96 replies to this topic

[mdb0103]

They should just pin everything Howard Jones posts.

[Brad0731]

We shall see what I can pull off, $24 down the drain at worst.  Hoping the 52 will be ok with a groove cutting and face filing....this is all a hope.  I cant tell much about the face on my screen, I guess I have to wait till Monday.  Are you assuming that the face cannot be flattened or that the grooves will end up shallow?

Nessism, on 02 February 2012 - 02:01 PM, said:

Brad0731, on 01 February 2012 - 06:57 PM, said:

I bought these Raw Vokeys last night, I cant wait to try out my own refinishing job.  Plus, $48 shipped for two Titleist Wedges isn't bad....especially if they turn out like those I have seen here.

That 56 can be brought back nicely, but the 52 has significant wear on the face and grooves.  It's one thing to sand out minor dings, but you can't replace metal on the face and grooves short of welding and then machining again.

Edited by Brad0731, 05 February 2012 - 12:07 AM.

[Brad0731]

Here is the result of an hour or so with the 52 that is probably too far gone....I am wondering if the groove sharpener can fix this one since it will have to make up for all the material I took off.  Never used one and it hasn't come in the mail.  The face had a wear spot right at the sweet spot and I had to take off a considerable amount of material, guessing this is my practice wedge....looking at a 52 Oil Can in much better shape on the bay.   I have also realized I could have bought new wedges for what Ive spent in used clubs and materials.

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Edited by Brad0731, 08 February 2012 - 12:25 AM.

[titleistfan14]

if i want to leave finish raw can i still file face and leading edge

[Wet Doggg]

Very nice work...

[browan521]

Do you add the paint fill before starting the bluing process?

[Wristaction]

Before I read this thread I had my old rusty Cleveland 588 DSG out for sale. But I decided to keep it and go after it instead =)

This is my result after some Coke, file, WD40 and sanding paper today.



I´m waiting for a groove sharpener and thinking about do some paintjob aswell :P

Thanks Howard. Great instruction!

Edited by Wristaction, 18 March 2012 - 04:52 PM.

[MitchellHoffman96]

Where do you guys get your groove sharpeners. Also will a 5oz perma blue bottle do 2 wedges? Im looking to do 2 raw vokeys and bring them back to life. Thanks

[MitchellHoffman96]

Also did you oil the wedges to keep their finish? If so what oil did you use and where did you buy it. Thanks!

[Brad0731]

The 5 oz perma blue paste did two wedges and a full shotgun..........I used the oil rag that came with the bluing kit then used just rem oil....anything is probably okay.

[Howard Jones]

Brad0731, on 07 February 2012 - 08:52 PM, said:

Here is the result of an hour or so with the 52 that is probably too far gone....I am wondering if the groove sharpener can fix this one since it will have to make up for all the material I took off.  Never used one and it hasn't come in the mail.  The face had a wear spot right at the sweet spot and I had to take off a considerable amount of material, guessing this is my practice wedge....looking at a 52 Oil Can in much better shape on the bay.   I have also realized I could have bought new wedges for what Ive spent in used clubs and materials.

I dont know what re-groover you got, but if you go slowly, you can make that 52 good again, ive seen worse.
Just use WD40 or similar as "glider" when you re-groove, and DONT use force. 8-10 gentle, but steady and firm strokes is what it takes, but pay attention to both with and depth. Wide must be less than 0.89 mm, and dept less than 0.5 mm

I know its hard to judge if the wedge is legal afterwards, so i had some measuring tools made, since PGA in Denmark dont know anyting about equipment.  Re-grooved wedges is to be judged as new, but by the old rules. That means testing for groove wide and dept is done in the sweet spot area, while used wedges NOT re-grooved is measured outside the sweet spot. Thats the difference IF they should be judged, but you the player is responsible for having legal equipment.

[Howard Jones]

Here is some options for re-groovers.

European customers
http://www.gamolagol...oover_Tool.html
or
http://www.tlpgolf.dk/

US Customers
http://www.golfersma...roove_tool.html
or
http://www.golfsmith...regrooving-tool

Im using Perma Blue on tube, and one tube is a "life time supply" if you dont do this on others clubs but your own ( at least 30 wedges, with 3-4 treatment each)
133222 oz net wt Squeeze Tube (Paste)
http://sport.birchwo...28-3ad829ba4b04

[Howard Jones]

MitchellHoffman96, on 18 March 2012 - 08:38 PM, said:

Also did you oil the wedges to keep their finish? If so what oil did you use and where did you buy it. Thanks!

Silicone oil is the best. Its VERY water resistant, so water dont stick to the metal
If you live i Canada or cold areas, you just go and get the stuff used for moldings in car doors, so they dont freeze in the winter. Thats silicone oil, and every auto shop should have it (in cold areas)

[Howard Jones]

browan521, on 12 February 2012 - 01:31 PM, said:

Do you add the paint fill before starting the bluing process?

