Equipment

Don’t do this to your clubs at home!

Published

4 years ago

May 17, 2020

There are several club building tasks that can be done at home with just a few basic tools—changing grips, for example, is one of the most popular do-it-yourself jobs. But with so many ways to customize and tweak your clubs, and the growing popularity of unique finishes, there are still some things that should be left to the professionals with proper tools, like stripping chrome.

Chrome is chemically applied to metal by using an electrical charge run through a bath containing an electrolytic salt (chromium anhydride) solution. The electrical current passing through the bath causes the chromium metal in the bath to fall out of solution and deposit onto the metal placed into the solution. This process creates fumes and requires a lot of chemicals to do it properly.

CHROME PLATING — NORTHWEST CHROME

If you have to dress up like Walter White to do club work, it’s best to leave that job up to someone that has the proper setup and the ability to dispose of excess chemicals.

Alternatively, there are some metal finishes that can be removed quite easily at home with over the counter products. The most common is the baked-on jet black finish found on Titleist Vokey wedges and Cobra Irons – all it takes is some grocery store cleaning vinegar, and some patience. You just have to remove the heads from the shafts, let them soak fully submerged for 3-4 hours, and then do a final cleaning with fine steel wool, it’s just that easy.

There are a number of how to’s on this including one from our friend Bryan LaRoche aka BryanGolf on Instagram.

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Ryan Barath

Ryan Barath is a club-fitter & master club builder with more than 17 years of experience working with golfers of all skill levels, including PGA Tour players. He is the former Build Shop Manager & Social Media Coordinator for Modern Golf. He now works independently from his home shop and is a member of advisory panels to a select number of golf equipment manufacturers. You can find Ryan on Twitter and Instagram where he's always willing to chat golf, and share his passion for club building, course architecture and wedge grinding.

4 Comments

Greg

May 19, 2020 at 11:24 am

I wouldn’t do this. Chances are it’ll affect how the club performs and one would ruin a perfectly good club. Not to mention destroy any resale value.

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MichaelKucera

May 17, 2020 at 4:32 pm

I’m an expert in plating and coatings. DO NOT try this at home. I wouldn’t golf heads to your local platers either. The local platers are set up for volume not individual lots.

Reply Report comment
- chip75
  
  May 17, 2020 at 5:15 pm
  
  Michael, out of interest, when plating or de-plating how are the depth of grooves accounted for? Wouldn’t the process make the grooves deeper or shallower? or are grooves freshened up after chroming?
  
  Reply Report comment
Colin Jenkins

May 17, 2020 at 8:25 am

Rust remover gets the black finish off heads and you don’t have to remove the shafts. Leave for 30 mins and buff off.

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Whats in the Bag

Xander Schauffele WITB 2024 (May)

Published

1 day ago

May 17, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

Xander Schauffele what’s in the bag accurate as of the PGA Championship.

Driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (10.5 degrees @10.1)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana PD 70 TX (45.5 inches)

3-wood: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana PD 80 TX

Check out more in-hand photos of Xander Schauffele’s clubs in the forums.

Hybrid: Callaway Apex UW (21 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX

Irons: Mizuno MP-20 (3), Callaway Apex TCB ’24 (4-10)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Mid X100 (3), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-10)

Wedges: Callaway Jaws Raw (52-10S), Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (56-10S @57), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks Proto (60-K @61)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100