Can’t pull head with heat — is it okay to play it?

[e-man]

Hey guys. I’ve been trying to remove a steel shaft from a wedge head to no avail. I’ve applied probably about 3 minutes of heat and tried twisting the head while holding the grip and cannot get the head to break loose. I’ve given up and have since run the hosel under cold water to cool everything back down. If I never broke the bond, is the club still OK to play? Or have I weakened it?

Edited January 31, 2021 by e-man

[WanLefty]

You would've broken the epoxy bond - but didn't apply enough twisting force which you certainly will be able to do while hitting golf balls.

 

I'd heat it up again and clamp it in a vice (with a shaft clamp...) then try turn the head to get the head to break free.

 

To my understanding I'd think the epoxy isn't ideal after being heated that much and then cooled down I don't think it will hold like it should.

 

Wan 

[TGSherriff]

3 mins should have been more than enough...i would be wary of it. Also, I am not metallurgist but suspect ut is better to let it cool without using water.  Assuming there was no hurry to cool it since you were just trying to pul it haha. 

[Awainer1]

go hit it and report back

[e-man]

1 hour ago, Awainer1 said:

go hit it and report back

I know.  It’s probably a stupid question.  Here’s the thing though.  I don’t want to torch the finish so I’d rather not pull it at this point unless safety is an issue.  
 

And rethinking the timing, it was probably more like a minute and a half total heat time.  I heated it evenly with a butane micro torch for 30 seconds, stopped for a minute while I tried twisting, heated it another 30 seconds, stopped for another minute and tried twisting, and then one more go at it with the torch for another 30 seconds and twisted.  So three shots of 30 seconds of heat over about a 5 minute period. 

[Awainer1]

1 minute ago, e-man said:

I know.  It’s probably a stupid question.  Here’s the thing though.  I don’t want to torch the finish so I’d rather not pull it at this point unless safety is an issue.  
 

And rethinking the timing, it was probably more like a minute and a half total heat time.  I heated it evenly with a butane micro torch for 30 seconds, stopped for a minute while I tried twisting, heated it another 30 seconds, stopped for another minute and tried twisting, and then one more go at it with the torch for another 30 seconds and twisted.  So three shots of 30 seconds of heat over about a 5 minute period. 

ya sounds like not a lot.  Sometimes it takes serious heat if its an older club or it was glued by an oem.  I use quick set and I try to use the minimum needed since iver never had it fail.  If you have a shaft puller or can bring it to someone who does you can apply a lot more force and use less heat

[e-man]

It was an OEM ping club and I’ve pulled other ping iron heads that are seriously impossible to pull. 

[puresurfr]

ive pulled hundreds of clubs and the only one which gave me a serious problem was gem ping.....is this one of the older models where they didn't use a feerrule ????  i had to use a hotter gas ( propane ) and finally managed to get it off and i did use a shaft puller as well.  The next flame up is MAP gas and that burns super hot.

 

There are 2 types mini torches that i am familiar with, one is shaped like a pen and that won't work at all....the other is shaped like the air horns they use air PGA events, thats a good one to use for overall shop use

Edited February 1, 2021 by puresurfr

[Hack Daddy]

Sometimes the taper tip is really wedged in there (if it's a .355 head). I've had two i had to ise a block of wood and hammer to get off. 

[Skhacker]

I wouldn’t take any swings with it. And next time let it cool on it’s own. Don’t quench it with water. Hosels are too brittle and you could very easily crack it. Seen it happen on more than one occasion. 

[e-man]

Thanks for the tips.  I had a cool wet rag over the head while I was heating it.  By the time I ran it under water, it was at least a few minutes and while it was still hot to the touch, I was able to touch it with my bare hand.  And yes, it was an older ping with no ferrule.  It’s crazy how hard those are to pull.  
 

And my torch is about the size of one of those small air horns.  It’s not too powerful but good enough most of the time for this type of work. 

Edited February 1, 2021 by e-man

[threefortheshow]

Pings can be a bear to remove.   I would say you definitely broke the epoxy bond so I would not play it as is.  Try what Hack Daddy said. 

[Red4282]

Have you removed a head before? Just wondering if maybe you are making an error. How close you hold the flame makes a huge difference. 3 min with a torch should be overkill. Only other possibility is someone used some jb weld, and well, good luck.

Edited February 1, 2021 by Red4282

[e-man]

Thanks Red.  Yes, I’ve removed a lot of heads, it’s just these Ping heads can be so stubborn sometimes.  Normally I evenly heat for 20 seconds or so and that’s usually enough.

 

It sounds like I probably weakened the bond, so I should pull it and re epoxy it.  

[Pulledabill]

Throw it in the  freezer for a couple hours then try heating it again.