YES, but read the my post again (above) so you understand WHY you should do the paint job first, you seems to miss that point

[Brad0731]

Howard I dont see how I could save the 52...I took off quite a bit of material.  I got it to a point where it is a good practice wedge but nothing more.

BTW, you saw the two I did with amazing results in another thread.

Edited by Brad0731, 19 March 2012 - 07:41 PM.

[Wristaction]

Today I finally received my sharepener and I could finish my work! Here is the result =)


And now I need to find a new project

[Howard Jones]

I just love it when i see how good you folks can do it, and every one who took this jump, never looks back, because economy is one thing, but being able to really take care of your own gear is priceless. You will never cry if your wedges got hurt during the game, you just fix it when you come home.

I think a lot of you is ready to move on to the next step, home grinding.
If you got a raw wedge to renovate, why dont you do a little sole adjustment while you are at it ?

If you have done what i told you to do for renovating, and you did well like ive seen many of you have, you have the tools, and the craftsman skills needed.
Just find out what you will benefit from (what part of the sole should be grinded, why and how)
If you need help to find out, just tell what object you got, tell about how you like to play it,(or wants to play it) your problems now, your swing style and turf conditions, and you will get a answer and a way to get there.( Ask in the post im linking to if you need help, so this post dont run to much off topic)

Here is the first one ive made, all done by hand. ( i got a belt grinder now, grinding a few every day, because Wedges is still my #1 club)
http://www.golfwrx.c...-home-grinding/

I played those for 2 years, but now there is not much left of them, so they are just kept as a memory of the first grinded wedges i did.
Spin was crazy because my way of adding weight did lower COG.

SPIN WITHOUT GROOVES
At the moment im into some "nut case" stuff to find out what actually makes spin.
Ive grinded OFF the grooves from the face, and made it "groove less", but with a perfect flat face with some roughness from 80 grid grinding.
COG is moved UP to keep the ball flight down, and to avoid the ball from just rolling over the face. The pressure and compression to the ball made from this stiff shaft seems to replace all grip you normally gets from grooves. My own Golf Club pro was so amazed by it, he demand to borrow it before i tested it in my trackman to get some numbers of what this fellow actualy did, but both from sand and fairway, with water and mud on the face, spin is extreme, so there is more to it than grooves :-) This wedge is a 60* i have assembled with a True Temper Spinner PLUS, so there is no dynamic loft added, only pressure to the ball to make it compress more to get "bite" on the face, just like a wide race tire on a racing car.

[Nessism]

Here is one I did this weekend.  Found the club in the used bin for $29.99.  

Didn't want to sand off all the grooves so living with a few nicks.


Need to order up some stuff to protect it now.

[kev0000]

These are some awesome instructions!  I have a set of Wishon iron heads i want to try this on.  If the irons are chromed, this process will remove the shiny chrome.  Does anything else need to be done to the finish?  Or will it rust.

[tnhooper45]

Beautiful, thanks!

[bu11dog]

This is a great thread.  I'll have to give this a shot with some of the stuff I have lying around.

[pmcuk]

I'm about to start work on my old wedges. I don't have a groove sharpener - can I use a sharp knife just to even out the edges?

Also interested in some recommendations for files for the face. Some of the ones I have work nicely, others don't.

Andy

[Howard Jones]

Its not a good thing to use anything but a tool made for the task, and even then you might be off limits when done.
- The OLD rules say that grooves must not be wider than 0.89 millimeter and not deeper than 0.5 mm

If you start out by making the face flat, you remove some dept from the grooves, but you can still make them wider than legal, so dont "overdo it"
- A FLAT face is more important than grooves from the fairway, so there is no reason to "overdo this".
Ive got a tool to measure both wide and dept to be sure im not making them illegal, but i have no idea if a tool like that is for sale any where
(i had them made especially for me from a tooling company - one for dept and one for wide)

I've got several questions about "spin milled" micro grooves, but never mind. NO micro grooves makes any difference to spin, before they are twice the legal size, so you dont need them at all. (read the USGA test who was done when the new rules was made, and you got the same answer)

The file must be FLAT, not concave or rounded in any way, and FINE grids.
Remember to CLEAN the file after a few strokes, to prevent fragments of steel to make scratches
Brush the file clean with a copper or brass brush, or simply "Spray it clean" by using WD40 or similar (spraying keep the file alive longer)

Edited by Howard Jones, 28 July 2012 - 04:50 AM.

[pmcuk]

Hi Howard

Great to have your response. I'm an amateur weekend golfer - not worried about conforming grooves. What does interest me is exactly the best way to prepare the face. I haven't been using WD40 or any oil - just filing away with a flat file. I've been using a Neilsen diamond needle filing set CT1607 coated with 150 grit. Should I be using WD40 with these files? I've been filing diagonally as you say. Seems to come up nice.

