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Help With First Club Build - A Few Questions!

Nippon Shafts
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RobDMB

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About to build my first set of irons (heads, shafts, grips), and am looking for some advice as to the process. A few questions as follows:

1. Club Prep. I have the shaft tips prepared and used a hosel brush to clean out the club heads. Do people typically further clean the inside of the hosels with any kind of solution or not necessary?

2. Club Length. Irons are P760s if that matters. I want them to play standard length and have a club length ruler. When its standard length - does that account for the grip cap? So measured on the ruler, you would want the bare shaft in the head to measure slightly less than the actual playing length?

3. Swing Weight. I have a swing weight scale and picked up tip weights but am wondering how do people go about swing weighting? I have read a lot of threads and seems people have different methods. Some people use a split grip, some swing weight it bare and just add 9/10 swing weight points. Some say swing weight based upon a standard grip only. Some account for epoxy weight/some say too minimal. I will be using midsize grips which are obviously heavier than standard if that makes a difference for your advice.

4. Shafts Beads. Use or don't use? Hosels seems relatively snug, maybe a little movement but the ferrules I purchased are also collared so they keep the shaft snug once installed.

5. Epoxy. How much is too much and how much is too little? Any tips? I've read you should put it both on shaft and inside of hosel and twist. Do people seperately epoxy in the tip weights and ferrule? Or do those become glued by the epoxy you otherwise put on the shaft? Also, I had planned to use Brampton 20/20 Epoxy but if anyone has better suggestions for first build am open to it.

Looking forward to giving this a try. Plan would be to install grips last. Also, when people let clubs dry do you typically just lean them against a wall? Likewise, any other tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
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1. I clean out the inside of the hosel with a wire brush (to get the old epoxy out and roughen the inside a little) and then clean the inside with mineral spirits.
2. I go finished length accounting for the grip cap. If you want for instance 37" and not a little over, cut the shaft so the assembled club is 36 and 7/8" and that should hit it. The grip cap generally is 1/8".
3. I will dry assemble the club and put a grip on that I have cut from top to bottom just for this purpose. I only use standard size cord grips so that is what I use during the dry assembly. I don't do anything to account for the epoxy. Seems to be extremely minimal as my finished products are pretty well dead on my dry assembly swing weight. I don't have a digital swing weight scale so it is conceivable that the finished product could be a couple tenths heavier.
4. I always use them even though sometimes is is probably not necessay.
5. I do not skimp on the amount of epoxy I use. Put some on the shaft tip then turn it inside the hosel. Then put some epoxy directly in the hosel and once again put some on the tip before inserting it to let it set. Clean off all of the overflow with mineral spirits. Have never used tip weigths. I put the ferrule on after the first time I dip the tip in the epoxy so it slides on easier and does get some epoxy under the ferrule to help make sure it stays in place.
 
Sox_Fan said:
1. I clean out the inside of the hosel with a wire brush (to get the old epoxy out and roughen the inside a little) and then clean the inside with mineral spirits.
2. I go finished length accounting for the grip cap. If you want for instance 37" and not a little over, cut the shaft so the assembled club is 36 and 7/8" and that should hit it. The grip cap generally is 1/8".
3. I will dry assemble the club and put a grip on that I have cut from top to bottom just for this purpose. I only use standard size cord grips so that is what I use during the dry assembly. I don't do anything to account for the epoxy. Seems to be extremely minimal as my finished products are pretty well dead on my dry assembly swing weight. I don't have a digital swing weight scale so it is conceivable that the finished product could be a couple tenths heavier.
4. I always use them even though sometimes is is probably not necessay.
5. I do not skimp on the amount of epoxy I use. Put some on the shaft tip then turn it inside the hosel. Then put some epoxy directly in the hosel and once again put some on the tip before inserting it to let it set. Clean off all of the overflow with mineral spirits. Have never used tip weigths. I put the ferrule on after the first time I dip the tip in the epoxy so it slides on easier and does get some epoxy under the ferrule to help make sure it stays in place.
Click to expand...
This is my process to a t.
 
1. I would strongly go against using mineral spirits to clean the inside of the hosel. It's slow to dry and will have a negative affect on the bond of the epoxy. Use acetone to clean out the hosel as a final step. Make sure the hosel is free of left over epoxy from before.

2. Final length cutting has two ways of doing it. You can cut it so that the finished length with the grip sits right at the end of the grip, or you can cut it at the finish length and the grip cap sits slightly over length. I prefer the second method.

