Club Face Reconditioning

[@daveconstable5567]

I am so glad that I found your KZbin channel. I watched some of your videos multiple times over and over great videos, and you’re a great help. I recently retired and I enjoy vintage clubs. I will be following you much more often.

[@BradMeehan]

I'm glad you found the channel. I hope you give it a try, and congratulations on the retirement!

[@adampark4238]

@daveconstable5567 I got retired last year it's brutal. Same with the videos I think they are great

[@EFreeman1970]

Love this video! Just media blasted my irons using your technique. Worked like a charm! Dude those look amazing!

[@TWTexasA1]

When I use to paint aircraft we taped off the lexan windows with super heavy aluminum foil and aluminum tape before we stripped the paint off , if you get paint stripper on lexan or plastic it’s ruined and a very expensive goof …so I would definitely use aluminum tape for what your doing …which is awesome I can’t wait to try it…Thanks 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@brfam1977]

I have an old Scotty Cameron Futura I’m going to refurbish. Your videos are great!

[@richardkent2200]

Great stuff Brad

[@boypiercemusic]

Yes!! Great stuff Brad

[@adampark4238]

Love this ❤

[@denverwynn4]

Awesome work! Sorry to point it out, but what is the bubble looking spot on the top right of the face shown at the end? Did the nickel not adhere?

[@BradMeehan]

Yessir. Good eye. That and the blaster chipped it. I now blast first before I plate.

[@per_growth]

Great video! I used my PW on a bunker and unfortunately there was a rock (or something) that was in the bunker and this resulted to a deep gash right in the middle of the face. Is there a way this can still be repaired?

[@martindepaz8364]

Hey question … well first off great job lol …. I want to media blast a wedge I have at home …. Will you need to sharpen the grooves after blasting or no ?

[@davidmccairney8201]

Thanks Brad. Another very helpful video. Saving the media is such a good idea. Keep those videos coming mate.

[@BradMeehan]

Thank you.

[@joechurchill8303]

Great video and tutorial. It looks like the sand blasting removed the chrome off the face... 1. Is there any paint or product that is needed to protect the face moving forward? 2. How difficult is it to maintain the face once the chrome has been removed? Thank you!

[@BradMeehan]

It did. I'm now blasting before plating. It was also early in my plating adventures, so I have better preparation of the material. The nickel is what protects the face. It's not as durable as chrome, but there are home chrome or reprochrome kits.

[@bowl816]

Very nicely done ✅

[@gregboggs4721]

So much better than buying new irons!

[@jasev587]

I think i am going to soda mine, nice job !

[@dallaspymm6924]

Dude. Well done.

[@rcs6932]

Hi Brad, just curious, is the result achievable if using sand paper instead of sand blaster? Thanks!

[@BradMeehan]

For sure. You'll just have lines from the sanding strokes versus dots from the media. If it's just the aesthetics you want, you could use a scuff pad like Scotch Brite too.

[@rcs6932]

@@BradMeehan Thanks a lot for the tips. Much appreciated!

[@DBG1-t9j]

Love your content, Brad. Thank you! Your recent videos show you blasting without a container. Have you changed methods and would you consider doing a video about the changes?

[@BradMeehan]

The container I made wasn't planned very well, so it still shoots the media out of the holes. I just go outside and do it over the mulch, but you cant recycle the media. But if I had a proper cabinet, I'd definitely use it.

[@KYK12355]

thanks for the video! It helps me a lot. quick question, I'm thinking of requesting the sand blasting work to someone, but I don't know what kind of sand blast media they use. would that matter? Or do I need to ask for a particular sand blast media?

[@BradMeehan]

Mine I believe is 60 grit. You could do this at home very easily if you don't want to pay someone.

[@KYK12355]

@@BradMeehan okay. Guess I'll give it a go then. I'll have to buy a air compressure then, Does it need to satisfy any product specification? (Such as horse power)

[@BradMeehan]

@@KYK12355 I would recommend buying the largest compressor you can afford. It will have so many other uses outside of just club restoration.

[@kolelovett1957]

This has probably been asked before. Sorry if I missed it… how do you make sure the plating doesn’t mess up the grooves?

[@BradMeehan]

You'll have to sharpen them with the groove sharpener tool. The plating is very, very thin (measured in microns) so you won't notice much if at all.

[@littylegend3630]

I'm looking into buying a set of clubs that need ball marks and wear removed from the face, is their anyway to do that without sand blasting ?

