Clubbuilding: Epoxy or Grips first?

[RobDMB]

Just curious, do most people epoxy/install the shafts in the heads first and then grip after? Or vice versa? Any pros/cons to one or the other? Also, for those that do the epoxy/head first using a split grip, do you account for the tape/epoxy in terms of swing weight? If so, how much or do they offset? Thanks!

[kwcsports]

I always install shafts, cut to length, grips are last. 

[RobotDoctor]

7 minutes ago, kwcsports said:

I always install shafts, cut to length, grips are last. 

Agreed!

[Nessism]

My preference is to dry fit shafts w/o grip, cut to length, install a split grip, measure swingweight and adjust as needed, then glue up the head.  Once it's cured the grip goes on. 

 

If time is tight I'll install the grip after cutting the shaft to length.  Then it's adjust swingweight and glue up the head.  That saves some time if the clubs need to go out right away.

[Snodork]

^^ ditto ^^

[Manz60]

HI, I read this as a swingweight question.  Try dry fitting the head and cut to length (install the grip tape; temporarily tape the ferrule to the head). Since the grip is held in the hands, it won't  and   shouldn't have much effect on the head weight feel so then we should swingweight without the grip . 

 

For example, a 52g grip divided by 5.2 =10 swingwt. points  so if your test club has a target of D2 then swingweighting without a grip means you need to see E2 on the scale. Now install the necessary tip weight, ferrule and shaft.

 

After you install the grip, the scale reads D2.

 

Its another way clubmakers build clubs.

epoxy = approx 1/4 point or so.

Hope this helps

M60

[mvhoffman]

Personally, the grip was always the last thing to be installed.  Dry fitting and swingweighting would be done with a cut/split grip.  Lately while watching youtube I have seen a few Mizuno build videos where they insist on building with the grip on first.  They are being a lot more exact than any of us would be so I would say grip last.

[cristphoto]

Grip last - totally eliminates possibility of air lock. 

[liveagua]

14 hours ago, RobDMB said:

Just curious, do most people epoxy/install the shafts in the heads first and then grip after? Or vice versa? Any pros/cons to one or the other? Also, for those that do the epoxy/head first using a split grip, do you account for the tape/epoxy in terms of swing weight? If so, how much or do they offset? Thanks!

I have only been building clubs for 25+ years, but I always epoxy first, then install grips. Unless you want to fix some crooked grips.

 

Stop overthinking about tape and epoxy, they basically cancel each other out. 

[Stuart_G]

3 minutes ago, liveagua said:

Stop overthinking about tape and epoxy, they basically cancel each other out. 

 

I'll take that sentiment one step further.  Stop thinking of butt weight as a variable, that's not what the swing weight scale is about.   It's better to adjust head weight with single split grip for all the clubs in the set, or better yet, no grip at all  (e.g. just make the target 9 pts higher than what you would with the grip).  That allows you to ignore the manufacturing variations in actual grip weights.

 

Edited May 27, 2021 by Stuart_G

[Stuart_G]

12 hours ago, Manz60 said:

For example, a 52g grip divided by 5.2 =10 swingwt. points  so if your test club has a target of D2 then swingweighting without a grip means you need to see E2 on the scale. Now install the necessary tip weight, ferrule and shaft.

 

After you install the grip, the scale reads D2.

 

9 pts is more commonly used (E1 to get D2) since the grip typically can add 1/8" to 1/4" to the playing length.  But of course that can depend on the particular grip model used.  I've had some grips that only added maybe 1/16" so for those the 10 pt difference might work well.

Edited May 27, 2021 by Stuart_G

[Bad9]

2 hours ago, liveagua said:

I have only been building clubs for 25+ years, but I always epoxy first, then install grips. Unless you want to fix some crooked grips.

 

Stop overthinking about tape and epoxy, they basically cancel each other out. 

 This👏

[Seb Nordemann]

Weight everything, see if you need to adjust SW, cut to length, install shafts, grips are DFL

[Seb Nordemann]

On 5/27/2021 at 10:49 AM, liveagua said:

I have only been building clubs for 25+ years, but I always epoxy first, then install grips. Unless you want to fix some crooked grips.

 

Stop overthinking about tape and epoxy, they basically cancel each other out. 

Agreed. Unless you fill up the shaft with epoxy from end to end (or use 6+ double side  grip tape), both of them cancel out. 

[kleydejong]

I also prefer to tip trim, then glue heads, then butt trim, adjust SW as needed, then grip. Works well for me. 

[almenar248]

I always epoxy and trim first before putting on the grips.  I also use a split grip with bit of lead tape on it to compensate for the additional weight of the grip tape and any build up tape. I have several split grips of varying weights to account for the varying weight of the grip. Is it perfect? Maybe not, but I am usually within a .5 to 1 SW of where I want it to be. 

[PorkChopExpress]

Mizuno tour van grips before epoxy

They also have that tape cutter for more consistent tape lengths.

 

as long as your builds are consistent, doesn’t really matter

no one would know when hitting the grips were on first or last 

[pccasstpro]

I always found it easier to measure, Cut , Grip , swingweight, then epoxy. Especially when using tip weights. Maybe it was because that was the way I was taught when I was 7 by my grandfather.  If you go old school and use lead or tungsten powder and cork then epoxy , then cut. I have seen a majority of tour techs and factory in house Tour Dept. guys cut, grip weight, then epoxy.  

 

I just put together a 3 wood the other night using using; Cut , Grip , swingweight (Hotmelted the head), then epoxy. Came out D3 on the number, at 42.75". 

[Payton1020]

Better yet, ignore swing weight all together. I find it a number, that is un-interesting.

[Ger21]

I use the minimum tip weights required to get a 7 gram progression, but don't worry about swingweight at all.

I might if it was really light, but have never ran into this.

[denkea]

4 hours ago, Ger21 said:

I use the minimum tip weights required to get a 7 gram progression, but don't worry about swingweight at all.

I might if it was really light, but have never ran into this.

Nonsense.  Just because the heads are 7 grams apart has only a very little bearing on the final swing-weight.  Even if you have 7 of the exact shafts there may be an outlier re swingweight.  The absolutely only way to ensure consistent SW is to pre assemble all components and go from there.  

[Ger21]

The point was that I'm not concerned about the final swingweight, and have never noticed any differences, which probably do exist. I was adding on to the post before mine.

[Noodler]

6 hours ago, denkea said:

Nonsense.  Just because the heads are 7 grams apart has only a very little bearing on the final swing-weight.  Even if you have 7 of the exact shafts there may be an outlier re swingweight.  The absolutely only way to ensure consistent SW is to pre assemble all components and go from there.  

 

Not even slightly true.  I just completed another build (this time for @Phabs) and I do not use dry build-ups to figure out swingweighting... ever.  If you have the data from the individual components and use the science/math of MOI, you can build clubs with higher precision and save time.  It doesn't matter whether it's a swingweight matched set or MOI matched, the same science applies.

 

I know that not every builder is going to run out and buy the MOI Auditor machine, but it sure makes life easier...

Edited July 1, 2021 by Noodler

[GooseHook]

On 5/27/2021 at 9:04 AM, cristphoto said:

Grip last - totally eliminates possibility of air lock. 

 

And the occasional case of small epoxy bits or debris causing a rattle/ 

[PhlashPhace]

My method is basically identical to Mizuno's, cut to length, grip, set sw, and then glue.

 

 

[Thayneil]

On 5/27/2021 at 6:37 AM, RobotDoctor said:

Agreed!

i tried to make sure the ferrules were perfect before i put a grip on

 

easier to be slightly lazy about the ferrules when the grip is on and ready to hit