Is It Bad to Clean Irons/Wedges with Metal Brush?

[Bomber_11]

I hear a lot of guys on here talking about how a metal brush club cleaner (like the one below) would "never touch the face of my irons!"

 

Why? Do they somehow damage or scrape finish off the club?

 

I get not cleaning the face or any part of a wood with these - but why not irons or wedges?

 

 

[pearsonified]

Anyone on here who thinks they play a set of irons or wedges long enough for this to make a difference is delusional :D :D :D

[gioguy21]

i prefer the touch of a soft bristle brush after a soak in warm water with mild soap. or during, a nice damp microfiber.

[ode1]

Lol, spit and a towel, after every shot....if spit is too much for you then dampen a part of your towel. No need for a brush, ever!

[gioguy21]

Lol, spit and a towel, after every shot....if spit is too much for you then dampen a part of your towel. No need for a brush, ever!

lol the ol' gentlemans motto - when it doubt, spit on it

[ode1]

Lol, spit and a towel, after every shot....if spit is too much for you then dampen a part of your towel. No need for a brush, ever!

lol the ol' gentlemans motto - when it doubt, spit on it

 

Stay hydrated, mis amigos

[Nessism]

I use the plastic bristle end, but never the metal bristle side which increases abrasion.

[Exactice808]

Used metal brushes for years (cleaning that is) no issues here.... I think my Irons in the sand take much more abuse @ 60-75mph, versus, a soft cleaning in a sink with running water? I mean you are not trying to rub off the finish just get the dirt out of the grooves?

[wkuo3]

If you plan on keeping your equipment for a long time, I would not use the brush on the irons, for it's purpose is to dig into the grooves to rid of the dirt and grinds.

Of course the sand and dirt will scratch up the grooves anyway, but why do unnecessary damage to the golf clubs if you could avoid it ?

I would not use the abrasive method to clean my golf clubs even if I can afford to change the golf clubs every season.

 

I was thinking of which idiot will use a hard brush on the iron face ( copper or nylon ) when the iron brush first came out decades ago.... obviously there were plenty.

[The Mad Bomber]

I use one on my Mizzy blades when the towel doesn't do the trick. Your clubs will be just fine.

[RainShadow]

i prefer the touch of a soft bristle brush after a soak in warm water with mild soap. or during, a nice damp microfiber.

That's you. What about the clubs?

[coops]

I use one on my Mizzy blades when the towel doesn't do the trick. Your clubs will be just fine.

 

I used to as well, when I was back in muddy Bristol... as long as you don't press like a maniac and grind away for hours even the brass bristles are perfectly safe - they're good for cleaning spark plugs too.

 

As for the other end... anyone who's worried about 'abrasion' from nylon bristles on a chrome plated steel head better not hit any golf balls - what do you tee off with?

Chinchilla fur balls? ;-)

 

 

For full shock & horror, I will also admit to occasionally using those brass bristles on my Epon copper-chrome irons on the face.... but usually a good poke around with a wooden tee peg is just fine.

[Yrrdead]

Uhm I'm no metallurgist but I'm pretty sure you can rub those brass bristles all over your steel golf clubs as much as you want and you aren't going to hurt anything.

[Nessism]

Uhm I'm no metallurgist but I'm pretty sure you can rub those brass bristles all over your steel golf clubs as much as you want and you aren't going to hurt anything.

 

Got any bright shiny chrome clubs? Or maybe a part on your car like a door handle? Take that metal brush and give the bright chrome a good scrub down, such as you might if there is dried mud down in the grooves, and then report back.

[wkuo3]

I had chrome plated iron sets and some are more than 3 decades old , still have their original chrome finish. Always wipe off dirt with a wet towel after each shot before the grinds dry up in the face of the iron. Easy to do.

You will see the caddy on tour always carry a wet towel but not a "brush" of any kind.

 

Anyone should have the freedom to do whatever please them regarding their own golf equipment care, after all, they are not harming anyone and not damaging anything that's not their own......

