Trouble Pulling Shafts

[Wake 42]

I have a set of Wilson X31 that were my grandfathers and he gave them to me as my first set 20 some years ago. I was planning on new shafts, adding some BB&F ferrules, polishing them up and eventually (after a round or two) hanging in my man cave.

 

I CANNOT get these heads off.  they are not pinned, but they just wont budge.  

Looking for any tips/tricks you have.  I am at the point where I am considering just cutting the heads off and drilling the shaft out or something, but not sure if that is a good idea.

 

 

[AdamMH]

I had a hollow "Pebble Beach" 3 iron with a similar hosel give me a lot of trouble. It took a lot more heat than expected and twisting was the only way I could get them to start backing out.

Just a note, looks like these don't come w/ ferrules from the factory, and may have a rounded over top edge on the hosel. I think you'll find the BB&Fs won't fit nicely without some fairly intensive modification and elbow grease.

[raggal62]

If you can go into detail about your procedure to extract the shafts then chances are good you will receive good advice.

[Wake 42]

8 minutes ago, raggal62 said:

If you can go into detail about your procedure to extract the shafts then chances are good you will receive good advice.

Thank you for the advice, happy to add what little I can.

 

I was just using the torch, heating them up and twisting/pulling on them.  I am not sure how to apply any leverage other than that without damaging the heads.

 

One club came out on first heat up. 

 

Another came out after a lot of heat ups, over the course of a week.

 

Both I have gotten off had at least a little play in them right from the start.  The other heads do not move a bit.  I have heated them all up multiple times over the past couple of weeks.  At most 10-15 seconds of heat.

[mogc60]

Sounds like they might be rusted to the head creating a weld type bond…not unusual for the age. My recommendation would be to continue to heat them and the step on the face and twist them. Shaft puller may be needed though so if you have a local shop with one I’d recommend that route

[Wake 42]

20 minutes ago, AdamMH said:

I had a hollow "Pebble Beach" 3 iron with a similar hosel give me a lot of trouble. It took a lot more heat than expected and twisting was the only way I could get them to start backing out.

Just a note, looks like these don't come w/ ferrules from the factory, and may have a rounded over top edge on the hosel. I think you'll find the BB&Fs won't fit nicely without some fairly intensive modification and elbow grease.

They did not come with Ferrules.  I noticed this too, but was planning on using my belt sander to fit them. 

 

Thank you for the advice.

[Ger21]

12 minutes ago, Wake 42 said:

At most 10-15 seconds of heat.

 

That's barely enough for easy to remove heads. More heat won't hurt, just keep moving, and double the heat.

[Wake 42]

4 minutes ago, Ger21 said:

 

That's barely enough for easy to remove heads. More heat won't hurt, just keep moving, and double the heat.

Thanks!  I got that rainbow look on one of the heads and thought I had over heated it, so i was being very cautious.

 

[Ger21]

Did it come off when the color changed?

Try a magic eraser on the color.

[JCAG]

If you have a 48inch ram rod or drill bit, lock shaft in vice, insert rod/bit to the end, heat, hit end of rod/bit to drive the head off. More heat.

[Wham49]

21 minutes ago, JCAG said:

If you have a 48inch ram rod or drill bit, lock shaft in vice, insert rod/bit to the end, heat, hit end of rod/bit to drive the head off. More heat.

I have had trouble with a couple sets and just ordered a rod, yesterday, so that is it, put the rod in, then heat, then start hitting away to get it off? 

[johngalt312]

MAP gas, shaft puller, ram rod, mallet - it will come off.  Last resort: cut flush and drill it out.

[raggal62]

48 minutes ago, Wham49 said:

I have had trouble with a couple sets and just ordered a rod, yesterday, so that is it, put the rod in, then heat, then start hitting away to get it off? 

One of these lock tight shaft holders in conjunction with the 1/4" rod, a hefty hammer, a robust vice and lots of propane heat. It'll come off.

[jeggolfer68]

If previous recommendations don't work, I would cut shaft off just above hosel, spray wd40, then use an easy out. Drilling out as a last resort. Also, reconsider the ferrule idea. Unless someone knows a trick, I foresee issues. One is ruining each ferrule during the fitting process.

[kwcsports]

I've heated old heads for minutes before to get them off. You should hear a pop, or see a puff of smoke and then try twisting them off. I've also put stubborn irons in my vice, heated them and then using a wooden block and hammer, knocked them off. Old ping irons always gave me trouble and required extra heat or elbow grease. 

[kwcsports]

Make sure you're using a full size torch, those mini ones won't do it in my experience.

[rexroh]

For twisting the head get a 4 X 2 about 24 inches long.  Cut a V in the end to fit the club head.

Heat the hosel and twist with wood.  Great leverage and no damage to club.

