Wedge Grinding & Torching

[Matt Saternus]

Hello all. For those of you who don't "know" me, my name is Matt and I'm a compulsive/sick/obsessive/crazy DIYer. I started a woodworking business because I was too cheap to buy furniture for my new house...you get the idea. Today was my day off, I had no pressing plans, so I decided that today would be the day that I finally started grinding my own wedges, among other things. Wedge grinds have fascinated me since I first got into golf equipment, largely because wedges are my favorite part of the game. I've always wanted to grind my own, but I could never find someone to give me definitive information about how to do it. I saw some people working with belt sanders, others with bench grinders, some using both...so I never knew how to get started. I decided that it was finally time to just try something, see how it worked, and share my results with anyone who might be in the same boat.

 

The day started with a trip to Harbor Freight. I bought their 8" bench grinder and brought it home. I also stopped at Ace and bought some naval jelly and muriatic acid. I got all of this home and set up in the garage with 5 wedges: 2 old Vokeys (60* bent to 64* and a 52*) and 3 random wedges that I picked up for a song at work (a 60* TM, a 60* Mizuno, and a 56* Vokey). Before I go any further, a word from Norm Abrams: "The first rule of shop safety is to always wear these (points to face) safety glasses." Also, when you're messing with acid, rubber gloves are a stellar idea. Back to the show.

 

This thing is crap. More on that later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alright, that's a heavy post already. Let's get that up and then I'll continue.

[Matt Saternus]

After pulling and weighing all the heads, the first thing I did was to mix up a water and acid bath for the 52* Vokey to remove the chrome. Another word to the wise: read all the warnings about that stuff and use it outside. It is seriously bad news. I've also heard that the fumes alone can remove chrome, so, again, keep it outside. With the 52* bathing, I spread the naval jelly on the black oxide Mizuno wedge and the raw 56* Vokey. The naval jelly knocked the black oxide off in seconds. It took some more work to get the rust off the Vokey, but I made some headway on that. After...10-15 minutes (?) I took the 52* Vokey out and it looked AWESOME! Some pictures comparing the raw Vokey to the standard chrome 64* are ahead:

[jamo]

I'm already jealous about that Raw Mizuno. It's next to impossible to find those in good shape anymore, and that one seems alright except for the sole (which you are going to grind anyway). It's sad they don't still make them.

[Matt Saternus]

After the 52* had been raw-ed, it was time for the torch. A simple propane torch is all you need. I clamped the wedge into the vise, put the torch on full throttle and went at it for a couple minutes. After it turned all kinds of blues and purples, I dunked it in oil which made the whole thing much more brown. Then I torched it again which made it more golden with some blues and purples. Very fun.

 

Torch:

 

 

 

 

 

Oil:

 

 

 

Re-Torch:

 

 

[Matt Saternus]

Now, while things were soaking, I was starting to grind...and learn my annual lesson: don't buy anything more complicated than scissors from Harbor Freight. The grinder I bought from them was ear-shattering, bounced all over my work bench, and was, generally, a POS. Much time was wasted driving back to Harbor Freight to return it and driving to Lowes to buy a Porter-Cable bench grinder (not pictured here). I bought a simple 6" grinder and used only the wheels that were included (36 and 60 grit, IIRC). I also used some sand paper to smooth out the grinds at the end. A finishing wheel would be nice, or a flap wheel, or a belt sander with finer grit sand paper, but that's for another day. I am, overall, very happy with the results I got from my very simple (and cheap, $80) set up. That drama aside, I had a few things in my mind that I wanted to do:

 

On the raw 56* Vokey, I wanted to attempt a grind that I've seen done to Miura wedges before. It essentially creates channels in the sole that sand or dirt can move through to help the club move more easily. Whether or not it does anything...I'll figure that out in the coming days and weeks, but it looks kinda cool. This was definitely the worst of my efforts, which makes sense: toughest grind, first attempt, and done on a bouncing grinder. Still, I think it's pretty ok.

