Re-gripping with an air compressor

[CarlH]

I still do it the old fashioned way -- double side tape and solvent and slip it on by hand.  I don't even use a vise, anymore.

[fixyurdivot]

1 minute ago, CarlH said:

I still do it the old fashioned way -- double side tape and solvent and slip it on by hand.  I don't even use a vise, anymore.

Show off .  What's great is no smell, much easier tape removal (if you opt to use tape) and you easily try a new grip w/o destroying the old one.

[CarlH]

14 minutes ago, fixyurdivot said:

Show off .  What's great is no smell, much easier tape removal (if you opt to use tape) and you easily try a new grip w/o destroying the old one.

Not showing off....too lazy to use a vise  

[Paul Hedrick]

I just regripped a club using an air compressor.  It was very easy and much less messy than using grip tape and solvent.  Highly recommend it.  I did it on just one club as I had a spare grip.  Now that I know how easy it is, I will be ordering grips for the rest of my clubs.

[dlow206]

I installed a grip with compressed air for the first time and it was fine. Makes sense to do for putters for sure. Think it also makes sense for polyurethane swing grips as well. Rubber grips, maybe, but can get those off pretty easily with a blade style grip remover or I have a solvent gun with needle. Although the solvent gun with needle is not fun, sort of messy. 

[dlow206]

Forgot to note, when regripping with an air compressor, you need to pay more attention to the butt size of the shaft. If the grip core size is larger than the shaft butt OD, then its not going to work well unless you add a few layers of single sided tape (painters tape, masking tape, etc). 

[edingc]

20 hours ago, dlow206 said:

Forgot to note, when regripping with an air compressor, you need to pay more attention to the butt size of the shaft. If the grip core size is larger than the shaft butt OD, then its not going to work well unless you add a few layers of single sided tape (painters tape, masking tape, etc). 

Not only that, some grips still move a bit even if they seem to be a tight fit. AFAIK, only Pure and Star suggest using their grips without solvent/tape.

Each one of my Sonar Tours have a little bit of twist in them at this point, the worst being on my 54 wedge. Doesn't bother me other than the logo isn't perfectly aligned anymore.

[Nolan220]

On 9/9/2021 at 7:53 PM, CarlH said:

Not showing off....too lazy to use a vise  

Carl has hands like vise grips ! @fixyurdivot

[dlow206]

48 minutes ago, edingc said:

Not only that, some grips still move a bit even if they seem to be a tight fit. AFAIK, only Pure and Star suggest using their grips without solvent/tape.

Each one of my Sonar Tours have a little bit of twist in them at this point, the worst being on my 54 wedge. Doesn't bother me other than the logo isn't perfectly aligned anymore.

I am really anal about these types of things, so what I did after i installed a grip was try to twist at various points up and down the grip. I found with two painters wraps of tape, no wiggle with my iron shafts, but with my wedge shafts (different shaft), there was some wiggle in the bottom three inches of the grip, so I blew it off, added two more wraps of tape only on that last 3 inches of the shaft, and blew it back on and no more wiggle. 

[fixyurdivot]

1 hour ago, edingc said:

Not only that, some grips still move a bit even if they seem to be a tight fit.

The cross you bear for that 120 mph swing speed .  It would interesting to if any tour players have their grips installed with compressed air.  I'm guessing few, if any.

[tony@CIC]

On 1/18/2021 at 7:28 PM, TBT said:

I really need to learn how to regrip my own clubs, I’ve got an air compressor and a work bench


Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

Get yourself one of these to place in your vise. You can't beat it for $4. 

https://www.golfworks.com/rubber-shaft-clamp/p/gw0142/

[cnosil]

32 minutes ago, fixyurdivot said:

The cross you bear for that 120 mph swing speed .  It would interesting to if any tour players have their grips installed with compressed air.  I'm guessing few, if any.

My guess is that 0% have them air installed; even those that tinker themselves.  

[dlow206]

10 minutes ago, cnosil said:

My guess is that 0% have them air installed; even those that tinker themselves.  

