Improvements in Golf Clubs.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Mar., 1899 --Accepted, 6th May,
1899
Improvements in Golf Clubs.
I, CARL OTTO WEBER, of Heathfield, Middleton Road, Crumpsall, near Man-
chester, in the County of Lancaster, Analytical Chemist, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:―
Golf clubs of the description known as drivers or brasseys, and the heads of
which are made of wood, all suffer very much from the effects of moisture upon
them, as well as from the violent blows and concussions to which they are exposed
during use. In consequence the lifetime of these driver or brassey heads is
generally a very short one.
I have found that by expelling the natural moisture from the wood of these
heads and by filling the pores of the wood at the same time with a water repellent,
semiresilient substance such as paraffin wax, ceresine, ozokerite, or similar solid
hydrocarbons, or bees wax, carnauba wax, or any solid fatty acid, sulphuretted
fatty oils, or any mixture or combination of two or more of the before named sub-
stances, at temperatures not exceeding 100° C., the wood is thoroughly permeated
and saturated with these substances which not only render it waterproof, but also
indifferent to shocks or concussions, and the lifetime of clubs made from wood
which has been prepared in this manner is very greatly lengthened.
In carrying out my process I immerse the roughly shaped club heads in a bath
consisting of any of the above named substances, or any combination of two or
more of them, heated to a temperature of not more than 100° C. The heating
of these baths is most conveniently accomplished by means of a hot water or
steam jacket. The time of treatment varies from 2 to 4 hours, according to the
hardness of the wood under treatment. A superior result is obtained by effecting
this impregnation in vacuo by means of which it is possible to expel from the
wood its natural moisture or sap at temperatures considerably below the boiling
point of water.
After treatment of the club heads in the above described manner for the required
time, within the limits above stated, they are withdrawn from the bath, allowed
to drain and cool, and are then ready to be further proceeded with.
In the case of sulphuretted fatty oils being employed for this treatment, fatty
oils sulphuretted at a temperature not exceeding 130° C. should be employed. The
clubs are treated in hot baths of these sulphuretted oils under conditions as to
temperature and time, exactly as above specified. After completion of this treat-
ment the clubs are allowed to drain and cool and should then be stoved in a warm
air stove at a temperature not exceeding 80° C. This stoving process may be
advantageously continued for 10 hours.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1) A process for the waterproofing and filling with a semiresilient body of the

page_text: wooden heads of golf clubs by treating the heads for from 2 to 4 hours, either
under ordinary atmospheric pressure, or in vacuo, at a temperature not exceeding
100° C., in a bath of either paraffin wax, ceresine, ozokerite, or similar solid hydro-
carbons, or bees' wax, or carnauba wax, or any solid fatty acid, or any mixture
or combination of two or more of these substances.
2) A process for the treatment of the heads of wooden golf clubs in a bath of
any sulphuretted fatty oil, followed by stoving, essentially in the manner above
described.
3) A combination of the processes above set forth.