Clubhead Rust Removal and Prevention on a Wooden-Shaft Golf Club: Hickory Golf Club Repair Step #2

[@michaelcruz1655]

Are you going to make a video of attaching them to a shaft.

[@TheHickoryHacker]

Here you go! kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3ulaGampLJ1aac

[@kschro03]

Can you soak them without taking off the shaft?

[@TheHickoryHacker]

@@kschro03 I don’t recommend it - you really don’t want to risk getting the shaft wet in the process. Instead, I would use 0000 steel wool and vinegar to hand scrub the head.

[@jollytrawler5349]

You are awesome, thanks for the vid

[@TheHickoryHacker]

Thanks - glad you enjoyed it!

[@luthiermatt]

Chelation is the way to go for rust removal. Evaporust, Metal Rescue, etc. You can find it in your big box hardware stores. Remoil is great stuff!

[@TheHickoryHacker]

Thanks for the tips - I’m intrigued by the Evaporust. I’ll give it a try.

[@infomineco7111]

I like to use Bicarbonate Sodium and Vinegar and let the heads bath for 2 hours, it will help you with the scrubbing...

[@TheHickoryHacker]

@@infomineco7111 Thanks for the tip - I’ll try that some time!

[@UNFSpeech]

Do you have to remove the shaft from the club to clean it?

[@TheHickoryHacker]

Not necessarily, it just takes a little more patience and elbow grease. You can use 000 steel wool and water to scrub off the surface rust, which a good way to control how much patina you’re removing. If you’re careful to keep the wood from getting wet, you can also stand the club in vinegar for a good soak, but you’ll want to make sure that the metal is fully submerged otherwise you’ll get a vinegar ring where the club is out of the water. Obviously, it’s hard to make sure the entire head is submerged and not the wood shaft, so that’s a tougher way to do it. I’m usually only doing rust removal to clubs I’m planning on playing, though, so I always remove the head anyway for epoxy reset.

[@sschwartz2509]

Could you have used a wire wheel on the rustier club? If one was going for a shinier look.

[@TheHickoryHacker]

Hi, Steve - yeah, I could have and some restorers do but many collectors don’t want the to clubs to look that shiny. It’s a preference, but when I’m restoring clubs I want to the clubs to look their age. This process removes rust while retaining patina and I wouldn’t trust myself to maintain that balance with a wire wheel.

[@Bravorod1]

Can you use CLR instead of vinegar? What about Brasso metal polish? What about a Dremel with a soft brass brush? What about still having the shaft attached? Anything to avoid? Is White Diamond automotive wheel polish ok?

[@TheHickoryHacker]

Some folks use CLR and Coca-Cola and seem to like it, but vinegar has always worked well for me and I haven’t felt the need to try anything else. It’s cheap, non-toxic and does exactly what I’m looking for: removes rust without affecting the patina. I don’t like using anything more than 000 steel wool and elbow grease for scrubbing. I’m only trying to remove the rust; I don’t want it to shine up or look newer than it is, and I could see myself going too far, too fast with a Dremel. I’m not in a hurry with these projects so I don’t mind waiting for the vinegar to do its job. As for keeping the shaft attached, you just want to make sure not to saturate the wood shaft above the head. I’ve scrubbed a few heads successfully with the shaft attached, but it’s definitely easier scrubbing to remove the head and submerge it in vinegar, letting it fully soak for a while. I’m pretty much playing with everything I work on and I almost always remove the head to reset with epoxy anyway.

[@djelalhassan7631]

Great