 

On the 60* Mizuno, I wanted to do a C grind to create relief on the trailing edge, toe and heel. I like this grind on my Scratch 60*, and it served as practice for doing the same grind to my 64* Vokey. The Vokey really needed it more because the bending turned a club with 4* of bounce into an 8* bounce club. I think both of these turned out pretty well.

 

Finally, on the 60* TM, I wanted to try a P grind - cutting a channel in the middle of the sole (similar to the Solus wedge). Again, a very tough grind, and I won't know how successful I was until I put it into play, but aesthetically, I'm not unhappy with it. I also took a little bit of material from the toe, trailing edge, and heel.

 

After I finished each grind, I weighed them and found that I didn't lose too much weight...I think 9 grams was the most extreme loss.

 

The final step was a bit of hand stamping, some paintfill (all paintfill looks better on a torched canvas, IMO), and a tasty lime green Cell Parts ferrule. All the clubs are drying in the garage right now, tomorrow I will get them bent to spec on my brand new Mitchell Loft & Lie machine (arriving tomorrow...so pumped!), and then they'll head to the practice green. I will keep you all posted on how these grinds actually perform.

 

Oh, I totally forgot: I also torched the 60* TM, the 56* Vokey, and the Mizuno. The Mizuno is probably my fave, very dark blues and purples which were created by giving it LOTS of time under the torch. The TM is, surprisingly, my second favorite. I didn't remove the satin chrome on this one (except from the sole where it was ground) and it turned a really awesome gold. The raw Vokey got a little heat and it turned mainly brown...nice, but nothing special in comparison to the others.

 

I'm a little burned out on posting, so I'm just going to throw up the last of the pics without labels. There are pics of each with and without flash, just trying to show the "real" colors of the torch...and failing, haha.

 

If anyone has any questions about anything I did, suggestions on how to do better, or if you want me to do some mad science on your clubs, please let me know.

 

-Matt

[canyon23]

Very cool post Matt, thank you for sharing. At some point when time permits I'd like to do some tinkering myself, and your post here will help me get on my way. One quick question that is probably elementary, but I'm curious. On the 52* Vokey you pulled it out of the acid bath and then it went straight to the vice for torching, right? I guess the reason for asking is that you didn't end up grinding on that particular wedge later AFTER you torched it. I'd want to do all of my grinding prior to torching the wedge for the finish, correct?

[jamo]

What is the effect of the torching? Is is just for looks?

[RookieBlue7]

For looks and if you want to anneal it (soften it) you can by heating it smoking red hot and letting it air dry. You can also harden it (case hardening is done this way) by again getting it red hot and quenching it in oil, water, or anything that'll cool the metal rapidly. You harden it by heating the particles up and rapidly cooling them, suspending them in a tighter state. It softens by again heating the particles and allowing them to move slowly to evenly spaced gaps between them, which are further apart than they were previously. Sound complicated? Try explaining it in a concise manner. That's a cliff notes version.

 

Mainly, though, people torch for looks.

 

As for the OP's work, looks pretty good. The grinds, by far, were brave to attempt, especially on a grinding wheel. I tried it once and ended up buying the rest of the JET grinder attachment (the sanding belt attachment). Suffice to say, it's much easier to create grinds on it. You can go the cheap way, but the front wheel of the belt sander portion will likely be steel. You want a rubber front wheel to allow you to grind evenly and smoothly. Still, that looks damned good for a grinding wheel. Just bead blast the striking area and you're golden.

 

A few tips for the torching? Move the torch fast back and forth over the surface of the entire wedge/club to get even heating. It'll produce much more even colors. I have 4 torches here, 3 propane and one MAPP gas. When I want a nice even torch job, I use at least 2, sometimes all 3 propane torches. If I want something as dark as possible, I fire up the MAPP gas torch and heat everything with it as evenly as possible and as cherry red as possible. It'll be even when it cools.

