From MannKrafted/ SSB Custom Garage, pics....teazer, sort of......

[Matt Saternus]

I love the mill marks all over the place - mesmerizing!

[golfluvzme]

I love the mill marks, as well. When this one is duplicated, the next piece will have similar, but more uniform markings, so that the top of both outriggers will have the same appearance.

Charlie Dix, from HomeTownPutters commented on another site about how cool it is to be able to create something that you can actually take to a putting green and use. I had to agree that it is a blast to take something to the practice green that you have made from scratch. For me, it doesn't happen often enough. I play very rarely and practice even less.

On this new one, the original milling pattern on the face kept me wondering. There were vertical ridges and when I missed one right or left, I kept blaming it on hitting a ridge, LOL. SO, what is the fix? You guessed it, new face milling. I popped the head off, locked her in the vise and fired up the mill. I wanted something agressive, but wound up biting off more than my set-up could chew. I was about 85% across the face, with the milling looking INCREDIBLE when the piece shifted in the vise. Charlie knows what this leads to, but for those who don't.............it ain't pretty. The cutter won't "adjust" to my mistakes, so I lost two teeth on inserts and made a couple of gouges in the face that were real honeys.

What you see now is the result of a more patient carpenter, cutting a little less material, at a slower rate of speed, LOL.

This is why we have prototypes, right?

Check out the new pics and let me know what you think.

Thanks,

LaMont in AZ

 

PS, If you look closely, you can still see a tiny remnant of the "incident" near the bottom edge of the face, close to the heel.

 

 

 

 

[mainuh]

I love the mill marks all over the place - mesmerizing!

 

LaMont - what a great looking putter if only that it shows you thinking outside the box.

 

The sliding weight concept is pretty cool and must have been tough to mill when it came to getting the guide lines just right.

 

Someone is going to be a very pleased, very lucky owner of this new design - you did one helluva job.

 

rob

[JohnBarry]

Wow, finished, and it looks like a million bucks! Now, we need you to make some more!!!

[SunsetBeachCustomPutters]

Seems like to me this would be a good putter for a small mass production outta ur garage because one it can be customized easily, paint fill weight bar round flat, even the dexterity is easily done by putting a shaft hole on the opposite side for us lefties,

 

i like the raw look of it to!!!!!!

 

Like old dirty bast. says " i like it raw"

 

RIP ODB, if anyone else gets this reference u must be under thirty.

 

Shimmy, shimmy yall!

 

Over 30 here(34) but I know this song well from college years.

[golfluvzme]

Well, it came out of limbo long enough to be fitted for a new weight bar, tonight.

The new bar allows a ton of room for alignment lines, dots, stars, etc. Keep your eyes peeled and we'll see what winds up on top of this area.

 

 

 

 

Also, the bottom of the weight bar is ripe for a little "LaMont Mann" signature engraving by my CNC guy. Whatcha think?

 

 

 

Worst part? This is the ONLY one of this head that I have done, so far. If I want to "try" something new, like rounding a corner or such, there is no going back, LMAO! I'm heading to my CNC guy's shop on Friday, possibly and will make a run at duplicating this at least one time on his big boy mill.

Wish me luck and fire out some name suggestions..................BTW, "BIG :censor: UGLY PUTTER" was already taken,

[mainuh]

Good morning L - what the hell is the weight of the putter now that it has the sliding billet ?

 

While I liked the contrast in shapes of the first (round weight/rectangular lines), the new weight makes me think that I have a Sherman Tank in my hands - that is one serious looking putter - it makes a Heavy Putter look dainty.

 

I do like the look/concept of #2. Only thing I can't wrap my head around though is MOI adjustability with this one. Moving the billet in to the third mark I would think would'nt make that much difference as oppossed to the round weight.

 

In closing I'll say - nice work for a "wood butcher"

 

All the best - rob

[JohnBarry]

The weight of both sliding weights, what is the difference between the two..maybe even offer both for 1 putter!

[JohnBarry]

The Love Joy Mallet, with patented LaMont-Motion Movable Weight System- LMMWS

[Tyk]

This is a pretty cool idea, and a pretty cool look too, especially for a first run!

 

Here's what I thought when I first saw it: seems to me you should be able to position the weight bar wherever you want it, instead of just 3 designated places. What if instead of securing it from the bottom you secured it from the side, perhaps a recessed slot running all the way down each side with allen screws running into the weight bar from the side? Or a slot running all the way along the bottom would work too.

 

You could use different materials for different weights in the bars, that would be pretty cool! I'd like to see it all smoothed out a bit, perhaps a bit of a "wing" look for the weight bar? Just thinkin'!

 

I like the concept, alot actually!

[golfluvzme]

Great posts, all of you guys! It is extremely cool to have input like this when I am at the current stage. I hope to get on the big boy mill, Saturday and get a couple more heads roughed out, but there is a line at MannKrafted that forms on the right and has some great customers waiting for their goodies.

Tyk, I love the idea of the slot. I'll bounce it off of the guy who would do the heads, if they wind up being made CNC style. The way that I have anchored the weight bars, currently, would take some tweaking to work out an issue or two.

