Popular Post edingc Posted November 17, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted November 17, 2019 I picked up a 52/56/60 set of Vokey clones from Diamond Tour Golf a few weeks ago, with the intention of possibly using them as my wedges next season. At $35 delivered for the three heads, I figured it to be a cheap experiment for me to try. The heads are 431 stainless steel, and while not ugly, aren't gorgeous either. They're boring, and the branding/font used screams clone to me. I'm a fan of the "oil can" or "gun blue" finishing that can be used on carbon steel wedges, stainless however does not have option. So, I decided to give tempering a try to bring out some dark straw, blue and purple colors. First, what the wedges looked like from DTG. I removed the paint fill with some CitriStrip and acetone, and then using latex gloves gave them a final acetone wipe to remove any oily residue before torching. I have a propane weed torch from Harbor Freight that I use for weeding our driveway and also searing steaks post-sous vide. HF claims the torch can reach over 3,000 degrees, and since stainless takes a lot of heat to temper, it was my choice for this work. I have a smaller propane torch, but I would have been heating each head for a long time (target temperature for blue/purple color on stainless is VERY high). Please note: Be careful. I managed to complete this without burning my house down, but I am not responsible for whatever happens if you choose to (literally) play with fire. I setup on my concrete driveway placing the head on a brick so that the driveway wouldn't bear the brunt of the heat. Basically, I blasted away for several minutes until I got the color I wanted and them dumped the heads in a snowbank to cool rapidly. I recommend a long screwdriver or bolt to turn the heads and to transport them to their cooling destination. I almost started an oven mitt on fire because the heads were so hot. Anyway, I'm excited with how they turned out! I certainly didn't have perfect prep work and it shows, but I like the uniqueness of each head. In dim light they are dark straw/bronze color, and in the sunlight they have a lot of blue and purple highlights that are gorgeous. I haven't decided if I want to do new paint fill on them, or leave them empty. But, all in all, this was a fun experiment. I personally think they look a lot better than before. romeopapazulu, TShaffer, clafoone and 14 others 17 Quote Unofficial WHS Handicap: 7.5 / Anti-Cap: 13.0 (Last Updated Feb. 19, 2024) Driver: Callaway Paradym TD (10.5°, -1/N), 45.75", Fujikura Motore X F1 6X | Fitting Post 3 Wood: Cobra RadSpeed Big Tour (14.5°), 43", Fujikura Motore X F1 7X 20° Hybrid: PXG 0211 (2020 Model), 40.25", Mitsubishi Tensei AV RAW White 90X 4 Utility: Cobra KING Utility (2020 Model), 38.5", Aerotech SteelFiber i110cw Stiff 5-PW: Ben Hogan PTx Pro, 37" 7 Iron, Aerotech SteelFiber i125cw Stiff | Club Champion Fitting 50°, 54°, 58°: Edel SMS, V Grind, Nippon Modus 125 Wedge| Official Review Thread Putter: L.A.B. Golf DF 2.1, 36", 68°, Black with Custom Sightlines, BGT Stability Tour, L.A.B. Press II 3° | Unofficial Review Grips: Star Sidewinder, Undersized with Custom Tape Build-Up Ball: Snell MTB-X Optic Yellow Tracked By: Shot Scope H4 Bag: Personalized 2020 Sun Mountain Sync Riding On: Bag Boy Nitron | Official Review Thread WITB? | 2022 Reviewer Edel SMS Wedges | 2021 Reviewer Maxfli Tour and Tour X Balls | 2020 Participant #CobraConnect Challenge | 2019 Reviewer Callaway Epic Flash Driver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hckymeyer Posted November 17, 2019 Share Posted November 17, 2019 Great write up and step by step. I agree they look 100% better, well done! edingc