Add Tip Weight through Butt End

[bglynn19]

Anybody know why it isn’t common to add a tip weight (with the collar shaved off) with some epoxy down the Butt End so you don’t need to disassemble the club and only replace the grip?  
 

I’ve found a lot on adding tungsten powder and a cork but not a tip weight with epoxy using a ram rod.

 

Reason I’m asking is my 56 and 60 degree wedges are at D2. I’m using 6g of lead tape on each head to get me to D4. I don’t want the lead tape.  I have LA Golf WV Wedge shafts which means it is a very small opening at the hosel (plus I don’t want to disassemble if I don’t need to).  With such a small opening the powder is going to ride high in the shaft plus the cork. 
 

So this is what I’m thinking. Use the 10g tip weights in the link below, cut off the large head and try to achieve 6g with the stem left. Ram that down from the Butt End.  Maybe even add some epoxy. The stem alone is .175.  I’m thinking that might fit. 
 

Any feedback or thoughts are appreciated. Thanks!  

https://www.golfworks.com/rubber-tungsten-tip-weights/p/gw0121/?sku=GW0121-8&srsltid=AfmBOorrlGgTPsj4bUW_WNmf6t5sEcLlg0MttEc2qS8x6_q24mYADYyugFM

[BigBlue7]

This just for fun? Just to see how it feels?

[bglynn19]

Just now, BigBlue7 said:

This just for fun? Just to see how it feels?

Not for fun.  Trying to achieve D4 without lead tape. I can disassemble but I feel like I’m just going to be in the same spot with a tip weight and such a small hole.  Possibly even drilling the shaft to fit the tip weight which I rather not do.  
 

I can try this and if it doesn’t work for some reason I can disassemble and remove that tip weight I added from the Butt.

 

Is there a reason this is a bad idea?  Is there a reason this isn’t a common practice instead of powder and cork?  

[Nessism]

Tungsten powder and cork is tried and true.  Why try to reinvent the wheel?

[bglynn19]

4 minutes ago, Nessism said:

Tungsten powder and cork is tried and true.  Why try to reinvent the wheel?

Just seems like I’m going to need a lot because how narrow it is at the hosel of that particular shaft. I’m also worried the cork will end up too high in the shaft if I don’t get the perfect size cork.

 

Thinking the rubber tungsten stem alone will take a few variables out of play. 

This approach is solely due to this particular shaft type/circumstance. 

[third-times-a-charm]

Ideally you want the weight to be as close to the clubhead as possible (or in it).

 

When assembling a club there is probably an average of .5" or so of epoxy stuck in the shaft tip if not more - I routinely blow/drill out 1"+ from OEM builds.

 

You would be adding weight(s) almost past the ferrule in a bonded head build with a 1" average seating depth. 

 

Kinda weird.

 

Hot melt or lead tape is best post-assembly.

[bglynn19]

3 minutes ago, third-times-a-charm said:

Ideally you want the weight to be as close to the clubhead as possible (or in it).

 

When assembling a club there is probably an average of .5" or so of epoxy stuck in the shaft tip if not more - I routinely blow/drill out 1"+ from OEM builds.

 

You would be adding weight(s) almost past the ferrule in a bonded head build with a 1" average seating depth. 

 

Kinda weird.

 

Hot melt or lead tape is best post-assembly.

Makes total sense. People’s Golf did the original build, not OEM. Not sure if they would be less likely to use that much epoxy. 
 

That being said if I went the powder and cork route I’d be in the same situation right?  

[third-times-a-charm]

1 minute ago, bglynn19 said:

Makes total sense. People’s Golf did the original build, not OEM. Not sure if they would be less likely to use that much epoxy. 
 

That being said if I went the powder and cork route I’d be in the same situation right?  

Yes. I would either pull the head and rebuild or use lead tape.

[Nessism]

If you get a 1/4" rod from the hardware store, and ground a chisel tip in the end, you can spin it down into the bottom of the shaft, and chew out any possible epoxy up the shaft.  It would also chew out any tip weight that may be down there too, so use caution.  

[Stuart_G]

8 hours ago, bglynn19 said:

So this is what I’m thinking. Use the 10g tip weights in the link below, cut off the large head and try to achieve 6g with the stem left. Ram that down from the Butt End.  Maybe even add some epoxy. The stem alone is .175.  I’m thinking that might fit. 
 

Any feedback or thoughts are appreciated. Thanks!  

https://www.golfworks.com/rubber-tungsten-tip-weights/p/gw0121/?sku=GW0121-8&srsltid=AfmBOorrlGgTPsj4bUW_WNmf6t5sEcLlg0MttEc2qS8x6_q24mYADYyugFM

 

Cut the large head of that weight and you're going to have a lot less than 6 gm left.   Even if you do something like that you're going to be better off with the brass graphite tip weights from Billy Bob's golf.  And those, once glued in, are almost impossible to remove without damaging the shaft.  Which makes the shaft difficult to reuse in a different head later on in it's life.

 

There is probably already some epoxy in the shaft from gluing on the head so you're likely not going to get it all the way down and what weight you do end up will not be as effective in increasing the swing weight as if you used it from the tip end.  Not to mention the question of if there would be enough epoxy left on it by the time it got all the way down.  Most of the epoxy will get rubbed off as it travels through the shaft - leaving a potential mess along the way - that might even break off over time and result in a rattle being generated.