I think it was Zach Johnson that I saw being talked about on a Golf Pride video, there is only about an inch of double sided tape at the very butt end of the shaft, and then they put a load of solvent on the steel shaft, and push the grip on.

While that is not the same as air installed, its basically using the friction and size of the shaft and grip to keep the grip in place (besides that one inch of tape on the butt end). 

But i will also counter my own point above with the fact that Golf Pride is very against using air to install grips, the large majority of Tour Pros use Golf Pride grips, so that will automatically rule out a large percentage from even considering air for installs.

[dlow206]

The other point about PGA Tour pros and tour vans in regards to grips. If a pro wants to test multiple grips, they are probably not going to blow one on, take it back to the van, remove the grip and put on a different one. They will probably just build 5 of the same club with different grip configurations upfront for the testing. 

Most of don't have that luxury lol. 

[MIgregb]

I've used blown on Pure grips for 7 or 8 years now and they continue to be my favorite. Pure grips are made to blow on and they stand up to air pressure better than others. You can't go wrong with the advice others have already provided (use heat to take old tape off, 60 PSI in short bursts). Unless you have a pretty high swing speed, you'll never have a Pure grip twist on you. I don't know the SS threshold but I used to be in the low 100s so I would guess in excess of 105 mph, meaning the vast majority of those reading this post will never have a problem with blown on Pure grips. (You lucky minority have no choice but continue using the messy tape/solvent method I'd love to be you!!!). I play a fair amount of golf (50+ rounds a year plus weekly range time) and I easily get 2 seasons out of the these grips on my most highly used clubs proving them to be more durable than any others I've used. After the 1st time, it only takes minutes to put on a new grip making that club immediately usable.  Again, unless you're a high swing speed person, I think you'll be happy.

BTW, Ian Frasher at TXG once said that they typically blow on grips for testing, but use tape for the permanent install. But as I said earlier, Pure grips are made to blow on so your mileage may vary using other grips.

[Retnuh76]

I work at 2nd Swing.  I know for a fact that all our locations and headquarters use air compressors to install grips.  It's much faster, cleaner and works just as well if not better than the old way.  Plus changing grips is a breeze and much faster if you're looking to try out multiple grips.  I'd be surprised if the Tour Vans didn't use air compressors, and offered the old-fashioned way if a player requested it.

[mr.paintmaker]

I have seen my share of tour van videos and worked with tour pros. I've never seen them use air. I can turn around a set in 10 minutes with air. To use solvent ... 30+ and a lot of clean up. They can be a bit anal about how things are done. 

Most like 3 wraps under a 58R Tour velvet or velvet cord. NO more NO less

[tony@CIC]

I've never been in a tour van - or on tour but I did stay in a Holiday Inn. My guess would be that the clubs are regripped before they get to the tour event unless something unusual happened. 

[dlow206]

Definitely blew up a grip today. Thought it wasn't installed with double sided tape, but I was wrong. It had been installed with some super thing double sided tape. 

[mr.paintmaker]

On 9/25/2021 at 11:07 PM, dlow206 said:

Definitely blew up a grip today. Thought it wasn't installed with double sided tape, but I was wrong. It had been installed with some super thing double sided tape. 

Are your ears still ringing?

 

[dlow206]

1 minute ago, mr.paintmaker said:

Are your ears still ringing?

 

I have recovered lol

Was a little rough for about 4 hours after the incident

[fixyurdivot]

On 9/25/2021 at 10:07 PM, dlow206 said:

Definitely blew up a grip today. Thought it wasn't installed with double sided tape, but I was wrong. It had been installed with some super thing double sided tape. 

Is there a lesson to take away from this?  Can one peel/roll back the end of the grip a whisker and tell if it has adhesive tape?  If my PING wedge factory installed grip is representative of most OEM's, adhesive tape/solvent looks to be the standard.  I had no plans to try and re-use, so it was cut off... but if one wants to try and save a grip, anyway to tell install method?

