WS Gooseneck reshaft help needed!!

[tripnipp]

Hello folks,

 

I've got a set of Wilson Staff Gooseneck irons I want to reshaft.

I have reshafted hundreds of clubs, but never anything of this age..

I believe they are from the 88-90 range as they are pre-FG53 model.

They have the original Dyna-Step steel shafts in them. I actually don't know the tip size, so I was going to measure...

Last night I attempted to pull the 3 iron head...

After 30+ minutes with the propane torch, yanking, twisting (are they threaded??)... my hands were almost bleeding.

I have a Mitchell puller (which has never failed me), so I threw it on there & still.. WOULD NOT BUDGE..

What am I missing?? Does anyone have any experience/tips??

I have read that some clubs of that era had a "pin?" holding shafts in place..??

Not sure I understand this.. If it is just something that runs through the hosel & shaft I am not seeing anything unless I am blind.

I also read that perhaps back then the hosel ID and shaft OD difference was so slight that the shafts were basically "forced" in...

Given the age.. could it be a corrosion/rust issue..??

Any ideas, thoughts, or help is greatly appreciated!!

[goondawg]

You should be able to see where the pin is inserted on the side of the hosel. Not familiar with that club but I doubt it has a pin. Sometimes if you have a stubborn iron you can heat it up then hit it with cold water and it will help free the shaft.

[Nine Miler]

Any chance there is corrosion in there making things stick?

[tripnipp]

Thanks for the thoughts.
I will give the HOT/COLD trick a try..

[fluffy265]

I'd ask this over on the classic forum area as there's plenty of knowledge over there with this era of equipment.
IIRC plenty of the 70's Wilson gear was reverse threaded, I'm not so sure about the later models though.

J

[rgk5]

No pins but at that time, Wilson pressure fit their shafts. There is no easy way to remove them.

[tripnipp]

Thanks again guys.. maybe Ill break out the PB Blaster.. ha!

[tripnipp]

Bumping my old thread..

Killed this project last year & decided to try again last week.

Attempted heating up & dunking in cold water.. no luck..

Anyone have any new thoughts??

As one guy said above, believe these are "pressure fit"

[kobe882]

i tried to reshaft the exact same set of irons last year. Admittedly I have way less experience pulling irons but after lots of research I gave it a shot.

I ended up giving up on it because it was basically impossible.

[yaquigrande]

I had a set of 50's spaldings that were reversed threaded, there were no pins but I was twisting so hard the grips were coming loose and then they would just spin out. Finally I decided to sacrafice some grips I didn't like and regripped them all to get a better grip. I heated the heads blazing hot and put them in a vice with pads. twised the shafts to the right and low and behold they started coming loose. Not sure if these wilsons are also threaded but will try to find out. I don't think they are. I have an old ping putter with a ball bearing in it I cant get out either, probably going to have to cut the shaft and drill. ug!

[Davewn]

Disclaimer: Never tried it, but if the shafts are indeed pressure fit, this is what I'd try. If you have no intention of reusing the shafts, cut them off several inches above the top of the head, but with plenty left to clamp securely into your vise. Grab some bar stock or hardened threaded rod from Home Depot that's just smaller than the i.d. of your .355" shaft tip and a couple of inches longer than the remaining shaft. Heat the head until the epoxy smokes, pop in the rod and blast away with a heavy hammer. You should be able to drive the head right off. You could always try it with the uncut shafts and a long rod first, I guess, if you wanted to try and save them.

[birly-shirly]

I have an old ping putter with a ball bearing in it I cant get out either, probably going to have to cut the shaft and drill. ug!

 

Full disclosure - this is what I've read, not something I've tried. But for what it's worth, I have heard that if you cut the shaft on the Ping so that it fits in the freezer you can chill the head and shaft stub after which heat to the hosel may free the whole thing shaft and ball bearing.

 

I don't know whether the same treatment might deal with pressure fit shafts in those Wilsons.

[ScooterMcTavish]

Bumping my old thread..

Killed this project last year & decided to try again last week.

Attempted heating up & dunking in cold water.. no luck..

Anyone have any new thoughts??

As one guy said above, believe these are "pressure fit"

 

The FG-17s of the same era were threaded, so possibly the Goosenecks are also threaded. Guessing some heat to destroy the epoxy (which you've likely already done, LOL) combined with some serious twisting might work.

 

Not sure if they are regular or reverse threaded though.....

[birly-shirly]

Wouldn't threaded hosels be reverse threaded so that impact tightens rather than loosens them?

[oldschoolrocker]

Reverse threaded.

[yaquigrande]

I got some rubber vice pads at harbor freight clamped the head into the vice which was mounted to a table. put some new grips on the shafts so that the old leather grips wouldn't spin on the shafts or unwind. I heated the hossels and turned the shaft hard to the right away from the face of the club and they came loose. They are reverse threaded so when you hit the clubs they won't come loose, if they were threaded the other way hitting the ball would unscrew them. So technically every time you hit the clubs they probably tighten a little. lol

[Davewn]

Bumping my old thread..

Killed this project last year & decided to try again last week.

Attempted heating up & dunking in cold water.. no luck..

Anyone have any new thoughts??

As one guy said above, believe these are "pressure fit"

 

The FG-17s of the same era were threaded, so possibly the Goosenecks are also threaded. Guessing some heat to destroy the epoxy (which you've likely already done, LOL) combined with some serious twisting might work.

 

Not sure if they are regular or reverse threaded though.....

 

Google provides no proof, but I remember Golfworks used to sell a tool in the early 90's that aided in twisting off iron heads (assuming threaded). It was basically a 12-15" length or 2x4 (mayber 2x6) with handles turned at the ends and a slot cut in the middle to slip it over the toe of the club- pull up on one end and push down on the other. Who needs handles, lol.

[jonnygrouville]

I've found the same thing with similar era Hagens. Same factory?!

 

[ScooterMcTavish]

Yup Johnny, same factory

[jonnygrouville]

Those reverse-threading pressure-fit shafting ******-******s!

 

[tripnipp]

Wow, glad I moved the thread to this forum.. thanks gents!

I don't believe they are threaded & I'm not trying to salvage the original shafts, so I may hack them & try to hammer off with bar stock..

Can anyone confirm tip size on these?

[ScooterMcTavish]

Pretty sure these were all taper tip .355s back then