Drilling guide to clean out epoxy from inside of shaft tip. Any interest?

[wings02]

One of the more difficult clean-up's when prepping a used graphite or steel shaft is cleaning out the epoxy from  inside the tip  of the shaft. My fear is while drilling the epoxy out, especially if the epoxy goes higher up into the tip, is having the  drill bit go off center and possibly end up drilling into the wall of the shaft. Even  drilling into the wall slightly can compromise the strength and performance of the shaft. What starts off as a straight hole at the tip can sometimes go off center. Hitting an unexpected piece of a weight can also cause an unfavorable result. I am having a machinist make a drilling guide that eliminates the headache of cleaning out epoxy from the tip of a graphite and  steel shaft. It is made of aircraft grade aluminum and will ensure drilling straight holes into the tip eliminating the chance of damaging the  the shaft. Pictured below is a prototype of the tool. Please look it over and let me know if you think this would make a good addition to your shop. I have been using the prototype on a few sets of shafts and it's been working great! Can be used with .370, .355,  and .335 tip shafts. Just add 1 or 2 windings of masking tape to snug up the fit on .335 and .355 shafts. A target price of $39 with shipping.  Any input would be appreciated!

 

Edited August 14, 2022 by wings02

[Seattlegolfnut]

It’s a good idea. I use a drill chuck from the hardware store. This could be better.

 

golfworks sells a chuck and a bit for $40:

https://www.golfworks.com/self-centering-graphite-shaft-tip-cleaner/p/gw1110/

Edited August 14, 2022 by Seattlegolfnut

[MFBach]

I like the idea a lot, but I’m not sure I’d pay $40 for it. I typically start with a very small bit, ~1/16-5/64”, and work my way out. I’ve also used a nail set/counterpunch to break tip epoxy loose and dump it out the butt end of the shaft. Thinking about it though, it is a bit of a process. 
 

If this is a one and done system, basically one pass with a drill bit and you’re finished, it could be worth it. Could also be more useful to someone cleaning more graphite shaft tips, which I’ve found myself doing less of since adapters became so common.
 

My input would be to focus on graphite, because steel shafts don’t present any real issues while drilling epoxy from the tip. Also, lowering your price point a little might go a long way too. If your ultimate goal is to take it to a consumer market through somebody like GW, which seems like the only way to make it profitable while mass producing, MSRP under $30 would be my goal. You can decide if it’s a material change or some other option to get you there. 
 

It’s a cool idea, but a niche market, so you’re going to need a product that everyone in that market wants to have and can still afford to buy for a relatively uncommon task (outside of this particular sub-forum). Good luck! 

[kwcsports]

I burn out the epoxy in steel shafts and I just eyeball drilling out graphite and have never had a failure in 40 years. I think you're overthinking it.

Edited August 14, 2022 by kwcsports

[wings02]

Thank you for the input!!!

I actually like the Golfworks product with the exception of the 1/8 inch bit being a little small, although once you drill a 1/8' hole it will act as a good pilot hole for larger bits. My design uses a 5/32" bit (not included Lol). 

My designs and inventions are never thought of to make a living. I only like to make a job easier and have a little fun in the garage. Making these products myself on my lathe instead of having my machinist would trim the fat. If  $25 including shipping sounds appealing, then so be it! 

[tdeutmeyer]

If I were making one I'd make it out of steel,  maybe even heat treated.

[MFBach]

21 minutes ago, tdeutmeyer said:

 

If I were making one I'd make it out of steel,  maybe even heat treated.

 

That’s another issue I considered but didn’t delve into. Aluminum is pretty soft in general, so using it as a pilot for a drill bit might degrade its accuracy over time. But I’m no expert in metallurgy, so if someone is machining their own tools, I’ll let them decide what materials are the best for the job. 

[NJBigFish22]

Good idea if your doing this often, but if doing once in awhile a piece of wood with a hole drilled in would work just as well.

[Stuart_G]

I personally have never had a problem doing it by hand - but I have to admit there are plenty of people posting who have shown enough concern that they might consider it.   

 

It's not impossible to screw up but the graphite does help guide the drill bit and keep it in the center.  The main problem would come with the presence of brass tip weights - and I would never try to drill those out.   Even with such a guide, the results would not be good.

 

I also agree that aluminum is too soft.   You would really want a steel insert which the drill bit would be in contact with.   And ideally you'd probably want to make that replaceable to allow for different drill sizes.   Different shafts have different ID's - it's not something that's uniform or standardized among all graphite shafts.

 

Over heating the drill bit should still be the main concern when drilling out the tip.  So having the guide would not completely eliminate the benefit of using multiple passes with different sized bits.

 

Edited August 15, 2022 by Stuart_G