[mr.paintmaker]

21 minutes ago, fixyurdivot said:

Is there a lesson to take away from this?  Can one peel/roll back the end of the grip a whisker and tell if it has adhesive tape?  If my PING wedge factory installed grip is representative of most OEM's, adhesive tape/solvent looks to be the standard.  I had no plans to try and re-use, so it was cut off... but if one wants to try and save a grip, anyway to tell install method?

The link below is the tool you'll need.

https://www.golfworks.com/the-golfworks-air-powered-golf-grip-removerinstaller/p/gw0103/

Of the OEMs, Ping does a great job taping and gripping. This making it easy to remove and replace quickly with air. I haven't read all 14 pages but safety doesn't seem to be mentioned.

Removing a grip with air, the tube/cylinder is designed to prevent explosion of the grip. The goal is to apply air pressure to just remove the seal of the rubber to the tape. Much too, pop or boom and too little your just making a lot of noise. Once the seal is broken, half of the grips blow off and the other half require a twist/force to come off. Some factors to consider, that will be unknown until the grip is off ... type of tape, how much tape, type of grip, age of the grip ...

Tape - masking v. double sided, double sided when activated will provide very good adhesion to the grip, masking tape will not. This was started as a Pure grip conversation, no tape required but other grips can be put on without tape. Challenge breaking the seal. If done correctly, the tape should go the length of the grip, if not the grip can adhere to the shaft. Harder to break that seal compared to the tape and grip.

Grip - most rubber grips can be removed. The multi-compound or engineered (Winn or SuperStroke) grips can pop or separate. Corded grips are bombs, I seldom try to safe or remove by air. 

Hopefully this is helpful.

[dlow206]

41 minutes ago, fixyurdivot said:

Is there a lesson to take away from this?  Can one peel/roll back the end of the grip a whisker and tell if it has adhesive tape?  If my PING wedge factory installed grip is representative of most OEM's, adhesive tape/solvent looks to be the standard.  I had no plans to try and re-use, so it was cut off... but if one wants to try and save a grip, anyway to tell install method?

I actually rolled back the bottom of the grip by an inch and did not see tape. I should have checked further. 

If I had known, I would have just taken the grip off either with a grip remover tool or using a needle and solvent. 

[fixyurdivot]

25 minutes ago, mr.paintmaker said:

The link below is the tool you'll need.

https://www.golfworks.com/the-golfworks-air-powered-golf-grip-removerinstaller/p/gw0103/

Of the OEMs, Ping does a great job taping and gripping. This making it easy to remove and replace quickly with air. I haven't read all 14 pages but safety doesn't seem to be mentioned.

Removing a grip with air, the tube/cylinder is designed to prevent explosion of the grip. The goal is to apply air pressure to just remove the seal of the rubber to the tape. Much too, pop or boom and too little your just making a lot of noise. Once the seal is broken, half of the grips blow off and the other half require a twist/force to come off. Some factors to consider, that will be unknown until the grip is off ... type of tape, how much tape, type of grip, age of the grip ...

Tape - masking v. double sided, double sided when activated will provide very good adhesion to the grip, masking tape will not. This was started as a Pure grip conversation, no tape required but other grips can be put on without tape. Challenge breaking the seal. If done correctly, the tape should go the length of the grip, if not the grip can adhere to the shaft. Harder to break that seal compared to the tape and grip.

Grip - most rubber grips can be removed. The multi-compound or engineered (Winn or SuperStroke) grips can pop or separate. Corded grips are bombs, I seldom try to safe or remove by air. 

Hopefully this is helpful.

Good stuff. I just did my first remove/replace grips using air and got most all of the intel from the forum.  One DIY video suggested using just a wee bit of solvent with the air and I tried that... NO Bueno.  It's not needed and ended up leaving the butt end able to twist.  Once I realized I was holding the grip too tight and restricting air flow to the end, and also just bumping with enough air to break friction and advance, easy-beezy, lemon squeezy.

