Question about Tungsten Powder

[dlow206]

When using tungsten powder in an iron for swingweighting, is the goal to get the powder into the hosel itself, or does it not matter? I guess my question is if the iron shaft already has a stock tip weight in it but you are trying to add more weight, the tip weight would block the powder from getting into the hosel, so the powder would sit in the shaft. Is that ok? Talking in context of steel shafts only here.

[Socrates]

The issue you will have is that you are now adding weight further away from the CG of the head and now risk moving the CG toward that place.   Adding weight that high up not only will take more weight to move the SW scale, but the club will start to feel like crap.  You are best to take the club apart and put in heavier weights in the hosel area or even use lead tape on the head to get the SW that you want.

 

There are those that will repeat an old golfer makers tale about weight above the hosel will make shafts break - that is a fairly tale.  The primary issue is putting weight in an area that will adversely affect the clubs performance.

[Stuart_G]

The further it goes down the shaft, the more effective it is at managing the swing weight.    That's why powder is a bad choice for graphite shafts - the ID is so small that you can't get much down close to the hosel.    So for steel it really depends on how big the tip weight is (and if too much epoxy was used).   All but the biggest tip weights (or sloppiest epoxy jobs) should still leave plenty of room in the hosel for some powder to be added without any real issues.

 

C.G. movement isn't going to be much of an issue as long as the total added weight (tip weight plus powder) doesn't exceed 10 to 15 gm depending on the sensitivity of the player.

Edited December 1, 2020 by Stuart_G

[dlow206]

15 minutes ago, Stuart_G said:

The further it goes down the shaft, the more effective it is at managing the swing weight.    That's why powder is a bad choice for graphite shafts - the ID is so small that you can't get much down close to the hosel.    So for steel it really depends on how big the tip weight is (and if too much epoxy was used).   All but the biggest tip weights (or sloppiest epoxy jobs) should still leave plenty of room in the hosel for some powder to be added without any real issues.

 

C.G. movement isn't going to be much of an issue as long as the total added weight (tip weight plus powder) doesn't exceed 10 to 15 gm depending on the sensitivity of the player.

Thanks, that makes sense. I am likely adding 4 to 6 grams max after i cut down the shafts by 0.5". 

[Stuart_G]

4 minutes ago, dlow206 said:

Thanks, that makes sense. I am likely adding 4 to 6 grams max after i cut down the shafts by 0.5". 

 

You'll need a ram-rod for the cork - you can use that before adding the powder to check how far down it can go.

 

BTW after a length change, it's usually better to re-weight with lead tape (at the range) by feel instead of with a swing weight scale.   In your case, wrap it around the hosel since that's where the powder will go.   Then you can replace the tape with powder after you've dialed it in.

Edited December 1, 2020 by Stuart_G

[kylemd]

I agree with the post above. Better to add lead tape on the range to fine tune the weight. Or just pull the heads and re-do the whole thing. While Ive never had a steel shaft snap with powder, It has happened with one ( just one) graphite shaft. Thing splintered like a cheap fishing rod meant for bass but caught a marlin instead. Ive built up alot of clubs and after that dont ise powder for graphite. Ever. The ramrodding of the cork prob trashed the inside of the shaft and caused the failure. Just my 1 cent opinion. Id rather use heavier tip weights or tape.