at harbor freight or something.

http://www.golfworks.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_CSM6
 
Thanks for the tips. I went ahead and did this myself tonight. Really quite easy!
 
Shaft adapters

Shaft adapters

When installing a brand new adapter onto a shaft, do you have to prep the inside of the adapter to help get the epoxy to bond?

I brought my new adapter and a shaft out to my golf course and the pros there tried to put it on, but the epoxy wouldn't stick and the shaft just pulled right out even after sitting overnight. I don't know how much experience the golf course has putting shafts on, but I know the tip size of the shaft and the adapter are both .335, so I'm thinking they missed a step when trying to put it on. Either that, or they messed up mixing the epoxy, (I say that because when I take the adapter off it just feels kinda slimy like the epoxy never set right).

Anyways, just for some information, I'm putting a Callaway Optiforce adapter (.335) on a Project X Graphite shaft (blue in color which is also .335). Thanks in advance for any help as I don't have much experience with re-shafting.
 
I typically prep the inside of an adapter with some sand paper and then just make sure I get all the dust out.
 
Don't know if it's required but I always hit mine with a little bit of sand paper on the inside, along with the usual shaft tip prep.

I can tell you that if you don't let it sit the full 24 hours (for that kind of epoxy) it won't set right. Once I get it lined up, I set it up in a corner and forget about it for at least a day.

Funny that you're building that combo. Was just looking at tracking one down to try in my X2 Hot.
 
Seems like a bad epoxy or bad job mixing it. I clean the inside with some acetone on a Q-Tip and then prep the shaft. Your description sounds like the epoxy wasn't mixed properly, so it never got a chance to cure.
 
I too just rough up the inside of the adapter along with regular shaft tip preperation and have never had a problem.
 
I never prep a new TM adapter they are usally rough enough already on the inside
 
The newer Callaway adapters, OptiForce/Bertha/X2, seem to have an issue like that. I never had that issue with the original adapter. I now run some sandpaper inside to make sure that epoxy bonds better. I had one slip when I first was building them.
 
I brought it to a more well-known club repair person and he was able to get it installed for me. He mentioned that the people at the golf course did not prep the inside of the adapter at all, nor did they clear the old epoxy from the shaft (it was still plugged) which I guess can cause the epoxy to not set right. This was something I didn't know was needed either, so that was good information to find out.

One of these days I'm going to jump into club repair (reshafting mainly).
 
Installing adapters

Installing adapters

Is there some trick I'm missing. I've never had the epoxy on a standard bonded club fail after a reshaft (that I'm aware of) but I have had the bond fail on a driver and three wood with adapters. I've noticed the tight fit and wondered if there's room for enough epoxy to get in to form a solid bond. I installed an adapter and put together a traditional bonded club on the same night with the same epoxy and the traditional bond has held despite repeated hitting off a mat. The three wood after five hits off a tee failed.

I remove the pain at the tip, put epoxy inside the adapter and the tip of the shaft and then install twisting the shaft for even coverage. I let them try more than the appropriate amount of time.

It's getting to where I'm feeling a little gun shy when installing adapters so any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
 
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