Are these incredible finishes possible with stainless steel?!

[putt_for_dough]

I posted yesterday asking about milling, and now I’m back to ask about finishes. I’m ready to pull the trigger on a custom putter build, and before I move forward with anything, I want to get some feedback about possibilities so I can have realistic expectations.

 

First and foremost, are any of these blued steel finishes possible on stainless steel (see pictures)? What about the darker gray/charcoal one?

 

 

 

 

Secondly, for those that have carbon steel putters, how hard is it to keep the rust away? Do you regret going with carbon rather than stainless? I’ve always dreamed of a beautiful gun blue finish or something like that, but I don’t think I’m the type of guy that would be excited about rust, and I hope this putter can stay in the bag for the rest of my life. The only putter I’ve ever really had is an old Scotty Cameron Studio Stainless that was gifted to me. Unfortunately, it was stolen, and as a lefty that wants a flow neck, I’m to the point that it’s easiest to go custom. I am excited for the opportunity to customize everything, but I don't want to regret any decisions since I can only do this once. No exchanges at Roger Dunn or something haha.

 

Thank you in advance for all of your help!

 

[5hort5tuff]

The really chromatic, bright blue torched finishes  are Carbon.  The only other blues you may see are cerakote or PVD type finishes, which are less common and rarely offered by custom builders. 

 

I pretty much order all my customs in Carbon. I may be the minority but I prefer the finishes, and dont mind a little bit of use showing. 

 

If you don't like any rusting or patina, I would go with stainless steel and pick a different finish.  It is definitely possible, with frequent oiling and a little but of care, to keep a carbon putter nice for a long time. The only issue is, it only takes 1 mistake to get a patina or rust going. 

Edited January 18, 2023 by 5hort5tuff

[5hort5tuff]

That's my Mannkrafted. It's about 6 or 7 years old, but I never really play it outside.  It's my only baby that I won't use lol

[putt_for_dough]

59 minutes ago, 5hort5tuff said:

The really chromatic, bright blue torched finishes  are Carbon.  The only other blues you may see are cerakote or PVD type finishes, which are less common and rarely offered by custom builders. 

 

I pretty much order all my customs in Carbon. I may be the minority but I prefer the finishes, and dont mind a little bit of use showing. 

 

If you don't like any rusting or patina, I would go with stainless steel and pick a different finish.  It is definitely possible, with frequent oiling and a little but of care, to keep a carbon putter nice for a long time. The only issue is, it only takes 1 mistake to get a patina or rust going. 

 

Thank you for your thorough reply. I figured as much based off of some of the background research I've done, but you never know what's out there until you ask.

 

PS- What a beautiful putter!! That looks incredible. I can't imagine never taking it out on the course, but I'm sure it's brought lots of smiles from within your home. I definitely plan to game mine every week, so carbon may not be the best/easiest for my use case.

[5hort5tuff]

I have taken it out many times. It has been refinished a number of times. It was my gamer for a while. Now, after the most recent torch job, I have shelved it.

 

Lamont does amazing work.

 

Goodluck with your custom.

Edited January 18, 2023 by 5hort5tuff

[MattM97]

Best to ask the putter maker if they can do a finish but a lot of them usually have all their finishes listed. Also toched finishes on stainless eventually rub/wear off over time so it could be nice and blue for a year before the standard steel color comes though.

 

 

As for carbon putters it does take some care, for me I find keeping the putters out of their covers and with a coating of oil or something keeps the rust away, if I want it to rust up a bit I'll toss it in the head cover and check on it a bit until I keep it at a certain rust range. But my carbon putters are pretty good looking now. 

[putt_for_dough]

41 minutes ago, MattM97 said:

Best to ask the putter maker if they can do a finish but a lot of them usually have all their finishes listed. Also toched finishes on stainless eventually rub/wear off over time so it could be nice and blue for a year before the standard steel color comes though.

