Ralph, First of all it is good that you have a tight fit, as long as it isn't too tight and the ferrule doesn't split when finally put into place. Make sure you abrade the tip above the hosel and under the ferrule.
Installing the ferrule is basic and there are several methods that can be used. Dry fitting ferrules is not recommended. Once on, they are very difficult to get off, especially when real tight. When ready for your actual assembly, apply a small amount of epoxy around the shaft, start the ferrule and then (here is where techniques can vary) use a commercial ferrule installer such as Golfsmith's Mr. T tool and push the ferrule on. The commercial tools will install the ferrule to about 1". I personally made ( actually, I simply use) an aluminum shaft extender, which fits nicely over the shaft but gives a nice shoulder to push the ferrule on. I just lightly tap it on to the desired starting depth. Using a commercial installer, you do this by starting the ferrule, place the shaft butt on the floor and pressing the ferrule on to your desired depth. Then, using the actual head, and after you have prepped the shaft tip and hosel with epoxy, press, tap, or bang the head onto the shaft. This will set the ferrule at the exact desired assembled depth. Take the shaft, with the head installed against the ferrule, hold it vertically with one hand down the shaft and the other holding the head and drop, tap or bang the entire unit vertically, with the butt against a concrete floor, or horizontally into the side of the bench. This action uses the head as a hammer and will stop at the correct insertion depth when the shaft tip seats itself at the hosel bottom. You can dry run everything except the ferrule installation (damned hard to get back off) to determine how deep you have to go to be seated. Most of us with experience can tell by the sound of the impact. It gets a very solid sound when seated, though sometimes hard to differentiate. If you pre-measure for depth, to know how far the ferrule will go on and to know when seated, don't forget to include any tip weight addition. Not rocket science so just go for it. Hope this helps a bit. Al Ps. If somehow you get the ferrule installed too far, and on very rare occasions it can happen, you can try several methods to move it back towards the tip. Place the tip between two rubber shaft clamps, in a vise, and try to twist-pull it back. (doesn't work good with real tight fits.) I have an aluminum shaft clamp with various hole sizes. I pick the one large enough to fit loosely around the shaft but still small enough to push the ferrule. Carefully and gently use a hammer to tap the clamp against the ferrule, without scratching the paint on the shaft till the ferrule is moved far enough. I suppose you could tape the shaft in this case. An alternative, using this method, would be to hold the clamp in a vise and tap the tip. Use a heat gun to soften the ferrule in the case of a very tight but be careful not to deform it. As a last resort, just remove it and use a new one. At 05:46 AM 7/31/2002, you wrote: >I am getting ready to do my first "shim" and I want to perform a dry-run >before using epoxy. A ferrule will need to be used. Currently it is very >tight when I try to put it on the shaft; only moving about 1/4 inch down >the shaft. > >My question is what would be probably the best lubricant to use to put >on the ferrule for the test? I suppose anything could be used but I >wanted some more professional opinions before I tried something. > >Thanks! >Ralph