I like the "wing" thought, also.

I have a few more different material pieces in the shop, that will certainly become a weight bar, at some point.

The bars that you see have weights in this range:

303 SS bar, 75 grams

6061 Alum. round bar, 20 grams

6061 Alum. flat bar, 78 grams

Copper flat strap, 53 grams

 

I wish that I had more time to spend on this one, but it has to take sort of a back burner, for now.

I'll post pics whenever things change and let you guys know if I wind up with a couple more of these heads milled out for "tinkering" with the shape. I like the thought of really doing some rounding of some corners and something cool with the outside profile of the back fingers.

 

Thanks again,

LaMont in AZ

[JohnBarry]

Can you make it a swirl of pink and baby blue, that would be an awesome finish!

[golfluvzme]

You know what they say, "Be careful what you wish for............", LMAO!

I haven't done any swirled finishes yet................that is a big "yet".

Thanks,

LaMont in AZ

[JohnBarry]

I wish, I wish, I love to "stand out" on the course

[golfluvzme]

I had a request, locally, for a smaller verion of this little beauty. I got some time on it, yesterday and got the base roughing done. For those who have never worked on a mill, it is a great amount of fun. It is also a great amount of time, for those of us who are still in the very early learning stages, LOL. The first one was done from 4" billet, while the second started out life as a 3-1/2" x 1" bar, about 12" in length.

It is funny in that I had a base sketch for the first one and stayed pretty close to the design, but decided to wing it on the second...................sketches are good, even rough ones, LMAO!

Being of a smaller size, I think that I'll do a little weighting in the sole with some copper runners, ported to be flush. Pictures will be available, when I come up for air, again. My day job as a carpenter has been wreaking havoc on my time as a putter maker, but I do what I can.

Keep your eyes peeled and who knows what you'll see.

Thx,

LaMont in AZ

[JohnBarry]

Can't wait for this one also!

[golfluvzme]

Made a little headway on the smaller version, while picking up a new batch of SSB heads at our CNC guy's shop. He graciously allows me to use his big-boy vertical mill, if it isn't in use. I ran short on time, so I didn't get as far as I had hoped, but my mill here at the shop will handle all of what is left, just not as quickly, .

I will see if I can squeeze in any more work on it, today and post pictures of the progress. There are a few changes, but the theme is very much the same.

Thanks guys,

LaMont in AZ

[bortwein]

Well, it came out of limbo long enough to be fitted for a new weight bar, tonight.

The new bar allows a ton of room for alignment lines, dots, stars, etc. Keep your eyes peeled and we'll see what winds up on top of this area.

 

 

 

 

Also, the bottom of the weight bar is ripe for a little "LaMont Mann" signature engraving by my CNC guy. Whatcha think?

 

 

 

Worst part? This is the ONLY one of this head that I have done, so far. If I want to "try" something new, like rounding a corner or such, there is no going back, LMAO! I'm heading to my CNC guy's shop on Friday, possibly and will make a run at duplicating this at least one time on his big boy mill.

Wish me luck and fire out some name suggestions..................BTW, "BIG :censor: UGLY PUTTER" was already taken,

 

This is an incredibly interesting putter. Well done on taking it from concept to this point. Have you considered adding any alignment features to that large center plate on this option? Perhaps a 3 line set, or a single center line with a 1 ball in the middle "-o-".

 

Keep up the good work. I love the putters you feature on your website. Great looking stuff.

[bortwein]

random name ideas for you:

• Lugg-Nut (two "g"s for style)

• The Wrench (It reminds me of a type of tool like a wrench)

• Rigger-Jigger (sounded fun, it's a type of wrench)

• Powerlifter (Remember that robot type suit in the Aliens movie?)

[golfluvzme]

Thanks for the comments. I have had some ideas for additional alignment markings on the top of that space, just haven't had time to make them happen, LOL. I got the base head in process for somewhat of a mid-size version of this one, intended for a local high school player. She is currently using a MannKrafted Saguaro, Centershaft, but from watching her, I think the added MOI and stability of this one might be something that can improve her game.

She likes this one, but the size scares her, just a bit. The one that I am building now, is a full 1/2" smaller, from head to toe on the face side, but has retained just a bit more of the mass, without really altering the overall look of it. The mid-size will still have the adjustable bar feature, although the "track may not be as long as on #1.

When it gets closer, I'll snap some shots and share.

Thanks again,

LaMont in AZ

 

PS, I usually name all of my putters with Arizona-related names and am sort of leaning towards "The Tombstone" for this one. The large, rectangular shape sort of fits it, eh?

Keep the ideas coming though, it is still in its infancy.

[JohnBarry]

So, have you made 5 or 10 extras for your MGS buddies yet?

[golfluvzme]

Here are some early finish shots of the Tombstone Jr. It is approx. 1/2" narrower and 1/2" less deep from face to heel, as well. The weight slot is shorter, right now, but I may extend it, at a later date. You'll also see that the threaded ports along the sides have not been drilled, yet, either. Still work to do, but had to show what I have so far.