 

 

As for carbon putters it does take some care, for me I find keeping the putters out of their covers and with a coating of oil or something keeps the rust away, if I want it to rust up a bit I'll toss it in the head cover and check on it a bit until I keep it at a certain rust range. But my carbon putters are pretty good looking now. 

I didn't realize the chromatic finishes from torching stainless fade so quickly. Do you see that with the wheat/lower heat colors, or mainly just the blues/purples? Do the oil quenched chromatic colors on carbon tend to last longer? Assuming you take care of the putter, of course.

[kb7]

Definitely talk to your builder to see what finishes they offer. I love carbon heads, and do not see "upkeep" as an issue with them. You can't expect them to stay perfect if you play a lot of wet rounds and just toss it back in the bag and forget about it. With minimal care, a carbon putter will look great for a long time.

[wam78]

30 minutes ago, kb7 said:

Definitely talk to your builder to see what finishes they offer. I love carbon heads, and do not see "upkeep" as an issue with them. You can't expect them to stay perfect if you play a lot of wet rounds and just toss it back in the bag and forget about it. With minimal care, a carbon putter will look great for a long time.

Agree here.  Also really cool ways to mask some of the “aging” with carbon putters with certain finishes.  Some can do a forced patina or an oil can, which I personally think are awesome!

 

Everyone is different, but I think of a carbon putter like a leather wallet or bag.  The more weathered, the better.  YMMV.

[putt_for_dough]

I found some phenomenal examples of chromatic blue on stainless steel rather than carbon. This was news to me because I thought this finish on stainless was impossible!! With that said, anybody able to comment on how quickly finishes like this wear away if you're playing each week? Does torched stainless just fade back to a silver?

 

[oneaugusta]

Yes, I have done many of those finishes/looks.  SS is easier to get a variety of looks, carbon is limited.

[FuzzyKnuckles]

With SS, can you apply a copper / brushed copper finish without going down the copper electroplating route? Can you stain the stainless the copper finish?

 

[putt_for_dough]

13 hours ago, oneaugusta said:

Yes, I have done many of those finishes/looks.  SS is easier to get a variety of looks, carbon is limited.

How quickly do finishes like this wear away if you're playing each week? Does torched stainless just fade back to a silver?

[oneaugusta]

9 hours ago, putt_for_dough said:

How quickly do finishes like this wear away if you're playing each week? Does torched stainless just fade back to a silver?

I have done many and with the correct process the finish will last for several years.  The bottom gets the most friction wear so I use putter tape on the sole but as far as fading should last 3 years or more.  When it looks a bit dirty simply wash with soft cloth and warm soapy water.

Edited January 24, 2023 by oneaugusta

[josey]

Not for sell. Both of these are stainless.  

[sm_watts]

Part of the issue with carbon or raw clubs rusting is the climate you live in.  Wyoming is a very low humidity climate, so I don't have to worry about rust on putters at all.  In fact, the only way I can get raw wedges to rust is to leave them sitting in a jar of salt water.

 

Several years ago I had some raw carbon wedges and I couldn't get any rust on them.  Then I took them out to western Washington and they sat in my bag in my dad's garage for a week.  I couldn't believe the change - they were covered in rust.

[twholbrook]

Carbon steel will go to the blues and purples you see in those photos. Stainless will only go to gold/bronze looking. The dual-finish you're seeing (blue and silver) is someone who torched the whole thing, then selectively sanded and polished the color away and back to shiny steel.

 

Edit: just went and actually read your post and apparently its stainless. Maybe its some sort of gun-blueing. There's quite a bit of overlap between golf clubs and gun parts - I'd start by looking there. 

 

One note: if you go the Cerakote route the finish can be pretty dull/matte and often mushes any face milling due to the process they use.

Edited January 25, 2023 by twholbrook

[oneaugusta]

6 hours ago, twholbrook said:

Carbon steel will go to the blues and purples you see in those photos. Stainless will only go to gold/bronze looking. The dual-finish you're seeing (blue and silver) is someone who torched the whole thing, then selectively sanded and polished the color away and back to shiny steel.

