Vokey Oilcan - Need to refinish

[Tommy]

Yesterday, I picked up a couple of used Vokey Oilcan wedges (52/8 and 56/14 deg.). They have a few dings and are showing a bit of rust. The oilcan finish is quite uneven. I understand many oilcan users just let them rust, however, I would like to refinish/clean them up.

Questions:

Can I remove the old oilcan finish by soaking them in coke?

How can I re-oilcan them i.e. to give them a more even finish?

As an alternative, can I 'blue' them?

What other options do I have?

Thanks very much for any help.

[supercow]

Yes, you can remove with coke but I've heard that vinegar works just as well, is cheaper, and does not leave a sticky mess on your clubs.

I've only heard of one way to re-condition oil cans and that is by heating up your club with a butane torch and then sticking it in a vat of motor oil (repeating this process until you reach your desired level of darkness). Doesn't sound safe to me to be honest but I'm told that motor oil only explodes when it is in vapourous form. Once again though, I probably wouldn't try this.

Another option is to have the clubs to be sent to have a black oxide coating put on them (similar finish to Cleveland Black Pearl CG1's). (You could probably do a Google search of this. I've actually seen a few black Vokey's.)

[gompers]

I've only heard of one way to re-condition oil cans and that is by heating up your club with a butane torch and then sticking it in a vat of motor oil (repeating this process until you reach your desired level of darkness). Doesn't sound safe to me to be honest but I'm told that motor oil only explodes when it is in vapourous form. Once again though, I probably wouldn't try this.

It really isn't very dangerous, unless you are trying to light the oil on fire directly. If you think about what happens in an engine, hot metal is in constant contact with oil, and it seldom results in danger. Oil doesn't really explode, it just burns. As long as you are using a reasonably small oil container (coffee can or something), I wouldn't be concerned with this at all.

[Matt P]

Whether or not it is dangerous is a topic people can debate, however, if you have never done it before, you may not want to risk the trial run on your new wedges. I would contact you local club maker to see what options are available, or pursue the black oxide finish. Let us know what you ultimately do, becuase it is interesting.

[Tommy]

Thanks everyone for your comments. As the clubs are well used and the dings and scratches aren't mine - I have no sentimental attachment to them and therefore, thought I would remove the oilcan finish by 'coking' and then try 'bluing' them.

Is there any reason why 'bluing' would work that anyone knows of?

Thanks again for your comments, always appreciated.

[supercow]

Here's some more details (sort of funny but dangerous though) of people who did oil can refinishing:

http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/index....=blueing+wedge

Here's some more details (and pictures) about the blueing process:

http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/index....owtopic=57261=
http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/lofive...hp/t74893.html

This is what a Black Oxide Vokey looks like:

http://www.eprolinegolf.com/titvokeySMBlack.aspx

Seems to be a lot of different types of blueing tecniques though in other industries:

http://www.tritonworks.com/services

Here's the science behind blueing:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluing_(steel )

[Tommy]

BNguyen, thank you very much for taking the time to provide the links, they are very helpful. After reading through the material and much 'reflection' I've decided to try oil can refinishing - noting the precautionary measures discussed in the links you sent. I will post the before/after pics when complete.

Thanks again BNguyen.

ps: I posted the same question on GolfWRX and didn't get a single response, hmmmm.

[Matt P]

This is what a Black Oxide Vokey looks like:

Wow, that looks great, however, the price ($220) is pretty steep.

[williethekid]

Yea thanks for all the help. might try to blue this weekend, we'll see. Thanks again for posting those links. I also posted the same question on golfwrx, I guess we know which the best site is.