3. I keep a bunch of different cut grips around so that I can loose fit the grips on to calculate swing weight. You also need to take in consideration epoxy and how much you'll be adding and how that effects swing weight. It's never a good idea to guess when it comes to swing weight.

4. Shafting beads are an ok thing to use at times, but if used incorrectly or in too large of dose, can actually prevent a good bond and cause issues. The Mizuno tour truck guys use a little fishing wire to tighten up any loose fitment.

5. As long as you're using the correct epoxy, you don't need to go overboard and use a lot of it. You should only need a couple small squares of paper towel to clean the epoxy that comes out after you've installed the shaft. With ferrules, get ones that fit the shaft and require a little tapping to get them fully on. If the ferrules you're using require epoxy to hold them in place, you're using the wrong ones. I use 3M DP810 epoxy exclusively. I don't know if the above person meant to say Mineral Spirits or Acetone, but do not use Mineral Spirits for cleaning the inside of the hosel or removing excess epoxy. Use Acetone as it dries extremely quick and leaves no residue behind. Mineral Spirits takes a while to dry and if it isn't wiped down, will leave residue that causes the epoxy to not bond as well.
 
Thanks again. A few follow-ups.

1. How loose fitting is a shaft in the hosel typically? Is there normally a bit of play? Is there guidance as to how loose it should be before considering shaft beads? Since my first set I don't know if the play is normal or "loose".

2. What is the best way to trim a small amount such as 1/8" off of a steel shaft? I was planning on using a pipe cutter but I am concerned if I can cut that little. Will it work if I put a shaft extension in to brace the butt end being trimmed and keep it from deforming? I know its only 1/8" but i want to keep it on spec.

3. When swing weighting do you put the grip tape on to account for that?

Thanks!
 
RobDMB said:
Thanks again. A few follow-ups.

1. How loose fitting is a shaft in the hosel typically? Is there normally a bit of play? Is there guidance as to how loose it should be before considering shaft beads? Since my first set I don't know if the play is normal or "loose".

2. What is the best way to trim a small amount such as 1/8" off of a steel shaft? I was planning on using a pipe cutter but I am concerned if I can cut that little. Will it work if I put a shaft extension in to brace the butt end being trimmed and keep it from deforming? I know its only 1/8" but i want to keep it on spec.

3. When swing weighting do you put the grip tape on to account for that?

Thanks!
Click to expand...


1. Depends on the head. Some companies use collared ferrules to ensure a centered shaft and that helps a little with fitment. You'll still have a little play in some heads. Like I said above, Mizuno uses some wire to keep the head tight. Beads will help if it just needs to be tightened a little, but if there is a fairly loose fit, the amount of beads you would have to add may affect quality of the bond. There are a few little techniques you can do to tighten up the fit, but the most important thing to do is be sure that the hosel is clean and clear all the way down.

2. If you have a sanding belt, that's the best way to trim small amounts, if not, you can sand it by hand.

3. Yes, you need to add grip tape, and also account for epoxy in the head.
 
No sanding belt unfortunately - best way to sand by hand? Any specific tool/sand paper?
 
RobDMB said:
No sanding belt unfortunately - best way to sand by hand? Any specific tool/sand paper?
Click to expand...

I don't have an easy way to do it by hand. It is not a fun process, but using 120 grit or even 100 grit and put it against a block of wood or something flat/hard. Do you have a chop saw? You can cut steel with a fine tooth saw blade, just have to be careful.
 
Bumping to ask another question. If i put a shaft extender in the shaft, is it feasible to cut 1/4" of a steel shaft using a pipe cutter without deforming the shaft? Or should I just considering buying a cheap 6" chop saw like this one at harbor freight:

www.harborfreight.com

5.5 Amp 6 in. Cut-Off Saw

Amazing deals on this 6In 5.5Amp Cut-Off Saw at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com
 
RobDMB said:
Bumping to ask another question. If i put a shaft extender in the shaft, is it feasible to cut 1/4" of a steel shaft using a pipe cutter without deforming the shaft? Or should I just considering buying a cheap 6" chop saw like this one at harbor freight:

www.harborfreight.com

5.5 Amp 6 in. Cut-Off Saw

Amazing deals on this 6In 5.5Amp Cut-Off Saw at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com
Click to expand...