and JohnSmalls 2 Quote Driver: SLDR w/ Fujikura Ventus Black 3w: '16 M2 hl w/ Diamana D+ 82 5w: Launcher HB w/ HZRDUS Yellow Hybrid: 22 deg. Launcher HB w/ HZRDUS Black Irons: 5i - gap Launcher CBX w/ Nippon Modus 3 125 Wedges: 54 CBX & 58 Zipcore w/ Nippon Modus 3 125 Putter: Red 7s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azstu324 Posted November 17, 2019 Share Posted November 17, 2019 Hey total wacky non-golf related side question.. how does the torch do with finishing a sous vide steak? I've been curious about any possible propane flavor on the meat but I'm the only person in my own crazy world who even knows what the hell a sous vide even is so I can't really ask around. I use a cast iron pan but it's really easy to further cook the meat by the time you get a good caramelization.. and I've seen a bunch of videos recommending the torch approach. "Sous vide everything" is a fun YouTube channel. Excellent job on the wedges BTW! the more I practice, the luckier I seem to get.. Rchang, JChurch and edingc 3 Quote PXG 0311 Gen 5 9°/ Fujikura MotoreX F1 6X F6 3 Wood 14* / Kuro Kage Silver 65X F8 6 wood 20* / Fujikura MotoreX F3 6S RADSpeed Hybrid 24* TS1 4-GW / FCM Precision 6.5 Rifle TSW Wedge - 56/12 EAS 1.0 / Grip master 2.0 MAXFLI Tour CG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edingc Posted November 17, 2019 Author Share Posted November 17, 2019 2 hours ago, azstu324 said: Hey total wacky non-golf related side question.. how does the torch do with finishing a sous vide steak? I've been curious about any possible propane flavor on the meat but I'm the only person in my own crazy world who even knows what the hell a sous vide even is so I can't really ask around. I use a cast iron pan but it's really easy to further cook the meat by the time you get a good caramelization.. and I've seen a bunch of videos recommending the torch approach. "Sous vide everything" is a fun YouTube channel. Excellent job on the wedges BTW! the more I practice, the luckier I seem to get.. I haven't used it a ton, but I often will use a combo of cast iron on the stovetop with a smaller handheld propane torch with good results. I don't notice any propane flavors, the important thing is to make sure the torch is lit before pointing it at the food. Based on my reading most of the "off" flavors are the result of uncombusted propane that can happen before it is fully ignited. Part of the reason I haven't used it a lot is that I'm a little gun shy - I warped one of my nice stainless cooking racks with it (turned a blue/purple color - part of the inspiration for this project) and I haven't tried it since. Next time I think I'd put a cast iron pan right on the driveway and then blast the steaks inside of there! JChurch 1 Quote Unofficial WHS Handicap: 7.5 / Anti-Cap: 13.0 (Last Updated Feb. 19, 2024) Driver: Callaway Paradym TD (10.5°, -1/N), 45.75", Fujikura Motore X F1 6X | Fitting Post 3 Wood: Cobra RadSpeed Big Tour (14.5°), 43", Fujikura Motore X F1 7X 20° Hybrid: PXG 0211 (2020 Model), 40.25", Mitsubishi Tensei AV RAW White 90X 4 Utility: Cobra KING Utility (2020 Model), 38.5", Aerotech SteelFiber i110cw Stiff 5-PW: Ben Hogan PTx Pro, 37" 7 Iron, Aerotech SteelFiber i125cw Stiff | Club Champion Fitting 50°, 54°, 58°: Edel SMS, V Grind, Nippon Modus 125 Wedge| Official Review Thread Putter: L.A.B. Golf DF 2.1, 36", 68°, Black with Custom Sightlines, BGT Stability Tour, L.A.B. Press II 3° | Unofficial Review Grips: Star Sidewinder, Undersized with Custom Tape Build-Up Ball: Snell MTB-X Optic Yellow Tracked By: Shot Scope H4 Bag: Personalized 2020 Sun Mountain Sync Riding On: Bag Boy Nitron | Official Review Thread WITB? | 2022 Reviewer Edel SMS Wedges | 2021 