Newsgroups: rec.sport.golf
Subject: 1/2 Repaint Graphite Sha
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 1992 00:00:10 -0600


"Experimentation is how we all learn and new techiques evolve."

REFINISHING GRAPHITE SHAFTS

I had an old graphite shaft that had several nicks and scratches  in
the  paint  finish  and wondered if it would be possible to refinish
it.  I also wanted to put a different  color  on  the  shaft  before
re-use.   This  particular  shaft  is  a  relatively cheap one, so I
decided to do some experimentation as I saw nothing in golf books to
guide  me.   Commercial  graphite  shaft companies use electrostatic
spray guns to coat their shafts with paint and  polyurethane--that's
how they get their nice finishes...


I experimented with various type of  spray  paints  applied  to  the
shaft.   I applied them to the sanded old finish and also tried them
on "raw" graphite.  There are enamels, acrylic lacquers,  and  epoxy
paints  available.   The  epoxy  paint  would  certainly be the most
durable, but there is not a lot of colors to chose from.  Typically,
epoxy  paints  available  in hardware stores are in black, white, or
cream colors.  I did find some in a dark  red  and  a  green,  also.
Anyway,  certainly  not the color spectrum available in the lacquers
and enamels.


I then checked out acrylic lacquers in spray cans  (LARGE  selection
of  colors  available at auto supply stores for car re-painting).  I
found a nice color (light red for a GM truck!)  and a gloss black to
make  a  "firestick" shaft.  Here is the step by step process I used
to re-paint the graphite shaft:


1)Sand off the old paint finish down to the bare shaft.  BE CAREFUL.
Don't sand off any more material than you  absolutely  have  to--the
shaft  structure  must  be  maintained.  I used a power sander (held
upside down in my bench vise) with a sheet of 100 grit sand paper to
start.   I twirled the shaft against the sandpaper being careful not
to take off more than the paint.


Then, I used one of those  sanding  sponges  available  in  hardware
stores  (medium  grit)  to remove the rest of the paint from the low
spots--the sponges easily conform to the  shaft  contours.   Then  I
finished  off  with 400 grit sandpaper (wet).  This can be done on a
shaft with or without a  head  or  grip  attached.   Just  mask  off
anything you need to with masking tape.


2)Wipe  entire length of shaft with a cloth dampened with alcohol to
remove any sanding/hand oil residue.


3)Apply one coat of Primer/Sealer to  the  shaft.   Use  light  even
strokes.   For  all  spraying, I taped the handle of the shaft to my
basement ceiling joist using duct  tape  and  this  allowed  a  easy
"twirl"  of  the shaft while spraying.  This helps to eliminate runs
or sags in the finish.  It also keeps the shaft  at  shoulder  level
where  it's easier to spray.


4)Do  NOT  sand the primer/sealer when it is dry.  The primer/sealer
allows a much better adhesion of the  next  covering  which  is  the
lacquer  (an experiment,also).  For my two tone color, I painted the
lighter color first (it's  easier  to  cover  red  with  black  than
vice-versa).  I sprayed two coats of the red color on the bottom two
thirds of the shaft (from the tip up)--following the drying times.


Then,  to get the melding of the two colors effect, I masked off the
bottom half of the now (red) shaft.  Use just one piece  of  masking
tape  to  hold  up a hunk of newspaper to mask the rest of the shaft
(saves time).  Then, I applied two coats of the black color  to  the
top  half of the shaft.  By stopping about three inches short of the
top of masking tape and allowing normal  overspray  from  the  black
over  the  red,  you  get  a nice melding similar to what you see on
commercial two tone  painted  shafts.   (Most  commercial  two  tone
shafts  have  a  melding  at about 21" from the shaft tip).  Let the
lacquer dry according to the directions.


5)LIGHTLY  rub steel wool over the lacquer to roughen  it  up.  Just
clean off with a water dampened clean cloth. Let dry.


6)Apply  another thin coat of primer/sealer over the lacquer and let
dry.  This will allow the polyurethane coating to adhere properly to
the  lacquer.  Again, do not sand the primer/sealer.


>>>CONTINUED TO NEXT MESSAGE
___
 X SLMR 2.0 X Press any key to continue or any other key to quit

 * Origin: Dark Knight's Table (1:282/31)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.golf