Let me know your thoughts and I'll go from there.

A small run is definitely possible and the MGS logo would fit well on the bottom of that aluminum weight bar, wouldn't it? Keep yer eyes peeled, LOL.

Thanks again,

LaMont in AZ

 

 

 

 

 

[JohnBarry]

Love the round golf weight bar, and the special edition MSG logo putters would be awesome!!!

[Matt Saternus]

I love the name! Keep us posted on the progress LaMont.

[phil.b89]

Hi all,

 

Came to this post late, I loved the fact that as I read through, thought of something that I'd like to see and then saw that someone else had the very same idea. A lot of great minds on these boards! As well as great minds- outstanding craftsmen- LaMont, I have to say the putter is coming on amazing- falling for it as I look through at all the pictures!

 

One thing that I have decided is I really like the look of the putter from the base (attached image) and thought that I'd love to see a version of the putter with this as the top down view! (obviously with the correct loft as opposed to being negative loft!)

 

Another thing I really love about this putter is the shaft in it... personal preference I know but I have decided that this is my favourite shaft shape/design

 

If it was a putter that could be mass produced the amount of custom fitting/personalisation options are absolutely endless. Weight changes by a specific bar insert (on that issue I love both the round and the flat bar, flat edges it for me though on alignment possibilities though!), so many aesthetic custom options (paint fills, finishes- could have MannKrafted logos around the head of the putter and then personalisation on the bottom of the flat bar), obvious other custom options such as shaft position- I love the current position but that is simply because it is what I am used to!).

 

Anyway! Love the work you've been doing- amazing stuff to see and I can't wait to see how the putter turns out!

 

Keep up the great work,

 

phil.b89

[golfluvzme]

Hi all,

 

Came to this post late, I loved the fact that as I read through, thought of something that I'd like to see and then saw that someone else had the very same idea. A lot of great minds on these boards! As well as great minds- outstanding craftsmen- LaMont, I have to say the putter is coming on amazing- falling for it as I look through at all the pictures!

 

One thing that I have decided is I really like the look of the putter from the base (attached image) and thought that I'd love to see a version of the putter with this as the top down view! (obviously with the correct loft as opposed to being negative loft!)

 

Another thing I really love about this putter is the shaft in it... personal preference I know but I have decided that this is my favourite shaft shape/design

 

If it was a putter that could be mass produced the amount of custom fitting/personalisation options are absolutely endless. Weight changes by a specific bar insert (on that issue I love both the round and the flat bar, flat edges it for me though on alignment possibilities though!), so many aesthetic custom options (paint fills, finishes- could have MannKrafted logos around the head of the putter and then personalisation on the bottom of the flat bar), obvious other custom options such as shaft position- I love the current position but that is simply because it is what I am used to!).

 

Anyway! Love the work you've been doing- amazing stuff to see and I can't wait to see how the putter turns out!

 

Keep up the great work,

 

phil.b89

 

Phil,

Great post! I think that right now is the time that there is the greatest number of guys actually making putters that may change the "normal" look of what we are seeing. There will always be an abundance of Anser-styles, but more and more you see guys putting their off-beat thoughts on what might work, to metal. It is a craft that is growing daily and that is when change happens.

I like the idea of the sole profile and shape being brought to the top of the putter. It would be unique and give a very contoured look to this head. If I get a chance, I'll see what I can make happen.

As for mass producing this head, not sure how much mass you have pictured, . I have spoken with my CNC shop about making this head in greater numbers, just need the capitol to make it happen. Once the head is made, with the slots and threaded ports, I agree that the variations are somewhat endless. Materials for weight bars, shapes for weight bars and placement of them are only the surface options. With that latest rectangular bar, I have given a spot that would host logos with few limitations. THAT is something I am looking at, very excitedly.

I'll have some new pictures of the smaller version, hopefully this weekend. It is now in the hands of my daughter, finished in a black-based polymer with the brass weight bar. She is debating on the shaft that I used, as am I. I had the double-bend handy and simply went with it for testing sake. I wound up perfectly face balanced, but that would not be for everyone, either.

I'll keep working and I appreciate the comments that you all have posted.

Thanks again,

LaMont in AZ

[phil.b89]

When I say mass production I merely mean so that your work could be enjoyed by as wide an audience as financially possible!!

 

Oh and while we're here- you might as well add my name to the list of people who would love to help testing out your putters! Will be more than happy to help when I'm out in Arizona for a year!

 

Looking forward to the pics!

 

phil.b89

[golfluvzme]

I had the opportunity to play this morning, so the Tombstone and the X-Boro went in the bag. Both are very sweet feeling putters, but I rolled the Tombstone more consistently than the X-boro, so she got a new look when I got home.

Check out the pics, but remember that without paint fill, it is a little tough to love, LOL.

Thanks,

LaMont in AZ

 

 

 

 

[JohnBarry]

Tomstone is awesome, very nice work

[phil.b89]

Sweet like chocolate!