Nice arnie, One could also refer to the entry in the resource page, of my own original submission for this method (I added the use of solvent, to the blowing process). There is one tiny error in my writeup, - I said to use 3 or so CC's of solvent, when in fact I meant 3 or so ml's of it.
Cheers, Jorgen [EMAIL PROTECTED] ===================== On Sunday 21 March 2004 04:56 pm, Dave Tutelman wrote: > Arnie, > You da man!!! > > Normally, I just cut grips off. Almost everybody does. Makes sense > too; there's too much hassle in trying to save the grip. > Occasionally, I'll blow one off that I really want to save, using a > bicycle pump; I'm good for about 3 out of 4 when I do that. > > But yesterday I had a bunch of grips I wanted to save. > * I was reshafting a club I had just built for a friend. The club > had only existed for two range sessions, and it had my friend's > favorite grip on it. I didn't have any more of them, so was strongly > motivated to save it. * I was also lengthening a set of my own irons > with butt extenders. Those grips were still fairly new and in great > shape. (Star Grips seem to hold their tack and suppleness really > well.) It would be worth it to save them if I could without too much > hassle. > > I dug around in my mail folders, and found Arnie's instructions for > removing grips with a compressor. (If you've lost your copy, I just > noticed it's on the resource page: > http://www.clubmaker-online.com/arnie.gripblow.html) I own a few > compressors, but the big ones are in the garage, and my golf club > workshop is in the basement. The compressors are portable, but only > in theory. Then I remembered the little car-battery-operated > compressor I picked up at a yard sale last summer for a buck or two. > (It's a lot like > http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=4780 >7) I have a husky power supply on my workbench, so I set it for 12vDC > and connected the compressor. Everything seemed in working order. The > compressor does not put out much volume, but it can boost the > pressure well over 50 pounds if you keep things sealed long enough. > > My last order from Harbor Freight, I got the compressor accessory kit > on sale. > (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=427 >16) It's still on sale at $7.99 from $9.99, but last summer it was > $4.99. It includes a tapered pin that's perfect for stuffing the hole > at the end of the grip. > > For the "protector", the midsize grips didn't fit the shaft tubes I > had on hand. So I cut a 12" length of PVC pipe from a 10-foot section > in the garage -- it was 1 1/4" ID. Worked fine. > > OK, I was set. I followed Arnie's instructions pretty much verbatim, > and soon the grips were in a neat pile on the workbench -- 100% > saved. And almost as quick as cutting them off. Besides that, the old > tape on the shaft was soaked with solvent, so they were easier to > remove than if I had cut. Mission accomplished! > > But there was more to Arnie's instructions, and I wanted to try them > as well. Let's see if we can blow the grips BACK ON, with no solvent > or tape. > > After the epoxy cured on the reshaft and the extenders, I went ahead > with the tapeless regrip. It went OK with three exceptions. (Two of > them would have been avoided if I had followed Arnie's instructions > to the letter. But I wanted to see for myself what was necessary and > whether it could be improved. In short -- it couldn't.) The problem > grips: > > (1) The GolfPride Tour Wrap Midsize went on fine, but the last 2" at > the butt never gripped the shaft properly. I was still able to twist > it back and forth in that section more than 6 hours afterwards. So I > blew that one off again and just regripped it conventionally. > Maybe it would have worked with a new grip of the same model. I > suspect the grip had been stretched enough that it couldn't hold by > compression and friction alone. > > (2) The Star Grip web site says you can blow on Star grips DRY. So I > tried on one club. I eventually succeeded, but it was a major hassle. > Won't do that again. > > (3) On one grip, I tried wetting both the shaft butt and the mouth of > the grip. (Arnie says mouth of grip only.) It went on very easily, > maybe more easily than the others, and that WAS the idea. But it took > hours more to dry so it could be played without sliding around. Took > 5 hours, compared with under 2 hours for the other clubs. Not fatal, > but if you're antsy to get out to the range and test 'em... > > Because of the low volume from the cheap compressor, I didn't have to > worry about timing the burst of compressed air; I just turned it on > and left it on without any worries. If I were using a GOOD > compressor, then I'd have to use the timed burst that Arnie > describes. > > The actual working time to grip 9 clubs was probably about half what > it would usually be, even better if you count cleanup time. And I > didn't use any grip solvent, double-sided tape, or paper towels. (If > I did this all the time, my wife might eventually notice the increase > in dish detergent usage -- NOT!) > > Anyway, this is about to become my standard modus operandi for > putting on any grip that works with compressed air. And since I'm > using more Star Grips and less other grips, that is promising. > > Thanks, Arnie! > > DaveT