[@BradMeehan]

is the sandblaster not an option because of access to equipment? or to avoid risking damage to the face? If it's equipment access, sand paper or a scuff pad will work but it won't give you a consistent look and will still expose the metal beneath it.

[@gastonmaffei1721]

Hi Brad!! Have you tried sandblasting with granular glass microspheres? Does that gun work for a medium/coarse grain? what recommendation would you give me? Thanks a lot

[@BradMeehan]

I'm going to buy some. I believe the only restriction on the gun is it says don't use regular sand.

[@UnfilteredGolfer]

How resistant is nickel plating when actually gaming the clubs?should a chrome be done afterwards?

[@BradMeehan]

It should but it's not really feasible for home DIY because of the safety issues. Caswell sells "Copy Chrome", which I might try. It's supposed to be harder than the nickel.

[@Sc0lie]

In love with these videos. Makes me want to buy every club I see! Nice looking house by the way. Very jealous!

[@BradMeehan]

Thank you. Yes, that's my problem. I see a set of rusty, beat up clubs and have to buy them. No use buying new or mint when you can make them look new with very little effort.

[@oatechaosincycles]

I've done this too! I would be way less aggressive though. I use glass beads at no more than 40 PSI. This gets it pretty close to the original face texture.

[@BradMeehan]

I'd like to buy a box of glass to do more matte finishes. Do you have a cabinet or do you go outside?

[@oatechaosincycles]

@@BradMeehan Hi Brad! Like you I built a cabinet. The goal at the time was to do it cost free with things I had around my workshop. The only thing I bought was the acrylic piece for the lid for vision. I made a blast gun from just an air gun with a plastic bottle attached to it. Works surprisingly well! I use it mostly for work on putters but I had a MP-32 9 iron and decided to refurbish the face. Worked out really well.

[@BradMeehan]

@@oatechaosincycles that's awesome. I love that you made your own.

[@gastonmaffei1721]

Hi! Could you tell me which gun you have used for sandblasting?

[@gastonmaffei1721]

@@oatechaosincycles hello! With what equipment did you work the glass microspheres? how many liters compressor and what type of gun? From already thank you very much

[@MrMsmyers]

Hi Brad, What size compressor are you using there? Many thanks

[@BradMeehan]

Hi, Mike. My compressor sucks. If you don't own a compressor, I'd recommend buying the biggest one you can afford so you can use it for other applications like air tools, paint guns, etc. Mine runs CONSTANTLY to keep up with the volume requirements of the blasting gun

[@samblanchard4099]

Hi Brad! Awesome videos on refurbishing irons. I did it on my Titleist DCI 990, they look 30 years younger! Question: I used a 46grit blasting Media instead of atleast 60-70 due to me not paying too much attention to fine print and not wanting to buy 55Ibs/pay atleast over 100$ for the media. Is that too rought for surfacing? Will it damage the ball? Thanks!

[@BradMeehan]

That's great! It'd have to have some pretty jagged edges to tear apart the cover of a ball. But that's just a guess.

[@samblanchard4099]

Ok! Thought so. It does feel smooth enough. My irons look and are much happier, thanks again!

[@j3badger1]

Ever used laser engraving for the club face?

[@brfam1977]

What sizes compressor do you you with the sprayer?

[@BradMeehan]

If you don't have one, get the biggest one you can afford. Mine is a little 3 gallon and it runs constantly. My next purchase is a huge compressor.

[@cinetoner]

Great video thanks for sharing! Question, If all I am blasting are club faces, is that little 3 gal Craftsmen compressor your'e using good enough? Thanks!

[@BradMeehan]

It's enough to drive the little gun, but not for long before it has to refill. A large compressor is on my wish list so I can drive a blasting cabinet, paint guns, etc. I'd go with the biggest compressor you can afford.

[@alangibson4499]

Another good job

[@BradMeehan]

Thanks, Alan!

[@glenrolls5679]

70 or 80 grit blast media the best? thanks!

[@BradMeehan]

I'll have to look. I'd go with the less aggressive and you can use it to do clean matte finishes without it looking like sandpaper. I've been using glass bead lately since I bought a cheap cabinet and that works too.

[@adamcorken8690]

If you don't have all these tools is there a paint you can just fill in the face with?

[@BradMeehan]

Nothing that would stand up to the wear and tear. You can get the media gun for about $20 USD i believe, then borrow a friends compressor.

[@adamcorken8690]

@@BradMeehan what media best to use? What if the iron is nickel or chrome does it need to be removed first before blasting?

[@-RTB-]

Once again, looks great! You are turning into a craftsman right before our eyes.