There are a couple ways of going about this. Save yourself money on the front end and do it the cheapest way possible OR spend some money upfront and get yourself tools that will work well. The first option saves you money, but costs you time and sometimes product if it does't work out well. The second costs you upfront but can save you money in the end by giving you good options to do it yourself and it's done right. I bought a 7" chop saw from Home Depot and put a metal cutting wheel on it. I'm a fan of the second method. Invest into your equipment and it will pay for itself over time.
 
Yep. Do it right the first time. Make sure you get good tools.
 
Buy once, cry once
 
Make sure your stuff is secured. Don’t jury rig anything. It can cause problems, break stuff, and make you mad about maybe spending more money.
 
Going to epoxy my clubs this weekend. Multiple people have said to account for epoxy in SW - how much will the epoxy affect the final SW on average?
 
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Bump as to accounting for epoxy. For example, if you are targeting D3 and dry fit to D2.75 is that reasonable for weight of epoxy?
 
Ooh, that's a good question. Another bump to get an answer
 
RobDMB said:
About to build my first set of irons (heads, shafts, grips), and am looking for some advice as to the process. A few questions as follows:

1. Club Prep. I have the shaft tips prepared and used a hosel brush to clean out the club heads. Do people typically further clean the inside of the hosels with any kind of solution or not necessary?

2. Club Length. Irons are P760s if that matters. I want them to play standard length and have a club length ruler. When its standard length - does that account for the grip cap? So measured on the ruler, you would want the bare shaft in the head to measure slightly less than the actual playing length?

3. Swing Weight. I have a swing weight scale and picked up tip weights but am wondering how do people go about swing weighting? I have read a lot of threads and seems people have different methods. Some people use a split grip, some swing weight it bare and just add 9/10 swing weight points. Some say swing weight based upon a standard grip only. Some account for epoxy weight/some say too minimal. I will be using midsize grips which are obviously heavier than standard if that makes a difference for your advice.

4. Shafts Beads. Use or don't use? Hosels seems relatively snug, maybe a little movement but the ferrules I purchased are also collared so they keep the shaft snug once installed.

5. Epoxy. How much is too much and how much is too little? Any tips? I've read you should put it both on shaft and inside of hosel and twist. Do people seperately epoxy in the tip weights and ferrule? Or do those become glued by the epoxy you otherwise put on the shaft? Also, I had planned to use Brampton 20/20 Epoxy but if anyone has better suggestions for first build am open to it.

Looking forward to giving this a try. Plan would be to install grips last. Also, when people let clubs dry do you typically just lean them against a wall? Likewise, any other tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Click to expand...
I didn't read all the responses so some of this will overlap. Probably a bunch of it.

1. I've never used any solution to clean inside the hosels. If they're used heads, I just run a brush through them with the drill and blow a shot of air in them with the compressor. Most of the time that cleans them well enough. If they're new, you might consider scoring the inside of the hosel with something to ensure proper bond, but that might be overkill, too.

2. Length does account for the grip cap. Most grips are ~1/8" thick in my experience. Without a good club ruler, your lengths may be different than others' listed lengths, but the important thing is that they're consistent for you... from club to club and to your target length. Measure a club of that you like the length of, then measure the ones you build the same way.

3. With just tip weights, you'll be able to get fairly close, but there may still be some slight variation. I've never used a split grip for my calculations. I simply wedge the grip under the shaft, next to where it'll be after final assembly, to get an idea of how much the swingweight will be. You can do the math and get close, but make sure you're SUBTRACTING ~9 swingweight points to the swingweight with no grip and not adding it.

4. I have never needed beads. I know some people use them all the time, but I've never had a need for them.

5. Enough to coat the shaft inside the head. I know that's not a concrete answer, but you'll know. Just make sure you're spinning the shaft to coat everything underneath. The tip weights do not need to be epoxied separately. The ferrules will likely get epoxied by the excess since you'll likely have enough excess to need to wipe some off. If not, apply a drop near the top of the hosel and spin it around some more to coat the bottom of the ferrule. Most of the time, this is a moot point because the ferrules fit snugly, but over time, they can come loose so it's worth the extra drop of epoxy and few seconds it takes to do.

Lean them against the wall in playing position. This is your last chance to inspect them before needing heat to pull them after cure.

Enjoy!
 
RobDMB said:
Bump as to accounting for epoxy. For example, if you are targeting D3 and dry fit to D2.75 is that reasonable for weight of epoxy?
Click to expand...

I have NEVER worried about epoxy weight in my calculations and I have never had an issue. I think the weight is negligible.
 
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