Reviewer Maxfli Tour and Tour X Balls | 2020 Participant #CobraConnect Challenge | 2019 Reviewer Callaway Epic Flash Driver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaturdayGolfer Posted November 18, 2019 Share Posted November 18, 2019 They look great! And good tip on the screwdriver/bolt - I could definitely see myself burning a hole through an oven mitt had I not read that warning. Any residual scorching on the driveway or did the brick do a good job taking the brunt of the heat? edingc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edingc Posted November 19, 2019 Author Share Posted November 19, 2019 2 hours ago, SaturdayGolfer said: They look great! And good tip on the screwdriver/bolt - I could definitely see myself burning a hole through an oven mitt had I not read that warning. Any residual scorching on the driveway or did the brick do a good job taking the brunt of the heat? Thanks! No scorching on the driveway or the brick. I made sure to cool the brick in a snowbank as well. I ordered some shafts for these this past weekend and will be building them soon. Quote Unofficial WHS Handicap: 7.5 / Anti-Cap: 13.0 (Last Updated Feb. 19, 2024) Driver: Callaway Paradym TD (10.5°, -1/N), 45.75", Fujikura Motore X F1 6X | Fitting Post 3 Wood: Cobra RadSpeed Big Tour (14.5°), 43", Fujikura Motore X F1 7X 20° Hybrid: PXG 0211 (2020 Model), 40.25", Mitsubishi Tensei AV RAW White 90X 4 Utility: Cobra KING Utility (2020 Model), 38.5", Aerotech SteelFiber i110cw Stiff 5-PW: Ben Hogan PTx Pro, 37" 7 Iron, Aerotech SteelFiber i125cw Stiff | Club Champion Fitting 50°, 54°, 58°: Edel SMS, V Grind, Nippon Modus 125 Wedge| Official Review Thread Putter: L.A.B. Golf DF 2.1, 36", 68°, Black with Custom Sightlines, BGT Stability Tour, L.A.B. Press II 3° | Unofficial Review Grips: Star Sidewinder, Undersized with Custom Tape Build-Up Ball: Snell MTB-X Optic Yellow Tracked By: Shot Scope H4 Bag: Personalized 2020 Sun Mountain Sync Riding On: Bag Boy Nitron | Official Review Thread WITB? | 2022 Reviewer Edel SMS Wedges | 2021 Reviewer Maxfli Tour and Tour X Balls | 2020 Participant #CobraConnect Challenge | 2019 Reviewer Callaway Epic Flash Driver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edingc Posted November 29, 2019 Author Share Posted November 29, 2019 The 52 degree is looking really nice when shafted up with a black and white ferrule from msfix13 on eBay. I went with a cheap Apollo Standard Stepless shaft from Hireko, trimmed to stiff, soft-stepped once. Just need a slight turn on the ferrule to get it flush with the hosel. Adding a black Star Sidewinder grip tomorrow morning to finish it off and it will be heading out to the range shortly thereafter to give it a whirl. Based on Hireko's DSFI numbers, the Apollo Stepless should feel similar to my C-Taper Lites, but about 10 grams heavier with a slightly softer tip. At 35.5" playing length, it's going to come close to D8 swingweight, about four points heavier than my mid-irons. We'll see how that works out. Total cost for each of the wedges will be around $26, $78 or so for all three. If they perform decently, that's a great deal. Rtracymog, Calvo90 and cnosil 3 Quote Unofficial WHS Handicap: 7.5 / Anti-Cap: 13.0 (Last Updated Feb. 19, 2024) Driver: Callaway Paradym TD (10.5°, -1/N), 45.75", Fujikura Motore X F1 6X | Fitting Post 3 Wood: Cobra RadSpeed Big Tour (14.5°), 43", Fujikura Motore X F1 7X 20° Hybrid: PXG 0211 (2020 Model), 40.25", Mitsubishi Tensei AV RAW White 90X 4 Utility: Cobra KING Utility (2020 Model), 38.5", Aerotech SteelFiber i110cw Stiff 5-PW: Ben Hogan PTx Pro, 37" 7 Iron, Aerotech SteelFiber i125cw Stiff | Club Champion Fitting 50°, 54°, 58°: Edel SMS, V Grind, Nippon Modus 125 Wedge| