Clear Golf Club Epoxy?

[Darkfrog]

Club building question:

I’ve recently started assembling irons using BB&F colored ferrules, and the black Golfworks epoxy I have sometimes leaves a super thin black line between the hosel and ferrule, even with a virtually flush fit, and it kind of drives the anal retentive side of me insane. I am looking for a clear club building epoxy that might solve this issue.

Any recommendations from the club builders here?

[Piz]

I use a product called Epoxy-Gon (available from Golfworks).  It acts as a solvent before the epoxy begins to set.  It isn't nearly as volatile as acetone and works well removing the smear you are talking about.  

[boogielicious]

7 hours ago, Darkfrog said:

Club building question:

I’ve recently started assembling irons using BB&F colored ferrules, and the black Golfworks epoxy I have sometimes leaves a super thin black line between the hosel and ferrule, even with a virtually flush fit, and it kind of drives the anal retentive side of me insane. I am looking for a clear club building epoxy that might solve this issue.

Any recommendations from the club builders here?

Contact Golfworks. I recall they had something.

[Adam C]

Golfworks has clear/off white epoxies, though ideally you should not be seeing any epoxy between the hosel and ferrule if the fit is good.

Also, you don't need special epoxy removing products. Simple grip solvent very lightly applied to a rag/paper towel can wipe away any residue you may have left on the neck. I always make this the final step in the build process before letting them sit to dry. Wipe the hosel, shaft, and head if it's a wood or hybrid especially. Amazing how many shafts and heads I see where they have dried epoxy on them that could easily have been wiped away if people just took a few extra seconds.

[Darkfrog]

9 hours ago, Piz said:

I use a product called Epoxy-Gon (available from Golfworks)

I've used the Epoxy-Gon wipes and they do a great job of cleaning up blobs, drips and smears, but haven't been able to remove the thin epoxy flow between the ferrule and hosel.

3 hours ago, boogielicious said:

Contact Golfworks. I recall they had something.

I looked around on the website and there are some non-black options. I need to check with Golfworks to see what the differences are between the different epoxies they sell and the current one I've been using. I suspect it doesn't matter much, but I don't want my 7-iron head to go flying down the fairway.

1 hour ago, Adam C said:

ideally you should not be seeing any epoxy between the hosel and ferrule if the fit is good.

Yeah, my technique is definitely not perfect. I used to use way too much epoxy, but I think I have that aspect pretty dialed in now. Usually after I put the epoxied head and shaft together, there's a small bead that comes out between the hosel and ferrule that I wipe away. Then I clamp them together for the cure, and do another wipe of the exterior around the hosel/ferrule joint. I've gotten to the point where maybe one out of of three heads has line of epoxy showing. It's barely thicker than a human hair, and wouldn't be noticeable with a black ferrule, but with a colored ferrule it shows up.

Maybe after wiping the excess epoxy that flows out between the hosel and ferrule initially, I'll separate the head from the ferrule slightly to expose the mating surfaces and wipe these off and then push back together.

[Adam C]

15 minutes ago, Darkfrog said:

I've used the Epoxy-Gon wipes and they do a great job of cleaning up blobs, drips and smears, but haven't been able to remove the thin epoxy flow between the ferrule and hosel.

I looked around on the website and there are some non-black options. I need to check with Golfworks to see what the differences are between the different epoxies they sell and the current one I've been using. I suspect it doesn't matter much, but I don't want my 7-iron head to go flying down the fairway.

Yeah, my technique is definitely not perfect. I used to use way too much epoxy, but I think I have that aspect pretty dialed in now. Usually after I put the epoxied head and shaft together, there's a small bead that comes out between the hosel and ferrule that I wipe away. Then I clamp them together for the cure, and do another wipe of the exterior around the hosel/ferrule joint. I've gotten to the point where maybe one out of of three heads has line of epoxy showing. It's barely thicker than a human hair, and wouldn't be noticeable with a black ferrule, but with a colored ferrule it shows up.

Maybe after wiping the excess epoxy that flows out between the hosel and ferrule initially, I'll separate the head from the ferrule slightly to expose the mating surfaces and wipe these off and then push back together.

Are you installing new shafts when this happens or using used shafts? If they are used, make sure you are drilling out the old epoxy to have a vent hole. If you do this, you shouldn't ever need to clamp anything, unless you live in an earthquake zone or under train tracks.

[Darkfrog]

5 minutes ago, Adam C said:

Are you installing new shafts when this happens or using used shafts? If they are used, make sure you are drilling out the old epoxy to have a vent hole. If you do this, you shouldn't ever need to clamp anything, unless you live in an earthquake zone or under train tracks.

Sometimes new, sometimes used. Usually when I buy sets of used shafts off eBay or something, they come pretty cleaned up, but I never thought to check to make sure the old epoxy in the tip was drilled out. When I am reusing my own shafts with new heads, I clean them up pretty thoroughly and remove all the epoxy from the tip, although sometimes a loose piece gets stuck inside the shaft and I have to take off the grip to get rid of the rattle.

No train tracks near me, but I am in earthquake country, but those are rare, even here. Clamps are probably unnecessary. I tried a couple of the Golfworks clamps thinking that maybe a clamp would hold the ferrule more tightly against the hosel while the epoxy cures to prevent it flowing out. 

[Adam C]

21 minutes ago, Darkfrog said:

Sometimes new, sometimes used. Usually when I buy sets of used shafts off eBay or something, they come pretty cleaned up, but I never thought to check to make sure the old epoxy in the tip was drilled out. When I am reusing my own shafts with new heads, I clean them up pretty thoroughly and remove all the epoxy from the tip, although sometimes a loose piece gets stuck inside the shaft and I have to take off the grip to get rid of the rattle.

No train tracks near me, but I am in earthquake country, but those are rare, even here. Clamps are probably unnecessary. I tried a couple of the Golfworks clamps thinking that maybe a clamp would hold the ferrule more tightly against the hosel while the epoxy cures to prevent it flowing out. 

If you have a vent hole and a good fit between the shaft and head, you won't need the clamps. Always take a drill and remove the epoxy from inside the shaft, at least enough to see light through it with the grip off. I always poke a hole in the tape through the grip's vent hole just to ensure I don't have a pressure build up if the grips are left on. 

[boogielicious]

2 hours ago, Adam C said:

If you have a vent hole and a good fit between the shaft and head, you won't need the clamps. Always take a drill and remove the epoxy from inside the shaft, at least enough to see light through it with the grip off. I always poke a hole in the tape through the grip's vent hole just to ensure I don't have a pressure build up if the grips are left on. 

I do this and actually blow into the shaft to make sure I have airflow.

[arturo28mx]

Gorilla Epoxy. It's not golf epoxy but a lot of people use it, including myself, with no problems

[Darkfrog]

Okay, figured out the culprit was using too much epoxy. Watched some YouTube videos on club assembly and realized I was overdoing the amount of epoxy in the clubhead and applied to the shaft.

Assembled some irons last night and used an appropriate amount of epoxy, and the hairline of black epoxy isn't there.

Now, I just hope I didn't use too little epoxy...