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Nicking shaft when removing grip

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hookemhorns

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i want to save money and do my own grips but I’m worried about cutting my shafts. Especially woods. Is this possible or likely?
 
hookemhorns said:
i want to save money and do my own grips but I’m worried about cutting my shafts. Especially woods. Is this possible or likely?
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Sure can. Hook blades, or safety blades, will help prevent it for the most part. It can still happen, so be a little on the lighter side of applying pressure to avoid it from happening as much as possible!
 
Hook blade for sure.
 
MWard said:
Sure can. Hook blades, or safety blades, will help prevent it for the most part. It can still happen, so be a little on the lighter side of applying pressure to avoid it from happening as much as possible!
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Machete? ;)

Danny_Trejo_Machete.jpg


Just kidding. Hook blade like the others said, and go easy / slow.
 
I'm a klutz and a hook blade makes me look skilled.
 
Is a little nick a fatal flaw to a graphite wood shaft. I think I can be careful w the j hook
 
I recently used a hook blade to remove a few grips for the first time. No issues with the two graphite shafts I worked on.
 
When removing I use air to avoid this. It may not be an option for all, but for me, removing it's easy and quick.
 
hookemhorns said:
Is a little nick a fatal flaw to a graphite wood shaft. I think I can be careful w the j hook
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Depends how deep I wouldn’t risk it but the shafts sometimes have a clear coat, with the j-hook you can cut holding the knife 90 degrees to down to avoid any accidents if you’re too worried.
 
I use a new razor blade every time I regrip my clubs. I take my time and go nice and slow.
 
billyh said:
When removing I use air to avoid this. It may not be an option for all, but for me, removing it's easy and quick.
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... and even easier if the grip was installed with shot, too.
 
I am so scared of this when it comes time to replace the grips on my new custom UST/Hogan/THP specials.
 
@hookemhorns - I just replaced grips for the first time about a month ago. I agree what others said here - spend the couple dollars and buy a j-hook. it works well. Also don't put the blade head on into the grip but angle it so you are sliding up the shaft. And go slow. You should be fine. I had an old wood around and practiced on that one first to get comfortable. If you are nervous try that. Once you realize how easy it is, you'll be comfortable with the process.
 
I'm still paranoid about mine and I've been doing them for years. I use a hook blade to make a very small starting cut at the bottom of the grip and then try to "lift" it away from the shaft as I continue the cut upwards towards the butt end. Same principle as trying to strip wire insulation - just take your time and you'll be fine.
 
hookemhorns said:
i want to save money and do my own grips but I’m worried about cutting my shafts. Especially woods. Is this possible or likely?
Click to expand...
I use the hook blade. To be honest you’d have to be a ••••• to damage the shaft. It’s pretty easy. Best advice I can give is let the blade flow as it wants.
 
Just use caution and you will be fine. I use a tool and remove most of the grips and save them unless they are worn out, then I cut them.
 
hookemhorns said:
i want to save money and do my own grips but I’m worried about cutting my shafts. Especially woods. Is this possible or likely?
Click to expand...
Buy a hook blade and you won’t touch the shaft.
 
alternatively you can just use a flathead screwdriver like some on here, it's under the grip so you'll never see the paint scratches

#notnamingnames
 
I'm not exactly the handiest of guys. Yet with a hook blade, I've removed maybe a hundred grips from graphite shafts without issue. And I'm not exactly gentle.

Seriously, I'm careful but I'm not crazily cautious. The proper tool does most of the work for you.
 
If the grip is still pliable, use air. Most original OEM grips that haven't turned hard/brittle blow off pretty easily.

If the grip is installed with 2" tape, I have found that air is almost useless about 75% of the time, so I'll inject solvent at 3-4 spots along the grip and just work the grip back and forth............. and may or may not finish it off with air.

For stubborn grips that I'm throwing away, I'll use regular utility knife blades pinched at a preset depth between my fingers and only cut 3/4 of the way through the grip material and peel the grip off like a banana. I've done thousands of grips, so this way works much faster for me and I have never cut into graphite shafts with the blade tip.

Hooked (carpet) blades are a bit slow to use, but work very nice for those of you with less confidence.

For those of you who plan on doing your own grips from now on, a cheap air compressor with grip gun, along with a solvent pump/syringe makes most any grip job almost stupid fast/easy.
 
I guess some are way more careful than I am. I simply cut into the grip slowly with a utility knife until I get it loosened up enough to just pull it off. Then just scrape off the old tape with a utility knife. I am careful at the bottom of the grip due to cosmetics, but if I make a small knick above that I really don’t care cause I’ll never see it once I put the new grip on.
 
The Pittsburgh Golf Hack said:
I guess some are way more careful than I am. I simply cut into the grip slowly with a utility knife until I get it loosened up enough to just pull it off. Then just scrape off the old tape with a utility knife. I am careful at the bottom of the grip due to cosmetics, but if I make a small knick above that I really don’t care cause I’ll never see it once I put the new grip on.
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Graphite or steel shafts? To deep on graphite in the grip runs the risk of failure when transitional force is applied to the shaft at the butt end could splinter or prematurely fail.
 
Graphite. I’m not talking about carving a notch in the thing. I’m not whittling a totem pole. Lol......a minor knick though that is going to be covered by grip tape, and another grip has never been an issue for me. I re-grip my driver every year, and I can guarantee you at some point I’ve had some minor knicks.
 
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