[@BradMeehan]

Thatnks. I'm learning a lot.

[@-RTB-]

@@BradMeehan This guy right here is doing high quality club restoration on a shoe-string budget. Making it look easy. Impressive.

[@chosen1one930]

How much does a restoration cost on all 3 thru pw

[@yeboha]

can any1 help me i have a set of vega alcor black wedges and i want to take them back to a raw finish ? how is best to do that ?

[@jeffreyprice2982]

Very nice!

[@nickjohnson8246]

Might be a dumb question but does the face blasting round the groove edges off any where you just can't spin a ball or notice a drastic reduction on bite?

[@BradMeehan]

Nah. We're using really low pressure to get the textured face, but not enough to manipulate steel like that.

[@beng4647]

It definitely would. I'm sure they sharpen the grooves as the final touch. Or I would.

[@L0C00L]

How do you prevent rust?

[@BradMeehan]

The nickel layer prevents the rust

[@scottswift4098]

If I was reconditioning a club face and needed to sharpen the grooves up a bit, should that be done before plating, or could you do it as a finishing touch without going through the nickel you just applied to the club?

[@BradMeehan]

I'd do it first since you may risk scraping off the plating. The tradeoff is the grooves wouldn't be as sharp since the plating adds a tiny, tiny layer that rounds it. I mean tiny. I've blasted off some of the plating with my media blaster before so I'm hesitant to screw with it once it's plated.

[@scottswift4098]

@@BradMeehan thanks for the reply. What kind of brush plating kit do you use?

[@matthewpocock4824]

Well done.

[@BradMeehan]

Thanks!

[@bowler0328]

What do you use in the media blaster?

[@BradMeehan]

It's aluminum oxide. You can use glass beads too

[@martinanderson3054]

Great video! I love what your doing. I’m curious was all that media that you captured from 1 club head? Also is it possible to harm the gun by running reclaimed media through it? I guess there isn’t really to much contaminant like when blasting other things. Thanks Marty

[@BradMeehan]

Yes, I filled it twice with the media when I did it. It's a lot, but I was being super picky and kept going. My compressor sucks. If you have a larger compressor, I'd go for a small blasting cabinet to really get the face texture instead of the gun.

[@armrule]

Great stuff and thanks for sharing! 🤗 I have rust related questions. I imagine the nickel plating is good to prevent rust from setting in, but what happens once u sand blast it? How's the face tolerance towards rust? And how is it that the clubs of the shelf have so much rust resistance?

[@BradMeehan]

The off the shelf forged irons are plated in chrome after the nickel, so it's much more durable. I don't have accurate info on nickel's longevity in the bag since I'm also still learning and haven't played enough with them to really know. I'm going to plate a club and make a video where test the durability soon. In hindsight, I'd blast the face before the plating like I did in my most recent video with the Hogan Edge. Caswell sells another solution called "Copy Chrome" or "Near Chrome" that is made of cobalt with brighter. Not as hard as chrome but harder than nickel.

[@armrule]

@@BradMeehan there are a number of clubs with satin steel, brush steel or frosted chrome finish on the shelf now. Do u have any idea how they get those rust resistance?

[@BradMeehan]

@@armrule are they forged blades or cast? Depending on the metal, you may not need plating and won't rust. The brushed or satin look can be achieved with a deburring wheel, light sandpaper, or light bead blasting. That look next to a high polished surface looks incredible

[@armrule]

@@BradMeehan they're forged. Mizuno have a few. Ping as well with the i500 and Blueprint.

[@BradMeehan]

@@armrule Just looked at the i500. So, the 'texture' of the plating will take on the texture of the underlying metal. So, if it's satin or brushed, the thin layer of chrome will have that look too. I'm sure there are proprietary means of achieving a duller look, but for DIY purposes, I'd leave the brushed look on the iron, then plate it - just for corrosion prevention purposes versus aesthetics. I think a good video idea will be to prep a few pieces of metal with various textures then plate it so we can see the differences. Thoughts?

[@SheldonBoyce-Payne]

Great job! Do you take orders?

[@BradMeehan]

No sir. I'm too lazy! That's why this is a "DIY" channel

[@fastandyc]

How do you stop the face rusting after it's blasted???

[@BradMeehan]

If it's a cast or stainless club, you won't have to do anything. If it's forged steel, you'd need to either plate it (brush or tank) or keep wiping with corrosion spray. I'd go with the plating. Check out my other videos for the how-to.