 

Edit: just went and actually read your post and apparently its stainless. Maybe its some sort of gun-blueing. There's quite a bit of overlap between golf clubs and gun parts - I'd start by looking there. 

 

One note: if you go the Cerakote route the finish can be pretty dull/matte and often mushes any face milling due to the process they use.

That is incorrect information, you can get golds, bronze, purple hues, red hues and blues from SS.  Here are ones done in the past at my shop, all stainless

[5hort5tuff]

^^^ Best torch game in the business @oneaugusta.   I almost never see SS Torched to these hues of blue and purple. 

 

Not sure why...but it is clearly possible

[cfunk11]

Years ago I went down the same path with a SS Machine putter. I read the Whole Machine putter thread looking for best finish for stainless. All the putter I was drawn to were carbon. I ended up dumping the the stainless Machine for a carbon raw Palambi that I gun personally gun blued and oil quenched.  I then found a carbon Timeless brand putter that I sent to a plater and had the finished removed chemically for like $20. I used plum brown to darken it and a $30 set of stamps to put my last name of it. In total I had $230 in that putter. In my opinion the carbon heads are the best for custom finishes.

[putt_for_dough]

7 hours ago, oneaugusta said:

That is incorrect information, you can get golds, bronze, purple hues, red hues and blues from SS.  Here are ones done in the past at my shop, all stainless

All your work is unbelievable!! Do you have an instagram page or website? Thanks for posting some examples and educating us

[putt_for_dough]

2 hours ago, cfunk11 said:

Years ago I went down the same path with a SS Machine putter. I read the Whole Machine putter thread looking for best finish for stainless. All the putter I was drawn to were carbon. I ended up dumping the the stainless Machine for a carbon raw Palambi that I gun personally gun blued and oil quenched.  I then found a carbon Timeless brand putter that I sent to a plater and had the finished removed chemically for like $20. I used plum brown to darken it and a $30 set of stamps to put my last name of it. In total I had $230 in that putter. In my opinion the carbon heads are the best for custom finishes.

My dream is to get some of my own equipment and start learning to do some of this stuff on my own. Not in the right situation for that right now cause I don't have a garage or any space to work out of a small apartment. Thanks for sharing!!

[putt_for_dough]

On 1/24/2023 at 5:37 AM, josey said:

Not for sell. Both of these are stainless.  

Thank you so much for posting here! I have admired your work (through Instagram) for years. Hoping for the privilege to order a putter from you sometime soon! Trying to figure out more of what's possible between carbon vs stainless before sending in a design

[josey]

4 hours ago, putt_for_dough said:

Thank you so much for posting here! I have admired your work (through Instagram) for years. Hoping for the privilege to order a putter from you sometime soon! Trying to figure out more of what's possible between carbon vs stainless before sending in a design

You don't need to be privileged, just ask.

[sm_watts]

I have always believed that Carbon putters have more finish options, but you guys are making me wonder if that’s really true, which leads me to ask… is there any benefit to carbon vs SS? Slightly softer feel (which can be manipulated by design and milling anyway)?

[JayHan]

Please don't give up your high tastes due to a very small burden. I hope my small tip would help you. It doesn't take too much effort, money or even space to keep the carbon putter in good condition. I put 20~33oz of baby oil in a suitable/small plastic container at home. After playing golf, I lightly clean the putter head with a paper tower and soak the putter head in the baby oil overnight or sometimes longer after playing golf. Meanwhile, the putter head cover well dries and the putter naturally becomes oil-coated. The next day I take out the putter, gently dab the oil with a paper towel, and put the putter head cover on it. DONE! If it's too much trouble for you, after playing golf, you come home, get off the putter from the golf bag, and spray the putter butter over the putter head. Keep the putter and the putter cover at home overnight. DONE! My area is as humid as New Orleans in the summer, but I haven't found a problem with my method. I care of many carbon putters, some from mid-90s, in this way. Last tip is please don't use a gun oil, some type of gun oil makes problems with the paint-fill in your putter. Please enjoy a beautiful oil-can deep blue putter!

