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Heat Gun or Torch?

Heat Gun or Torch?

  • Heat Gun

    Votes: 20 83.3%

  • Torch

    Votes: 4 16.7%
  • Total voters
    24
Nippon Shafts
McRock

McRock

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I've seen people mention a preference for a heat gun or a torch, but never with much explanation. I'm thinking (and the wife agrees that I should, because she's awesome like that) that I'm going to start doing my own grips. Golf Galaxy has gone to crap for service, they want me to leave my clubs there and pick them up in a few days. Yea, that'd be great, except I live 90 minutes away. Or I could take them to a golf course that is 40 minutes away, and still have to leave them there overnight and drive back to pick them up. That's a lot of driving, and it seems like removing and putting on old grips should be pretty simple.

However, once the grip is removed, I've seen people say the heat gun is the way to go to 'loosen' up old grip tape. I've also seen Golf Galaxy use a torch and simply burn the tape off. With respect to steel shafts (I'm told a torch on graphite is a big no-no), do you prefer heat gun or torch?

~Rock
 
Heat gun should be more than enough to remove old tape.
 
I use both. Depends on what I am doing. For the tape part that you are talking about though, if I do that, I use a heat gun.
 
Heat Gun for tape
Torch for shafts

This is based on my extensive expertise which consists of about 2 days of doing this lol
 
I use a torch for everything, it is quicker. When I started, I used a heat gun for tape removal but have used a torch for the last six or seven years.
 
mikedean441 said:
Heat Gun for tape
Torch for shafts

This is based on my extensive expertise which consists of about 2 days of doing this lol
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I do.
 
Most of the time i just scrape it off with a putty knife
I use heat gun for Graphite shafs and torch on irons
 
I have always just seen a knife used to peel off the old stuff.
 
When I helped in my buddy's shop, we used a torch and it made taking the tape off so incredibly easy. My only recommendation with the torch is using it in a room with a lot of circulation. The old tape can catch on fire with the torch and when blown out - create smoke. Wouldn't recommend that down in the basement.
 
Heat gun all the way, and I have a lot of experience using a torch. I just think it's overkill for this kind of work. I picked on up at home depot for about $30 and it does a great job on grip tape and head removal, although it does take a little bit of patience.
 
Heat gun. Low and slow for all of my golf shaft pulls.

Torch is easy to bubble paint on a head or to brown irons if you aren't careful. Taking a couple more minutes doesn't phase me.
 
Have both, but always use the heat gun.
 
That's pretty one sided. Thanks everyone.

~Rock
 
I've regripped hundreds of clubs - never needed either. I just use the tape stripping tool with teh curved edge to remove old tape ...
 
Changing your own grips is easy, once you've done the job you will never bother letting anyone else do it for you. My personal exception is putter grips with a flat side, I get the pro at my local course to do that because he's got lots of practice at getting those square. But so far as a heat gun or torch, I have never used either and wouldn't recommend investing in one if you aren't going into the business of re-gripping clubs commercially. I have found that getting the tape off isn't all that hard unless you're dealing with old clubs where it is petrified on.

Cut the old grip off carefully and see if the tape won't go ahead and peel off with the fingernails. If it won't, soak them for a bit in the solvent you're going to use putting new grips on and use a scraper (carefully on graphite). Just collect the solvent for reuse when you're done. It takes longer than you'd want to in a commercial setting, but this isn't a job you have to do that often really.

If I owned both a torch and heat gun for other reasons, I'd definitely use the heat gun, you ain't in that big a hurry are you?
 
Will have to try this if I get a new set, have always just peeled it off. Thankfully I don't need to build up under the grip and actually like the feeling of no tape. Makes for extremely easy switching out of the grips. I have noticed that in colder temps at range and course, the grips do move back a bit over time. Nothing a quick fix can't handle and never notice it on a swing.
 
The heat gun on grip tape. I like to use a mini-butane torch on shafts though. I don't do graphite so no biggie.

JM
 
Heat gun

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk
 
I used to build clubs for a living. Torch is faster, but I would never use it for removing graphite shafts. Anything steel, torch is the way to go. It takes less time, so doesn't get as hot.

I only use the heat gun for pulling graphite shafts. I don't use it otherwise.
 
Canadan said:
Hah, I've never done either. I'll peel the tape manually while I watch something on television.
Click to expand...
This. Added a couple of minutes to each regripping.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Peel it off by hand and clean the residue off with rubbing alcohol. Works like a charm every time with no danger of hurting shafts or self!
 
Definitely a heat gun at the low setting. The smell of burning grip tape is pretty aweful.

Great idea on doing your own grips. I started doing this last year and have saved myself a ton of money doing so. I followed that up with learning how to reshaft my own clubs. Once I learned how to do this I started having a lot of fun because I could tinker with different things. I now have a set that is awesome. Even my pro is amazed at how good the clubs feel and are set up.

Now if I can only find a loft and lie adjustment tool for cheap.....
 
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