[@DcentraliseMe]

Love these videos. So much I’ve bought a set of MP 32s to refurbish ! What media are you using? I’m over in the UK and it’s bringing up a lot of options - aluminium oxide, glass beads, plastic abrasive etc.

[@BradMeehan]

Thanks, John. I hope you got a good deal in the clubs. Cheap is the way to go when you learn this stuff. I use the aluminum oxide, which I believe is 60 grit. I wanted something aggressive that I can tone-down with lower air pressure if needed.

[@DcentraliseMe]

@@BradMeehan thanks for coming back to me. I see you do actually mention that on here 🤦‍♂️ They were 80£ for a full set so pretty good. I’d like them in the bag though so will test on some real cheapos before. Have you hit any of the copper plated clubs yet? Would be good to see a video of how they hold up

[@slinkycowboy]

@@DcentraliseMe use garnet from machine mart followed by glass beads.

[@michaelodonnell7011]

You should overshoot the grooves on taping up by 2mm.

[@slinkycowboy]

we do everything the same as each other , right down to the tear in half of the tape and the alu tape

[@ericlava8898]

Do you offer this service ? How do I reach you to get this done

[@BradMeehan]

I'm just goofing around in my basement. Thank you, though.

[@Ty_N_KC]

KC!! Ha, I'm down in Greenwood. I might be selling my Mill and my Lathe...if you wanna some new toys for that garage holler.

[@BradMeehan]

I'm in Lee's Summit!

[@Ty_N_KC]

@@BradMeehan ha, small world!

[@darrylirwin1399]

It’s a lot easier if you use electrical tape. The media bounces off of it. I use it on my much larger industrial cabinet. Set your PSI to 35-40

[@kathachareonpong2001]

is the serial number still on the iron head?

[@BradMeehan]

I just looked and I can't see the serial number anymore. (Assuming the MP32 has them etched in the hosel)

[@Paul-r7k]

What Kind of media is it ?

[@BradMeehan]

Aluminum oxide, although the glass beads would be less aggressive and you can use it to do matte finishes

[@chova210]

Are you blasting in a particular direction?

[@BradMeehan]

No, it's pretty random.

[@chova210]

@@BradMeehan thank you!

[@에이스웨엑]

우와 대단하십니다😄

[@BradMeehan]

감사합니다 ! (google translated!)

[@aaronlapaz3133]

Heard you said your from Kansas City? Anyway I can bring my clubs to you to restore? I’m from Kansas City as well!! Go chiefs!!

[@aaronlapaz3133]

Or can I send you pictures and maybe you can give me some recommendations on what to do? Anything will help!

[@BradMeehan]

I'm in Lee's Summit! I'd rather help you learn how to do it. Let me know how I can help. Brad @ BradMeehan.com

[@BradMeehan]

And how about them Chiefs?!

[@aaronlapaz3133]

@@BradMeehan I would absolutely love to learn! Let me know sometime you can teach me!! Lol poor chiefs!

[@mdrone2519]

Is that legal?

[@BradMeehan]

Yes. All modern clubs are finished this way. I learned it by watching a Mizuno factory video.

[@BradMeehan]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/enevZYtqqr-Cf6c

[@robertporter1143]

Can I send you my clubs?

[@BradMeehan]

I'm just doing DIY tutorials at this point. Thanks!

[@Lindahl1891]

Good work! But diy? If u need sandblaster etc it's not diy in my opinion.. then everything is DIY

[@BradMeehan]

The blaster gun was only $16. You could use sandpaper, but it'll look better with this tool. Give it a try.

[@wolfiemcwolf6617]

I hate to be "that guy" but after blasting it looks as though your plating has started to lift and bubble. Either your cleaning process was insufficient or your plating method wasn't up to scratch. Really need a good hard Chrome plate on top, which we all know is almost impossible to do properly at home. Nickel, Copper, Chrome in that order for a Mizuno.

[@BradMeehan]

Agreed. The blaster nicked it off. I've changed my approach and I'm blasting before the plating. I want to try the Caswell Copy Chrome, which is supposed to be harder than the nickel.

[@StevenCampbell-ci8rd]

@@BradMeehanI bought the Caswell nickel kit and it seems to be working great. Does Caswell have a chrome kit? I also notice some people are using chrome with a powder coater. Will this work for golf clubs

[@BradMeehan]

@wolfiemcwolf6617 yessir. I think it was a combination of poor plating job and too high pressure on the blaster. I now blast prior to plating like you'll see if my newer videos.

[@VanishingImage]

Very nice!!!

[@BradMeehan]

Thanks!!