I'm not sure about whether you want scratches or not - I thought the idea was to roughen up the smooth surface. Just how rough I'm not entirely clear. Maybe I have to research what different grit sizes do and work out what's best? Some guidance here welcome!

I'm not worried about the overall cosmetics - just the faces.

Andy

Edited by pmcuk, 28 July 2012 - 07:22 AM.

[Howard Jones]

If a fragment of steel sticks to the file, you will now what i mean about scratches. (they do look ugly)
- After the face is flat and the grooves is done, i use sanding paper (180 grit) to get some roughness back (for the black oxide to "bite" on), and to get the edges of the grooves a bit more "soft" to the ball. Its no need to cut the cover of the ball to make spin, and if it gets to sharp, give it a few strokes in the bunker and it will loose its sharpness. ALL jobs on steel is better made with some oil, just remember to clean it well before any Oxide treatment (oil will prevent it from working)

Even if you dont play competition, be a Golfer and play by the rules, with equipment who is legal, thats part of it all.
- I guess you play with your friends, and then its cheating if you dont play by the rules, so dont do anything you KNOW is illegal..no Golfer does that :-)

[pmcuk]

Thank you so much Howard. Haven't tried the wedges out yet but they certainly look better.

That reminds me - must get the hole in my trouser pocket fixed - balls keep falling down my inside leg....

Andy

[wolfpack]

TTT

[mdb0103]

This works on putters too... had a ding on the topline of my putter and a few taps with a hammer and you can't even tell. Thanks Howard!

[Howard Jones]

mdb0103, on 11 November 2012 - 11:08 PM, said:

This works on putters too... had a ding on the topline of my putter and a few taps with a hammer and you can't even tell. Thanks Howard!

Thanks to you, i did not do it, you did :-)
- I never got to make my own web page to upload all this "DIY" stuff ive can show you how to do, but there will be some of it on my facebook side. At the moment its not much out there, but you will find photos of a PW iron with a bad damage who can be done by using a hammer and polish only. https://www.facebook.com/FoooreGolfLab

Its to bad when one of your irons get hurt this way, since a new head hardly is an option, so its nice to know a way to fix it, and now a hole lot of you folks have done it without any issues, and that conforms the fact that this is not voodoo, and it does not requires special tools or skills. Keep em coming, and tell others it can be done.

[Howard Jones]

I thought it was time for a update here, because the set who started this tread has been renovated for the 4.th. time now, its almost "Reincarnation", so they will never really die. This set have a long life story now, a good one, but il make it short.

After the 1.th renovation, they was given away to a friend of mine who worn them out in a year and returned them to me.(he plays a lot). Then i though il do them again, but i did not have anyone "who needed them", and since i am a moderator and sponsor for a Danish Golf forum, we put up a competition, where "poor student golfers", with need and talent could win them by a written test, where other readers in the forum would vote for who was the worthy one. Need, skills and target for their game was factors for judgement.

The winner was a 18 year old man, who started playing Golf in Aug.2011 and had a impressive drop in HCP to April 2012 where he was down in the 12 area, and we have winter in between. Before he became the 3.th owner, they was not only renovated 1 more time, but also fitted as they where brand new Tour Custom wedges with new shafts fitted for the player, plus sole grinding, grips and "the hole pack", just based on 2.hand heads.

Only 1 year after he started playing Golf he was down at 5.8 and at end season 2012 it was 3.6 (15 mounts from start)
He got the set of wedges at 12 but its not them only who got him further, this player got talent, and now he has renovated his wedges the second time after he became the owner, so the are "new" for the 5.th time in their "wedge life", and this set of head will never really die, they will be brought back to life as long as they are legal to play.

Here is how they look today after they was grinded for the players swing and way of playing them

50/11 is now 49/10 with a sole grind for full shots with full trailing edge relief, and extra on the middle, plus blunted leading edge
54/13 is still 54/13 but here is a P-channel plus heel grind and a slight toe grind added. The leading edge on this is fully rounded face to sole to take less sand, and to improve turf interaction on hard fairways if you go steep to it.
58/11 is now 59/12 and it was a PM grind to start with, so the channel is only made a bit deeper all over, plus some adjustments heel and toe side, plus blunted leading edge. He plays both his 54 and his 59 from bot fairway and sand.
GW is now shafted with a S300 SL 0.370, trimmed to match his DynaLITE SL S flex as a #11 iron, and the others got DG Spinner, all plus 1"

http://peecee.dk/upl...iew/403079/full

http://peecee.dk/upl...iew/403080/full

http://peecee.dk/upl...iew/403081/full

http://peecee.dk/upl...iew/403082/full

http://peecee.dk/upload/view/403083

Dont trow away your Black Oxide or Oil can wedges, and NEVER let them to rust, because this wedges is almost like old Chevys. They only improve performance and looks for each time someone give them a hand with some love and care.

Edited by Howard Jones, 27 February 2013 - 05:28 AM.