[oneaugusta]

3 hours ago, JayHan said:

Please don't give up your high tastes due to a very small burden. I hope my small tip would help you. It doesn't take too much effort, money or even space to keep the carbon putter in good condition. I put 20~33oz of baby oil in a suitable/small plastic container at home. After playing golf, I lightly clean the putter head with a paper tower and soak the putter head in the baby oil overnight or sometimes longer after playing golf. Meanwhile, the putter head cover well dries and the putter naturally becomes oil-coated. The next day I take out the putter, gently dab the oil with a paper towel, and put the putter head cover on it. DONE! If it's too much trouble for you, after playing golf, you come home, get off the putter from the golf bag, and spray the putter butter over the putter head. Keep the putter and the putter cover at home overnight. DONE! My area is as humid as New Orleans in the summer, but I haven't found a problem with my method. I care of many carbon putters, some from mid-90s, in this way. Last tip is please don't use a gun oil, some type of gun oil makes problems with the paint-fill in your putter. Please enjoy a beautiful oil-can deep blue putter!

Great advice...., just not that much work to keep them nice.  I personally just keep a silicone gun cloth saturated in baby oil in a sandwich bag and after the round I wipe the carbon putter down, "takes about 30 seconds"

[twholbrook]

On 1/25/2023 at 6:59 AM, oneaugusta said:

That is incorrect information, you can get golds, bronze, purple hues, red hues and blues from SS.  Here are ones done in the past at my shop, all stainless

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I stand thoroughly corrected and bow to the master! I learned how to torch based on a oneaugusta forum post and am clearly still learning. I have tried stainless and got it to a gold/bronze but wasn’t able to get further with a MAAP torch. Any tips on how to get it hotter than that?

[putt_for_dough]

On 1/30/2023 at 12:07 AM, JayHan said:

Please don't give up your high tastes due to a very small burden. I hope my small tip would help you. It doesn't take too much effort, money or even space to keep the carbon putter in good condition. I put 20~33oz of baby oil in a suitable/small plastic container at home. After playing golf, I lightly clean the putter head with a paper tower and soak the putter head in the baby oil overnight or sometimes longer after playing golf. Meanwhile, the putter head cover well dries and the putter naturally becomes oil-coated. The next day I take out the putter, gently dab the oil with a paper towel, and put the putter head cover on it. DONE! If it's too much trouble for you, after playing golf, you come home, get off the putter from the golf bag, and spray the putter butter over the putter head. Keep the putter and the putter cover at home overnight. DONE! My area is as humid as New Orleans in the summer, but I haven't found a problem with my method. I care of many carbon putters, some from mid-90s, in this way. Last tip is please don't use a gun oil, some type of gun oil makes problems with the paint-fill in your putter. Please enjoy a beautiful oil-can deep blue putter!

I appreciate you taking the time to comment!! THANK YOU!! I'm still trying to decide if I'm just obsessed with the idea of a beautiful/chromatic blue putter vs actually wanting to game one. Realistically, I think I'm gonna go with a satin stainless steel that's pretty boring/benign for now considering I'm not a flashy guy or player. Someday, if tastes change and funds allow, then maybe I'll spring for something super fancy. 

[oneaugusta]

19 hours ago, twholbrook said:

I stand thoroughly corrected and bow to the master! I learned how to torch based on a oneaugusta forum post and am clearly still learning. I have tried stainless and got it to a gold/bronze but wasn’t able to get further with a MAAP torch. Any tips on how to get it hotter than that?

Not necessarily about the heat but the prep is more important. Good prep = less heat time and more versatility on colors. I’ve never used MAAP gas only propane.  Getting blue takes the longest but with good prep about 20 minutes of slow even heat.