Newsgroups: rec.sport.golf
Subject: Dimpling shafts
Date: Tue, 01 Sep 1992 22:41:00 -0600

PGR>What's the preferred technique for dimpling shafts?  When I assembled the
PGR>one club I've built, dimpling knocked the shaft out of round so that it no
PGR>longer slid into the hosel.  It took two hours of sanding to knock off the
PGR>high spots enough to get it in.

Perry, we meet again. :)

The  preferred method for dimpling shafts is to use a crimping  tool
and a punch. They look like this:

                        ||
                        || punch
                        \/

                   ----|  |--------------------------------|
                   |   |  |                                |
___--------        - - -  - - - -|    crimping tool        |
           |  -->                |                         |
___--------        - - - - - - - |                         |
shaft tip          |                                       |
                   ----------------------------------------|


You can buy a crimping tool and blank punch from Golfsmith cheap  or
just  do what I did--make your own wooden jig from a hunk of 2X4 and
bolt the thing to your workbench.  I use a $2 nail set punch for the
crimping.   Just  dimple  the  shaft,  don't  punch through it.  The
crimping tool will hold the shaft nicely and  minimize  the  out  of
round  problem(  and  any  slipping).  I marked on the end of my jig
where evenly spaced dimples should be for 3 dimples like  this  (120
degrees apart):
       ---------
       |       |
       | \   / |
       |   0   |
       |   |   |
       |       |
       ---------
This  also  keeps the out of round problem down.  I rotate the shaft
in the jig, and just whap the shaft with the  punch  and  hammer  (I
mark  the  shaft  with a felt tip pen as a "flag" ), takes almost no
time.  The other reason I made my own jig is that you want  to  make
your dimple about 1/2" down from the place where the top of the head
hosel will end up.  Most iron shaft  depths  are  around  35mm--some
wood  heads require around 100mm.  I made my jig to the 100 mm depth
and then just use a nail in the side of the jig as a stopper for the
end  of  the shaft depending on the depth (pre-drilled holes for the
nail).

PGR>Question 2:  When abrading the shaft, are you trying to remove all the
PGR>chrome, or just rough it up a bit.  What grade of sandpaper is preferred?

A  belt  sander  is  best  for  this,  but I just bought a B&D bench
grinder, and
added one of those adhesive round sanding disks to the side  of  the
one  of  the  grinding  stones.  It is a coarse grit sandpaper and I
prefer it to using the grinding stone itself as the stone takes off
too much metal too fast(too prone to error).

As to removing ALL the chrome--yes--BUT, just make  sure  you  can't
see any shiny finish left-- do NOT make flat spots on the shafts or
remove hunks of the shaft--this could weaken it.  You have to  twirl
the  thing and watch the pressure you put against the sandpaper.  It
takes practice. If you hand sand it--same thing applies.

Other tips--of COURSE, use  unitized  (parallel)  shafts  with  like
hosel  and  taper shafts with their counterparts. And of course, the
diameters of the shaft tip and hosel should match. Other than  that,
realize  that  the epoxy will act as a lubricant so that even if you
can't put the hosel in as a test without the epoxy, it should go  in
with epoxy. Sometimes, a little twisting is good for the soul. :)

Don't  forget  the  "tapping the butt end on the concrete floor (the
shaft I mean <grin> )" trick when you have a  stubborn  fit.   I  do
this  on  ALL  shafts  anyway  to insure that end of the shaft rests
against the hosel bottom.

By  the  way, those shaft cutoff wheels available from Golfsmith and
Golfworks really DO work.  I added one to my bench  grinder  and  it
beats the heck out of hacksaws or tube cutters for cutting shafts.
ESPECIALLY, if you make a whole set of clubs like I have done.
I  added a extra little shaft holder on either side of the wheel and
it makes for a much surer ,safer QUICK shaft cut.


                                   o o o o
                                  o        o
From Minnesota--highest per capita of golf nuts in the Nation!
David.Moore@tdkt.kksys.com      o            o
                              o               o      |18>
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Newsgroups: rec.sport.golf