[gioguy21]

i prefer the touch of a soft bristle brush after a soak in warm water with mild soap. or during, a nice damp microfiber.

That's you. What about the clubs?

haha solid, i did set you up.

[AlphaRider]

I've used the wire brush on my clubs every time I go out. I abuse my clubs and don't even clean them after a round. They are 690.MB's and show normal wear without any browning. My vokey's are the original spin milled and get a wire brush before every shot with no browning or problems stopping the ball.

 

I see this as a non-issue.

[The Mad Bomber]

Uhm I'm no metallurgist but I'm pretty sure you can rub those brass bristles all over your steel golf clubs as much as you want and you aren't going to hurt anything.

 

Got any bright shiny chrome clubs? Or maybe a part on your car like a door handle? Take that metal brush and give the bright chrome a good scrub down, such as you might if there is dried mud down in the grooves, and then report back.

 

The point is that you're not going to do any extra damage. When was the last time you smashed your chrome door handle into a hunk of surlyn or elastomer with soil and sand in between the two? Maybe I'm just a better driver than you, but really, that's not a great analogy.

 

Clubs are going to wear if you hit them. There are tiny rocks, plenty of sand and all sorts of creation that are going to get caught between the ball and the club face and take the finish off your clubs as you pound them into the ground. If you play in a place where the composition of the soil means you won't get the dirt out of your grooves with a towel, then that soil is causing 1000 times more wear on the finish of your clubs that some brass bristles.

[Nuggets]

Brass wont hurt steel nor will it scratch the chrome unless its of poor quality, I've been cleaning MP37's with them (chromed) and MP68s (black nickel) no issues

 

On the other hand if its not a true brass brush and a steel bristle thats been brass coated then you'll have an issue

[Yrrdead]

Uhm I'm no metallurgist but I'm pretty sure you can rub those brass bristles all over your steel golf clubs as much as you want and you aren't going to hurt anything.

 

Got any bright shiny chrome clubs? Or maybe a part on your car like a door handle? Take that metal brush and give the bright chrome a good scrub down, such as you might if there is dried mud down in the grooves, and then report back.

 

I could scrub a fresh brass brush all over anything chrome without leaving a mark. That being said , I do understand that any type of brush that is fouled with sand/silica has the potential to scratch chrome, but you and I both know that the brush has little to do with what is doing the scratching. I also know that I have no problem cleaning the grooves of a club I smash into dirt and sand on a regular basis with a soft brass brush.

 

I'm not sure how you could argue otherwise.

[Nessism]

Uhm I'm no metallurgist but I'm pretty sure you can rub those brass bristles all over your steel golf clubs as much as you want and you aren't going to hurt anything.

 

Got any bright shiny chrome clubs? Or maybe a part on your car like a door handle? Take that metal brush and give the bright chrome a good scrub down, such as you might if there is dried mud down in the grooves, and then report back.

 

I could scrub a fresh brass brush all over anything chrome without leaving a mark. That being said , I do understand that any type of brush that is fouled with sand/silica has the potential to scratch chrome, but you and I both know that the brush has little to do with what is doing the scratching. I also know that I have no problem cleaning the grooves of a club I smash into dirt and sand on a regular basis with a soft brass brush.

 

I'm not sure how you could argue otherwise.

 

Did you try the experiment?

 

I read on the internet that some guys take a wadded up ball of aluminum foil to clean rust off chrome. I tried it on a motorcycle exhaust and the foil scratched the hell out of the chrome resulting in a hazy look. Aluminum is softer than brass too.

[gioguy21]

Uhm I'm no metallurgist but I'm pretty sure you can rub those brass bristles all over your steel golf clubs as much as you want and you aren't going to hurt anything.

 

Got any bright shiny chrome clubs? Or maybe a part on your car like a door handle? Take that metal brush and give the bright chrome a good scrub down, such as you might if there is dried mud down in the grooves, and then report back.

