Drill Tiny Air Hole in Adapter Sleeve?

I like using tip weights(sometimes my own creation using copper gauge wire) in ends of shafts, however, many times the shaft fits so snuggly into the adapter sleeve that air gets trapped during the install, and this makes proper insertion depth really difficult.

I already know what answer some people will give regarding using tip weights with channels, etc., but would a tiny hole of like 3/32" or smaller at the base of the adapter be a legitimate alternative??? I cannot imagine the integrity of the sleeve would diminish. I would obviously drill it into the side, at a point near the bottom of the bore but nowhere near the screw base.

I wouldn't drill into the adapter.

I've dropped the weight down into the hosel before shaft install to avoid that air lock.

Gosh, even a tiny hole?? The epoxy will ooze out anyway and plug it up before I wipe the excess. As most can see, I'm already pretty set in my decision, just need some reassurance that a pinhole type opening won't fail the adapter. They should come with this option if not.

If you don't affirmatively plug the hole right after you get the shaft bottomed out, aren't you going to have an issue with all of the epoxy migrating right out of the adapter?

Lock the tip weight in a vice, then make a few shallow groves along the length of the tip weight to give room for the air to escape.

Yeah, the excess epoxy will migrate out, but the stuff I use sets up pretty well. After 10-15 mins and a little close monitoring, it shouldn't be "flowing" anymore. I'll clean the excess off the outside and be sure to keep the hole flush with the outside diameter by the setup time. I'm expecting a small amount of epoxy to exit through the hole to some extent.

Howard Jones?

Care to comment? Will a small 1/16" hole through the side of a shaft adapter, to access the base of the bore for air escape, compromise the integrity of the adapter, assuming careful cleanup of epoxy at the hole is done well?

I think you're overestimating the ability of the epoxy to flow through a small hole. If the hole is small enough to avoid effecting the structural integrity of the adapter, I doubt you're going to get enough flow to avoid the air lock completely. At least that would very likely be the case based on the viscosity of the epoxy I use, there might be thinner mixes out there (not that I would necessarily trust them).

Think of the epoxy that comes with a dual syringe type delivery - those holes are quite large and it still usually takes a good effort to push it out of the syringe - and that's before mixing and the curing process starts.

however, many times the shaft fits so snuggly into the adapter sleeve that air gets trapped during the install

That fit is supposed to be snug and that's not how the air is supposed to escape if you have full 360* coverage of the epoxy. You don't necessarily have to cut a channel in the tip weight either, you just don't want the fit of the tip weight into the shaft ID to be too snug. Grinding a small 'flat' on one side of the tip weight might be enough.

Another possibility is coat the shaft and internal adapter bore with epoxy on only one side (180*-240* coverage). This can leave an 'alley' for the air to escape as you push the shaft tip onto the bore without twisting. Then once it's all the way down, then twist to coat the parts of the tip and adapter that were originally left clear of it.

Ok, the coat only 60-75% of the inner adapter diameter method has been my go-to way of inserting lately, but my last one got away from me a bit. I was a little too generous with the epoxy and the adapter plugged right up. I got most of the air to escape but damn my hands and arms were sore from all the shaft manipulation.

Well, FWIW, regardless of the route you use to let the air escape w/ a tip weight, (e.g. even if you're using a tip weight with an air channel or tried the hole in the adapter), being too generous with the epoxy always has the potential to block the escape route and cause an air lock. A bore through head design is the only fool proof way that I know of to avoid such a lock.

I'm going to give it a whirl and I'll report back. I'll leave the hole side dry so most of the air is gone by the time epoxy reaches it. Intuitively this makes sense and I am confident it will work.

Personally, I like Stuart's suggestion the most. Flat-siding the wire would do it, but you need to make sure the wire itself isn't pushed up inside the shaft.

OTOH, I don't think a 1/16" hole in the side of the adapter near the bottom is going to affect the integrity of the adapter because after the epoxy cures in the hole, it will be as strong as it was before. You will have to make ABSOLUTELY sure the hole and any epoxy residue is smoothed PERFECTLY even with the adapter side though or it could bind and lock into the clubhead once inserted (some fit really tight). I would use 24 hr epoxy since it has the thinnest viscosity. Coat shaft as usual, insert with wire tip weight, insert shaft as usual, wipe epoxy off that exits the hole and place a small piece of tape over the hole while curing. After epoxy has cured, remove the tape and sand smooth using 400 grit. should work fine.

BT

Sorry to sound harsh, but drilling a hole in an adapter is just plain silly. There are various other workarounds to avoid the air lock situation that don't involve compromising the integrity of the adapter. And even if you get a little trapped air, if you keep pressure down on the shaft into the adapter the air will burp itself out after about 20 seconds or so if you wait.

Sorry to sound harsh, but drilling a hole in an adapter is just plain silly. There are various other workarounds to avoid the air lock situation that don't involve compromising the integrity of the adapter. And even if you get a little trapped air, if you keep pressure down on the shaft into the adapter the air will burp itself out after about 20 seconds or so if you wait.

Agreed, especially with the bolded part. Drilling the adapter sounds like a major solution to something that's barely a minor problem.

Why not use a heavier tip weight than needed and drill a hole into the tip weight like the shaft would otherwise have without it, the. Cut the weight down from the top to your desired weight. Then you get the weight added that you want anthe epoxy can still flow up the shaft. :)

Why not use a heavier tip weight than needed and drill a hole into the tip weight like the shaft would otherwise have without it

You realize he's working with tip weights for graphite shafts - with stems that are in the range of only about ~3/16" in diameter or less?

