shaft extenders

Hi all,

I've recently extended the shafts on my irons by 1". I decided to do this myself since it would be cheaper. Plus, I just enjoy doing things like that. This morning I was at the range and at some point during the session I noticed that the extender on my 7i has some undone already. This is only my 2nd time hitting the clubs since I extended them.

I sanded each extender before I applied the epoxy and then let the epoxy cure for about 20 hours before I regripped... Is there something else I should have done or is this just a common occurance? Thanks.

What kind of grip solvent did you use to put the grips on with, it may have loosen the epoxy. I use a non alcohol grip solvent to put grips on and have never had an extender come loose.

Solvent
BRAMPTON TECHNOLOGY HF100 GRIP SOLVENT

Epoxy
TOUR SET PLUS EPOXY

I used mineral sprits

I assume that you used 24 hour epoxy.

Please note that most golf-shafting epoxies rate their cure time at 77°F - longer if it's colder, and at risk of failure below 60°F.

So there is a chance that your epoxy was not fully cured when you gripped your clubs.

However, I suspect that there's another problem at play here. The key to any successful club building endeavour is to have the pieces fit relatively well. A little 'play' is fine, a ton is bad.

You didn't mention if you built up the OD of the extension (or if you needed to) nor if you prepped the inside of the shaft (or how). Both these things can cause epoxy (and hence extension) failure. Now, don't get me wrong. I've put extensions in clubs that I was able to pull apart later by hand (granted, it took some reefing and some twisting, but it happened). However, with a 1" extension, this is no problem as there just isn't enough force applied to do this.

So, a little checklist:

Did you prep both the OD of the extension and the ID of the shaft?
Did you ensure a relatively snug fit?
Did you give your epoxy enough time to cure?

If not, let's correct those things.

Finally, what kind of extension did you use?

__________________
True Length Technology Fitter - www.truelengthtechnology.com
It's live! - www.ShipShapeClubs.com
PCS Class 'A' Clubfitter

A new highlight: Golfing the home course on Christmas Day.

I say it too often: If it's golf club shaped, you can play with it.

For the record, I'm a club doctor, not a swing doctor.

Thanks for the replies. I didn't do anything to the inside of the shaft. What should I do? I sanded the finish off of the outside of the extenders. That is all that the guy at my local Golfsmith suggested.

The fit was very snug on all clubs. I used .580 steel extenders.

The epoxy I used said that it would cure in 18 hours @ 77 degrees (They were out of the 30/60 stuff). Although I waited 20, I suppose it's possible that the epoxy didn't cure completely since it spent about 9 of those hours inside my house at night (I like it cold at night... approx 70 degrees). I moved them outside in the morning and let them sit in 80 - 90 degree temps for the remaining 11 hours. I thought this would be sufficient, but maybe I was wrong...

You can either buy a sanding mandrel at your local Golfsmith to prep the inside of the shaft, or use a rat-tail file to scuff it up. The other thing I've done is to take a piece of broken shaft and use masking tape to build it up, wrap some sandpaper around it, and twist it inside the butt end. As long as the extension doesn't wobble in the shaft, you'll be fine.

Even the GS website says to simply add epoxy. Idiots. You wouldn't just 'add epoxy' and stick a tip in a clubhead, would you?

__________________
True Length Technology Fitter - www.truelengthtechnology.com
It's live! - www.ShipShapeClubs.com
PCS Class 'A' Clubfitter

A new highlight: Golfing the home course on Christmas Day.

I say it too often: If it's golf club shaped, you can play with it.

For the record, I'm a club doctor, not a swing doctor.

Now I wouldn't! Thanks for all of the advice.

I laid them on their side, actually. Should I hang them upsidedown?

It's a good point - when epoxying heads, drying head down helps eliminate epoxy rattles (unless it's a wood-style head with no bore plug). When epoxying extensions, let the clubs cure head up. This way, if any epoxy runs, it runs to a place where you can skrape it out, versus running down the shaft (where you can't get to it, and a rattle may develop).