 

Oh, and make sure to use a degreasing agent prior to torching, you won't get fingerprint stains afterwards (like one or two of those have). I usually degrease and pick up with nitrile gloves to move to my homemade torching stand. That way everything looks even.

 

Still, great job, and if this is your first effort at grinding, you really did do a fantastic job with it. The torching looks good too.

[RookieBlue7]

Oh, and as for the acid bath, make sure to wear a respirator and gloves. The bad thing is, you need a hazmat license to properly dispose of the waste. I hope you didn't just dump it down the drain. The chemical you create when stripping chrome using acid is hexavalent chromium, the same thing Erin Brockovich is famous for litigating against. It's highly caustic and highly hazardous. I prefer to take my stuff to a chrome shop and have them deplate it so they deal with the waste, health hazards, etc. Kudos for getting the job done, just make sure you do it safely. No need screwing your health up over a custom club job.

[Matt Saternus]

Very cool post Matt, thank you for sharing. At some point when time permits I'd like to do some tinkering myself, and your post here will help me get on my way. One quick question that is probably elementary, but I'm curious. On the 52* Vokey you pulled it out of the acid bath and then it went straight to the vice for torching, right? I guess the reason for asking is that you didn't end up grinding on that particular wedge later AFTER you torched it. I'd want to do all of my grinding prior to torching the wedge for the finish, correct?

 

You're very welcome, trying to help others learn (mainly through my mistakes) was exactly the point. With the 52*, you are correct, I went acid, water (to clean the acid off), then torch. I did not do a grind to the 52*.

 

I did take the 64*, the Mizuno 60* and the 52* to work today and hit them off the mat. The C grind on the 64* is killer - it's sooooo easy to open up and toss in the air with tons of spin. I even backed a couple up on the astroturf mats. The grind on the Mizuno was nice too. The other cool thing was feeling the difference between the raw and plated wedges - it is substantial. The raw wedges were a bit louder and clickier than the chrome plate, which was surprising, but they provided a MUCH better idea of where I hit the ball than the plated wedge. I think I will be looking for raw wedges exclusively in the future.

[Matt Saternus]

Day 2 of indoor grind testing revealed something pretty interesting. I had read that the P grind (channel in the middle of the sole) creates a "double bounce" effect which promotes higher, softer landing shots. Seemed silly to me, but I wanted to try it anyway. Results from the mats today confirmed that what I thought was silly was in fact 100% true. I had a number of people hit the P grind against another 60* wedge and everyone hit the P grind higher. I am very eager to see (hopefully tomorrow, weather permitting) whether or not this is true on grass as well. I'm also hoping to find a practice bunker where I can see the effect that the P grind and the multi-channel grind have in the sand.

[GolfSpy Tim]

ok, super curious about the P grind. has it played through on grass?

[EdGolf]

This sure makes me wanna try torching a couple of my old wedges and putters.

 

A quick question... what sort of oil do you guys dip em in after the torching process? Mineral oil or it doesn't matter?

[GolfSpy WD]

Thanks for reviving this thread, I hadn't read it and it was a great read. Matt, did you keep using the wedges and have you messed around with grinds since posting this?

[BK in TEXAS]

ok, super curious about the P grind. has it played through on grass?

X2

 

Cool project too BTW!

[Matt Saternus]

Thanks for reviving this thread, I hadn't read it and it was a great read. Matt, did you keep using the wedges and have you messed around with grinds since posting this?

 

The revival of this thread made me nostalgic for concepts like "off day."

 

I haven't done any grinding since that day and all of those wedges moved on...I think I donated them all when MGS did a club drive for First Tee or a similar program.

[RoverRick]

I do not have time to read all of these posts for now, that pesky job is interferring again, but I do want to say, and it may have been said, you can get the gun blue from Dick's and put on the wedges. I do that to my Mizuno Raw Haze wedge it looks really cool, but it does wear off so you simply dab some on a paper towel and so it again.