Why not use a heavier tip weight than needed and drill a hole into the tip weight like the shaft would otherwise have without it

 

You realize he's working with tip weights for graphite shafts - with stems that are in the range of only about ~3/16" in diameter or less?

Didn’t realize that, didn’t even know you could get tip weights small enough for graphite shafts. My bad! The adapter part should have made me clue in to that. Thanks for the correction Stuart, you’re on point as always Sir.

#TueadayAfterALongWeekend :)

No problem. I suspected that might have been the case.

FWIW, I did get a chuckle out of trying to picture someone actually trying to drill a hole down the middle of (likely) a 6 gauge copper wire :-)

No problem. I suspected that might have been the case.

 

FWIW, I did get a chuckle out of trying to picture someone actually trying to drill a hole down the middle of (likely) a 6 gauge copper wire :-)

Seeing as it’s such a thin weight, could you possibly leave it out when gluing the shaft to the adapter and then once the shaft is seated in the adapter, drop it in from the butt end and stuff it down with something to make sure it gets into the epoxy that has squirted up the shaft? Would the amount of epoxy that gets up into the tip of the shaft be enough to secure it permanently?

FWIW, I tried this and it worked perfectly, any excess squirted out in a small string, that I just wiped flush. Absolutely no effort to insert at all, just kept the hole clear while applying and the air went right out, the last 1/8-1/4" of depth seating was where a small amount of epoxy oozed out. I recommend this.

That hole compromises the strength of the adapter.

Howard Jones?

 

Care to comment? Will a small 1/16" hole through the side of a shaft adapter, to access the base of the bore for air escape, compromise the integrity of the adapter, assuming careful cleanup of epoxy at the hole is done well?

I would not do it that way, like one above suggested, make some "spines" or channels on that tip wgt so air can escape trough the shaft, thats easy to make and we dont do anything that can weaken the adapter.

Always remember.....Lead tape can be your friend if you allow it to be. ; )

Thick copper wire jammed up a wood shaft tip for a couple swingweight points? No thanks,

Howard Jones?

 

Care to comment? Will a small 1/16" hole through the side of a shaft adapter, to access the base of the bore for air escape, compromise the integrity of the adapter, assuming careful cleanup of epoxy at the hole is done well?

 

I would not do it that way, like one above suggested, make some "spines" or channels on that tip wgt so air can escape trough the shaft, thats easy to make and we dont do anything that can weaken the adapter.

With the shaft and the epoxy adding to the structural integrity of the surrounding adapter, and the epoxy itself occupying the hole, I would bet my entire retirement that any structural strength change to the adapter is negligible.

Always remember.....Lead tape can be your friend if you allow it to be. ; )

 

 

Thick copper wire jammed up a wood shaft tip for a couple swingweight points? No thanks,

I know this, but lead tape always seems to get gummed up or dented all to hell. I use it primarily to gauge initial preferences and almost always try to install a permanent weight solution if possible nowadays. I still have a little on some wedges here and there, but the allure of the "lead tape looks cool" movement is gone for me. I also have a swing weight scale and exact gram scale that makes this all easier now.

Also, the wire is epoxied in place and doesn't make a peep. I'm typically drawn to the shaft market of 3+ years ago so nothing ever really gets too expensive. To each their own, but the copper wire trick is gold, gold I tell ya!

That hole compromises the strength of the adapter.

Do you have proof? I will need to see a failure of this specific build variety before this has merit. Does not the shaft and epoxy add to the internal integrity of the bore once fully cured? I'll definitely report back if it snaps off, but I'd be surprised.

I'll be the guinea pig here and will surely report my experience, good or bad. If this works it's the easiest solution.

Always remember.....Lead tape can be your friend if you allow it to be. ; )

 

 

Thick copper wire jammed up a wood shaft tip for a couple swingweight points? No thanks,

I know this, but lead tape always seems to get gummed up or dented all to hell. I use it primarily to gauge initial preferences and almost always try to install a permanent weight solution if possible nowadays. I still have a little on some wedges here and there, but the allure of the "lead tape looks cool" movement is gone for me. I also have a swing weight scale and exact gram scale that makes this all easier now.

 

Also, the wire is epoxied in place and doesn't make a peep. I'm typically drawn to the shaft market of 3+ years ago so nothing ever really gets too expensive. To each their own, but the copper wire trick is gold, gold I tell ya!

Best lead tape ever. I promise. Super adhesive and double density

https://www.amazon.com/Course-Lead-Tape-Strips/dp/B003JUSJOC

Howard Jones?

 

Care to comment? Will a small 1/16" hole through the side of a shaft adapter, to access the base of the bore for air escape, compromise the integrity of the adapter, assuming careful cleanup of epoxy at the hole is done well?

 

I would not do it that way, like one above suggested, make some "spines" or channels on that tip wgt so air can escape trough the shaft, thats easy to make and we dont do anything that can weaken the adapter.

With the shaft and the epoxy adding to the structural integrity of the surrounding adapter, and the epoxy itself occupying the hole, I would bet my entire retirement that any structural strength change to the adapter is negligible.

it might hold, but i would not advocate a solution like that, its all there is to it.

Im just trying NOT to lead others into doing something that might turn out bad if there is a solution that can prevent it, but that does not mean your project will fail, only that i would not have done it.

Ok, I'll take the hit on this one.

GolfWRXers:(disclaimer) "DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME, A.PRINCEY IS A PROFESSIONAL TINKERER/IDIOT AND THE KNOWLEDGE USED IN THIS BUILD IS NOT YET PROVEN"

Hey, I bet the dude on the La-Z-Boy in your avatar image would approve of my reckless ways!