 

 

8 hours ago, Nessism said:

Tungsten powder and cork is tried and true.  Why try to reinvent the wheel?

 

I'd disagree, I would not consider it tried and true with a graphite shafts.   It's extremely ineffective due to the small ID of the shaft and the resulting inability to concentrate the weight in the hosel.   And a higher risk to damage the shaft when it comes time to cork it.  Either with the ramrod itself or an improperly sized cork/plug.

 

Still, despite that,  it's likely a slightly better option than trying to use glue with anything from the butt end.

 

 

6 hours ago, Nessism said:

If you get a 1/4" rod from the hardware store, and ground a chisel tip in the end, you can spin it down into the bottom of the shaft, and chew out any possible epoxy up the shaft.  It would also chew out any tip weight that may be down there too, so use caution.  

 

Ness, you're more brave than I am.  There's not a chance I'd do that with a $50 graphite shaft - much less a $125 one the OP has.

 

Edited June 17 by Stuart_G

[Ri_Redneck]

I'm with Stuart on this one. I use those weights on all my builds and the stem is only about 4g max. Best option is to pull the shafts and install the tip weight normally. I usually trim the stem for fine weighting, but if you're worried about shaft insertion depth, you can trim from the head to increase that. For 6g, you would probably trim at least half of the head of the weight off. Exacto knife or razor blade cuts them very neatly.

 

BTW, 1/4" is larger than the ID of the shaft I'm pretty sure. IIRC, I widen the shaft IDs to 5/32" so the weight tip will fit.

 

BT

[BigBod]

On a graphite shaft I wouldn't put any weight down the butt end of the shaft, be it lead/brass pin or powder. I would use a proper tip weight in the tip of the shaft making sure the stem of the tip weight does not go above the length of the hosel.

 

If the stem is longer than the top of the hosel, the tip weight could act as a guillotine against the shaft causing it to fail, same goes for anything put inside the shaft from the butt end, if it protrudes the length of the hosel it could cause the shaft to fail.

[RobS]

I'd be worried about a rattle or some vibration as it may be difficult to get a secure fit.  As mentioned above, you may lose the epoxy on the weight as you move it down the shaft.  I'd consider non-hardening tungsten putty with a little bit of epoxy so you can really press it in to the bottom of the shaft and hosel.

[Nessism]

My bad for not catching the part that we are talking graphite shafts here.  I would NOT even consider using powder down a graphite shaft.  Pull the head or live with lead tape.  And even if you pull the head for a tip weight, 6 gram tip weights are large, and cause issues by themselves, such as eating into insertion depth.  

[Stuart_G]

1 hour ago, BigBod said:

If the stem is longer than the top of the hosel, the tip weight could act as a guillotine against the shaft causing it to fail, same goes for anything put inside the shaft from the butt end, if it protrudes the length of the hosel it could cause the shaft to fail.

 

A common misconception.    But unless you take a hacksaw to a brass tip weight and leave a sharp edge or burrs on the edge, maybe you might have to worry about it (whether it's above the hosel or not).   But that's nothing that a minute with a file wont fix.   Or maybe if it were hard (like brass) and more than 4" long.  But a inch or even a bit more above the hosel (what you'd find with any commercially available tip weight) is not going to cause any problems.  With lead it's so soft you could run it all the way up to the butt and not be a problem structurally.

 

Graphite shafts have a reinforced tip section to handle the high stresses at the top of the hosel that extends well above the top of the hosel.   And any stresses caused by an interior tip weight aren't going to be any higher than the stresses caused by the top of the hosel.  It also means that the first inch or so above the hosel will not flex much if any at all.

 

 

Edited June 17 by Stuart_G

[Nessism]

Count me as someone that does not like those brass tip weights for graphite shafts.  The heavier versions shoot way up the shaft.  If you recycle the shafts at some point in the future, there is real risk of shaft damage pulling that weight.

[Stuart_G]

18 minutes ago, Nessism said:

Count me as someone that does not like those brass tip weights for graphite shafts.  The heavier versions shoot way up the shaft.  If you recycle the shafts at some point in the future, there is real risk of shaft damage pulling that weight.

 

I don't like them either.  But for me they are still a better option than the alternatives when you need more than 4  gms.   I certainly agree that if they get glued in, it can be a big PITA if you want to reuse the shaft.   Not impossible but yes there is a risk.   For 2 gm or 4 gm weights I always use the lead ones from golfworks.  Those are the only tip weights for graphite that I actually like.

 

But if you need more than about 6 gm and don't have a deep enough hosel bore to be able to loose 1/4" of depth (e.g. any TM iron) there is not really any other viable option.   That's even too much for lead tape for most heads.    I personally would rather take the risk than have a 100% chance of loosing 1/4" of the shaft length to make room for the bigger weights.   But that's me.

 

Bottom line.   All the bigger tip weights for graphite shafts have problems that go alone with them.    IMO, there is no good option.  Each person has to make their own judgment on which has the lesser of the evil's that's important to them.

 

Edited June 17 by Stuart_G