 

I could scrub a fresh brass brush all over anything chrome without leaving a mark. That being said , I do understand that any type of brush that is fouled with sand/silica has the potential to scratch chrome, but you and I both know that the brush has little to do with what is doing the scratching. I also know that I have no problem cleaning the grooves of a club I smash into dirt and sand on a regular basis with a soft brass brush.

 

I'm not sure how you could argue otherwise.

 

Did you try the experiment?

 

I read on the internet that some guys take a wadded up ball of aluminum foil to clean rust off chrome. I tried it on a motorcycle exhaust and the foil scratched the hell out of the chrome resulting in a hazy look. Aluminum is softer than brass too.

 

--- you do realize you use the aluminum with coke or ketchup to get off RUST....not to POLISH it. ie once the rust is gone it's still on you to polish it...sigh.

[Nessism]

Uhm I'm no metallurgist but I'm pretty sure you can rub those brass bristles all over your steel golf clubs as much as you want and you aren't going to hurt anything.

 

Got any bright shiny chrome clubs? Or maybe a part on your car like a door handle? Take that metal brush and give the bright chrome a good scrub down, such as you might if there is dried mud down in the grooves, and then report back.

 

I could scrub a fresh brass brush all over anything chrome without leaving a mark. That being said , I do understand that any type of brush that is fouled with sand/silica has the potential to scratch chrome, but you and I both know that the brush has little to do with what is doing the scratching. I also know that I have no problem cleaning the grooves of a club I smash into dirt and sand on a regular basis with a soft brass brush.

 

I'm not sure how you could argue otherwise.

 

Did you try the experiment?

 

I read on the internet that some guys take a wadded up ball of aluminum foil to clean rust off chrome. I tried it on a motorcycle exhaust and the foil scratched the hell out of the chrome resulting in a hazy look. Aluminum is softer than brass too.

 

--- you do realize you use the aluminum with coke or ketchup to get off RUST....not to POLISH it. ie once the rust is gone it's still on you to polish it...sigh.

 

??? What are you talking about???

[gioguy21]

 

 

--- you do realize you use the aluminum with coke or ketchup to get off RUST....not to POLISH it. ie once the rust is gone it's still on you to polish it...sigh.

 

??? What are you talking about???

 

using straight aluminum foil, specially balled up (the creases make harder ridges), is going to leave marks. we're talking about clubfaces -- so using aluminum foil as an example isn't ideal --

 

how is this thread still going? if you think it could be harmful -- why use it in the first place? do you really need a metal brush to get out dirt after using soap and water?

[JPW75]

I think he is saying there are multiple stages to polishing metal. It's just like sandpaper. Start with 80 grit, then 100, then 150, then....work your way up to 1000 or whatever. Every stage removes the scratches left by the previous stage.

 

I've polished a decent amount of metal. Steel wool will make metal shine, and is a common step used during a metal polishing process.

 

I use a club brush but usually hit it with a wet towel first, then get the grooves with the metal side of the brush. The Nylon side is just a waste of time.

 

Then again, I am hard on my clubs.

[Yanki01]

if my wet microfiber waffle towel won't get the grass/dirt out of the grooves after/before a shot - then i use that same brush inside my bag. never had issues on all my irons/wedges over the years.

[mizuno player]

Used that two sided brush for years. Mizuno blades for most of that time. Never had e I seen them do any damage.

 

Makes em look purteee.

[DaveGoodrich]

Most soils are mainly silica, which is harder than steel or chrome. Dust also contains lots of silica. Anything (brass, plastic, microfiber) that presses on and drags silica grains across the chrome or steel, will scratch it.

 

Because the brass brush is stiffer, it probably presses those silica grains harder, possibly resulting in deeper scratches. But the brass is not doing the scratching.

 

In any case, each divot you take (with force, through that silica soil) probably damages the face as much as cleaning with that brass brush many, many times.

 

 

[wkuo3]

Darn it, and we wash cars even when it's raining.....

[The Mad Bomber]

In all fairness, there are finishes that even a brass brush will take off. The black SM6 finish comes to mind, but you're not going to damage to the vast majority of clubs out there.