 

I look forward to reading about his tomorrow night when I can.

[EdGolf]

Have anyone ever tried doing that with their irons?? I think would look really cool.....

[apprenti23]

Great revival!!! Those wedges look awesome!!!

[RookieBlue7]

Have anyone ever tried doing that with their irons?? I think would look really cool.....

 

 

It does look that way, right until the first time you're in the sand or in sandy soil.

[Ice]

I'm in the process of doing this to my Carnahan wedges. Time iis short nowadays so it will take me a while, but it will be done. I'm gonna strip the chrome myself because the shop wanted an obscene amount of money to do it for me. Now I ned to decide if I want to use the oil or not or just blue it without the oil.

[finalist]

VERY COOL.

I'd love to get into grinding my own wedges.

The next step is to find a supply of forged, over weight, raw and blank wedge heads! Then order an MS custom stamp and loft/lie bending machine.

 

 

Day 2 of indoor grind testing revealed something pretty interesting. I had read that the P grind (channel in the middle of the sole) creates a "double bounce" effect which promotes higher, softer landing shots. Seemed silly to me, but I wanted to try it anyway. Results from the mats today confirmed that what I thought was silly was in fact 100% true. I had a number of people hit the P grind against another 60* wedge and everyone hit the P grind higher. I am very eager to see (hopefully tomorrow, weather permitting) whether or not this is true on grass as well. I'm also hoping to find a practice bunker where I can see the effect that the P grind and the multi-channel grind have in the sand.

 

 

I play a P grind type Scratch wedge, called PWE, for the past five years and love it. It's the only shape I'll game. Lot's of bounce for full swings and great heel and toe grinds for opening up the face, yet still exposing bounce for soft green side conditions. Get hat bounce under the ball and watch it pop up the ball. On full swings it can bite a little but with 13° of bounce it won't stay in the ground. The trick is to make the grind have a lot of heel and toe relief with a well placed channel.

[RookieBlue7]

VERY COOL.

I'd love to get into grinding my own wedges.

The next step is to find a supply of forged, over weight, raw and blank wedge heads! Then order an MS custom stamp and loft/lie bending machine.

 

 

 

 

 

I play a P grind type Scratch wedge, called PWE, for the past five years and love it. It's the only shape I'll game. Lot's of bounce for full swings and great heel and toe grinds for opening up the face, yet still exposing bounce for soft green side conditions. Get hat bounce under the ball and watch it pop up the ball. On full swings it can bite a little but with 13° of bounce it won't stay in the ground. The trick is to make the grind have a lot of heel and toe relief with a well placed channel.

 

 

I know where one can buy overweight blanks at, shoot me a PM if you're interested.

[Matt Saternus]

VERY COOL.

I'd love to get into grinding my own wedges.

The next step is to find a supply of forged, over weight, raw and blank wedge heads! Then order an MS custom stamp and loft/lie bending machine.

 

 

Thank you, it was fun.

 

I've actually got the loft/lie machine already. All I learned from this experiment (as much fun as it was), is that this is best left to the experts. Guys like JP are artists with tons of experience, I was just goofing around.

[Ice]

Thank you, it was fun.

 

I've actually got the loft/lie machine already. All I learned from this experiment (as much fun as it was), is that this is best left to the experts. Guys like JP are artists with tons of experience, I was just goofing around.

 

I like the way your blue oil ones turned out. Going for that look exactly. I don't really care if it us uniform or not. Gonna golf around with a few practice wedges then get the Carnahans blued. It adds a personal touch doing it myself, I enjoy doing it myself, and it saves money which I don't have a ton of for golf.

[LT59]

I have some scratch 1018's that I've been thinking about doing this with. Thanks for the post matt, it's a bit more enticing now!

 

LT59

[TMAdidas]

Those wedges look great! I'd like to torch my ATV now!