[Wake 42]

3 hours ago, JCAG said:

If you have a 48inch ram rod or drill bit, lock shaft in vice, insert rod/bit to the end, heat, hit end of rod/bit to drive the head off. More heat.

i got a 1/4" round at work and this worked like a charm.  popped all the heads off in about 15 mins.

 

Thank you all for the advice.

 

 

[Wake 42]

2 hours ago, kwcsports said:

I've heated old heads for minutes before to get them off. You should hear a pop, or see a puff of smoke and then try twisting them off. I've also put stubborn irons in my vice, heated them and then using a wooden block and hammer, knocked them off. Old ping irons always gave me trouble and required extra heat or elbow grease. 

 

def a puff of smoke.  The smell is awful.  i might have to burn my clothes.  I was really surprised how much foam/black tar was down in there.

[Wake 42]

2 hours ago, jeggolfer68 said:

. Also, reconsider the ferrule idea. Unless someone knows a trick, I foresee issues. One is ruining each ferrule during the fitting process.

 

i have never added ferrules before, just watched youtube vids on it. 

 

can you expand on what you think could go wrong?  I am pretty handy, taught myself to make knives, weld, all kinds of things.  so in my mind it was just something else to think through.

[AdamMH]

11 minutes ago, Wake 42 said:

 

i have never added ferrules before, just watched youtube vids on it. 

 

can you expand on what you think could go wrong?  I am pretty handy, taught myself to make knives, weld, all kinds of things.  so in my mind it was just something else to think through.

Ferrules are made to fit on clubs that have a flat hosel top. These older cast stainless clubs have rounded over hosels that ferrules aren't mean to sit on. You will have to either:
A. Flatten the top of the hosel, perfectly perpendicular to the sides of the hosel either by grinding, sanding or filing.

or

B. Force the ferrule to fit by either melting or sanding a radius into the inner portion of it.

To my knowledge nobody has done this to great success around here, likely because that hosel style isn't common anymore. I'm currently trying to figure out the best way to do that on some older Pings.

Have a look at images in this thread for an example of the fitment issues you can expect while trying this:

 

[jeggolfer68]

Adam MH said it well. Let's say you ground one club perpendicular to the shaft. Next you forced on the ferrule and test fit. Probably a little off. Good luck getting that ferrule off without damaging it. Regrind, reinstall ferrule, test fit. I was a toolmaker and did this stuff for a living. Way too many variables to make it worth it. 

[raggal62]

2 hours ago, Wake 42 said:

 

i have never added ferrules before, just watched youtube vids on it. 

 

can you expand on what you think could go wrong?  I am pretty handy, taught myself to make knives, weld, all kinds of things.  so in my mind it was just something else to think through.

Purchase ferrules with the OD that matches the hosel OD. I get mine from Grail Golf. I use the countersink in the photo and a variable speed drill to open up the ferrule interior. Proceeding slowly, the end result is to have a sharp lip around the interior diameter of the ferrule without deforming the plastic. 

 

Best way I've found to install ferrules on barrel hosels.

[jeggolfer68]

That's impressive. Thanks for sharing your technique.

[sm_watts]

13 hours ago, raggal62 said:

Purchase ferrules with the OD that matches the hosel OD. I get mine from Grail Golf. I use the countersink in the photo and a variable speed drill to open up the ferrule interior. Proceeding slowly, the end result is to have a sharp lip around the interior diameter of the ferrule without deforming the plastic. 

 

Best way I've found to install ferrules on barrel hosels.

I like this.  I'm the OP from the link above with the BeCu Eye 2's, and I will definitely give this a shot when I re-do my clubs this summer with a little bit nicer ferrules.

[raggal62]

8 hours ago, sm_watts said:

I like this.  I'm the OP from the link above with the BeCu Eye 2's, and I will definitely give this a shot when I re-do my clubs this summer with a little bit nicer ferrules.

Ferrule on left with countersink treatment.

Ferrule on right untreated.

 

These are .370" ID, .087" length, .520" OD.

Available @ Grail Golf.

 

[sm_watts]

21 hours ago, raggal62 said:

Purchase ferrules with the OD that matches the hosel OD. I get mine from Grail Golf. I use the countersink in the photo and a variable speed drill to open up the ferrule interior. Proceeding slowly, the end result is to have a sharp lip around the interior diameter of the ferrule without deforming the plastic. 

 

Best way I've found to install ferrules on barrel hosels.

What type of bit do you use?

[raggal62]

13 hours ago, sm_watts said:

What type of bit do you use?

I use one that has an 18° pitch.

[Colej]

More heat! Heat the head (and keep the flame moving around the hosel) until you see or smell epoxy bond broken. I hope you’ve got a bench top vise that you can clamp down tight on the shafts? Make yourself a leverage block out of a 2x4 piece of wood. Cut a notch in the middle of the end of the wood. Just enough for the head to slip in. Use that to twist the head off.