How to Re-shaft a Golf Club (irons)
Updated May 5, 2009
Perhaps you think it's time to buy a new set of irons because there have been a slew of technological breakthroughs in shafts since you bought your old ones. Actually, you can benefit from those breakthroughs without paying $500, or more, for new ones by simply replacing the shafts in the ones you now have. Here's how to reshaft your irons, a way that can both improve your golf game and save you a lot of money.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderate
- Remove your old shafts. If they are made of steel, place one in a vise, then tighten it. If there is a plastic ferrule where the club head meets the shaft, wrap it in a wet paper towel to keep it from burning. Wearing a pair of fire-retardant gloves, heat the hosel of the club head for 30 seconds with a heat gun, then twist the shaft to remove it. You may have to heat it again if you have difficulty in removing the shaft. If you bought your clubs more than about 10 years ago, it may have a pin or a screw that holds the club head and shaft together. Pull it out before you heat the shaft. Also use a heat gun on graphite shafts, but don't run the risk of leaving some of the shaft in the hosel of the club head by twisting the shaft. If you can't remove it on the first try, keep reheating it until you can.
- Use sandpaper or a file to abrade the end of the steel shafts that will go into the hosels of your club heads. However, if the shafts are made of graphite, remove the outer coating with a sanding belt before you sand them. If the shafts are a little too fat to fit into the hosels, use a wire drill bit on them until they fit snugly into them.
- Make sure that the shafts are completely covered when you apply the epoxy to their tips. Then slide them into the hosels, rotating them slightly to make sure they are completely covered with the epoxy. Gently tap the other end of the shafts on a hard surface to make sure they are all the way in.
- Cut the shafts to their proper length after the epoxy has hardened, which takes less than 2 hours. For steel shafts, cut them with a hacksaw. However, if they are graphite shafts, you must first tape the area so that the shafts will not shatter, then use a band saw to cut them to the proper length.
- Put on the grips. Thoroughly clean the area on the shafts that will be covered by the grips before you wrap it with double-sided tape. Cover the tape with grip solvent and carefully slide each grip down the shaft to the end. Since it takes about 10 minutes for the solvent to dry, you have plenty of time to adjust the grips with your hands.
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