Another question I have is cut-off technique.  I purchased a DeWalt hook blade knife but, even as careful as I was, noticed I slightly scratched the scrim layer of my driver, 3w & 5w shafts.  Nothing deep enough to cause an issue but it would be nice to find a technique/tool that all but eliminates this concern.

[dlow206]

32 minutes ago, fixyurdivot said:

Good stuff. I just did my first remove/replace grips using air and got most all of the intel from the forum.  One DIY video suggested using just a wee bit of solvent with the air and I tried that... NO Bueno.  It's not needed and ended up leaving the butt end able to twist.  Once I realized I was holding the grip too tight and restricting air flow to the end, and also just bumping with enough air to break friction and advance, easy-beezy, lemon squeezy.

Another question I have is cut-off technique.  I purchased a DeWalt hook blade knife but, even as careful as I was, noticed I slightly scratched the scrim layer of my driver, 3w & 5w shafts.  Nothing deep enough to cause an issue but it would be nice to find a technique/tool that all but eliminates this concern.

Just need to be careful. 

[downlowkey]

47 minutes ago, fixyurdivot said:

Another question I have is cut-off technique.  I purchased a DeWalt hook blade knife but, even as careful as I was, noticed I slightly scratched the scrim layer of my driver, 3w & 5w shafts.  Nothing deep enough to cause an issue but it would be nice to find a technique/tool that all but eliminates this concern.

With the majority of rubber grips, you can roll them back so there is an overlap. Use a regular blade to cut through the outer layer with the bottom layer acting as a buffer to protect graphite shafts. Repeat the process a few times and you should be close to having it off. Toward the butt end where the grip is thicker and tougher to roll, you don’t necessarily need to cut all the way through to tear it. Like rending fabric, you only need to nick it with the blade to create a weak point.

[fixyurdivot]

4 hours ago, downlowkey said:

With the majority of rubber grips, you can roll them back so there is an overlap. Use a regular blade to cut through the outer layer with the bottom layer acting as a buffer to protect graphite shafts. Repeat the process a few times and you should be close to having it off. Toward the butt end where the grip is thicker and tougher to roll, you don’t necessarily need to cut all the way through to tear it. Like rending fabric, you only need to nick it with the blade to create a weak point.

Great trick... saved in the archives.  Thanks.

[tony@CIC]

6 hours ago, fixyurdivot said:

Good stuff. I just did my first remove/replace grips using air and got most all of the intel from the forum.  One DIY video suggested using just a wee bit of solvent with the air and I tried that... NO Bueno.  It's not needed and ended up leaving the butt end able to twist.  Once I realized I was holding the grip too tight and restricting air flow to the end, and also just bumping with enough air to break friction and advance, easy-beezy, lemon squeezy.

Another question I have is cut-off technique.  I purchased a DeWalt hook blade knife but, even as careful as I was, noticed I slightly scratched the scrim layer of my driver, 3w & 5w shafts.  Nothing deep enough to cause an issue but it would be nice to find a technique/tool that all but eliminates this concern.

You'll find a great tool in the Golfworks catalog and it's called 'Tape Stripper' their #GW1101 for $14.99. I can't find it in their online store but it is in the current catalog. It's designed for tape but does an awesome job cutting grips without damaging graphite shafts. Just don't get your fingers close to that blade - don't ask how I know. . Also it may have been mentioned a heat gun at a low setting softens up the tape nicely. 

p.s. you need to get yourself a Golfworks catalog - 225 pages of pure joy. . 

[fixyurdivot]

23 minutes ago, tony@CIC said:

You'll find a great tool in the Golfworks catalog and it's called 'Tape Stripper' their #GW1101 for $14.99. I can't find it in their online store but it is in the current catalog. It's designed for tape but does an awesome job cutting grips without damaging graphite shafts. Just don't get your fingers close to that blade - don't ask how I know. . Also it may have been mentioned a heat gun at a low setting softens up the tape nicely. 

p.s. you need to get yourself a Golfworks catalog - 225 pages of pure joy. . 

Oh yea, I recall seeing this reverse carpet cutter tool before and placing the butt of the grip into a cup to push against.