Tei3 Santa Fe Refinish

[wick_dawg]

Here is a Scotty Cameron Tei3 Santa Fe that I just refinished for a friend. I used a hot black oxide finish. I did the black oxide in more of a satin finish. Here are some before and after pictures. I have a piece of scotch tape on the insert to keep it clean until I give it back to my friend. That's why the insert looks a little weird in the after photos.

 

The original was in pretty good shape except for the topline which had some dings that I had to grind out. That was the only real difficult part of this refinish. Everything else was pretty straightforward. On the bottom, "Scotty Cameron" and "Santa Fe" are painted silver. Everything else was painted plain white. He just wanted a simple clean look.

 

 

Before:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[horty1388]

That looks amazing, did you do the black oxide yourself? I've been looking for a Santa Fe to refinish and I might have to send it to you!?!

[Underdog1924]

Yes, please share. I have the same idea for a Coronado.

[wick_dawg]

Yes I did the black oxide myself. I love this type of finish on a carbon steel head.

I think this same type of finish and paint scheme would look great on the older Coronados.

[Underdog1924]

Where did you get the hot black oxide? I think it looks better than the cold Caswells.

I'd love to know the process you used to get this finish.

[sandtrap]

nicely done

[RookieBlue7]

Hot Salts Bluing I'm guessing?

[wick_dawg]

The stuff I use is from EPI.

[url="http://www.epi.com/c/black-oxide/steel/hot-black-oxide"]http://www.epi.com/c/black-oxide/steel/hot-black-oxide[/url]

And Rookie is right, it's a hot salt solution.

The finish will reflect the preparation. If it's sanded down really fine and buffed out to where it's shiny before you do the black oxide, the finish will be shiny as well. If you don't sand it down as fine before the finish, you can get more of a satin or even matte finish.

[Underdog1924]

Which product did you use? The 400 or 400L?

[wick_dawg]

It's the same product. The 400L is essentially a pre-mixed liquid version of the 400. You really gotta read as much about them as you can to decide which one to start with and how much to get. I personally started with the 400L because the fact it was pre-mixed made it easier, but the 400 is a better deal as you can make far more solution for the same cost.

You also need to consider what to use as a sealer. This company has sealing products, but there are a dozen of other sealers you could use as well.

The most important thing to do though is read as much as much information about the products that you can before you purchase anything.

[Underdog1924]

[quote name='wick_dawg' timestamp='1350597260' post='5813669']
It's the same product. The 400L is essentially a pre-mixed liquid version of the 400. You really gotta read as much about them as you can to decide which one to start with and how much to get. I personally started with the 400L because the fact it was pre-mixed made it easier, but the 400 is a better deal as you can make far more solution for the same cost.

You also need to consider what to use as a sealer. This company has sealing products, but there are a dozen of other sealers you could use as well.

The most important thing to do though is read as much as much information about the products that you can before you purchase anything.
[/quote]

Haha, what if I just cleaned it up and sent it to you.

[Stu-Co]

Great job! How durable is the finish? Your finish appears to almost be a matte finish. I've only ever used Outers Gun Blueing which is just a cold finish.... scratches and wears over time.

[TheDarkOne]

Really nice work sir.
How did you do the dots? Silicone?

[wick_dawg]

The finish should be as durable as the original finish. It's done the same way. A hot finish like this is far more durable than a cold gun blue.

And the dots were done using an elastomeric sealant. There are a lot of threads in this forum about ways to do the dots on a Tei3. Silicone sealant works as well.

[Cole23man]

If you could have would you have beadblasted (or sandblast) the head then sanded and then finish it?

[TPDawnPatrol]

Nice job! I personally like the matte black look, makes the paintfill pop! And no glare at address.

[Sap12687]

OP got banned. Oops.

[kmac02576]

[quote name='Sap12687' timestamp='1372345357' post='7334316']
OP got banned. Oops.
[/quote]

Yes. I happen to know the OP. He has done work for me on some putters. He gave an opinion on something and the moderators didn't like it so much. Because there are so many moderators here, he got a warning from one moderator, then a second warning for the same "offense" from a second moderator an then because he already had two warnings, the third moderator who saw the comment in question banned him. 3 strikes for one offense. Damn shame. He's done really great work and taught me how to do a lot of things on my own.

[horty1388]

^ that sucks. I got banned once because I reported someone selling fake Scotty head covers and the mods accidentally banned me instead of him. He shouldve talked to the mods and got it worked out.

[Phelpz]

anyone have instructions on how to do this? I'mlooking at having this done without the pricetag...sooo DIY looks like the way to go

[dbdors]

[quote name='wick_dawg' timestamp='1350542600' post='5810427']
The stuff I use is from EPI.

[url="http://www.epi.com/c/black-oxide/steel/hot-black-oxide"]http://www.epi.com/c/black-oxide/steel/hot-black-oxide[/url]

And Rookie is right, it's a hot salt solution.

The finish will reflect the preparation. If it's sanded down really fine and buffed out to where it's shiny before you do the black oxide, the finish will be shiny as well. If you don't sand it down as fine before the finish, you can get more of a satin or even matte finish.
[/quote] thanks for reviving this thread, I have been using Caswells, but have never heard of EPI . Good second source.

[dbdors]

[quote name='Phelpz' timestamp='1378375515' post='7800737']
anyone have instructions on how to do this? I'mlooking at having this done without the pricetag...sooo DIY looks like the way to go
[/quote] Also have a look at Caswells Plating.

[Stu-Co]

[color=#008000]I'm tempted to order from EPI but don't feel comfortable about boiling the chemicals lol And I just don't know how much to order... how long would 10lbs last? What size parts is 10lbs recommended for? lol[/color]

[kmac02576]

10 lbs would last a really long time. I just ordered a gallon jug of the 400-L. It's fairly cheap but shipping can be pricey due to it being a hazardous substance. I would call epi and ask for the nearest local supplier and then call the supplier.

The liquid is reusable so a simple 1 gallon jug can go a long way. I've done about 20 or so putter heads with it

I would just lay down some foil around the area you're heating the liquid in because any little spatter will leave a salt bloom that you won't see until the next day.

As long as you take precautions such as rubber gloves and protective glasses, it can be used quite safely

[kmac02576]

[quote name='Cole23man' timestamp='1372289615' post='7330790']
If you could have would you have beadblasted (or sandblast) the head then sanded and then finish it?
[/quote]

I was just looking through some old threads and I'm not sure this question was answered.

Yes, you can blast it and then sand it to a shiny finish. I've done this on other TeI3's. The finish will reflect the preparation. If you sand it to a shiny finish and then do the Black Oxide, it will give you a shiny Black Oxide finish.

In this case, my friend didn't want any glare, so I left it sandblasted and the did the black oxide which produced the matte appearance.

I still play golf with him every weekend and the finish has held up even better than I had expected. I gave him a Cameron silicone cloth and he gives it a quick wipe after every round. And the insert has now developed a great natural patina.

I've sold a lot of putters that I've refinished or customised and this is the one I wish I had kept the most.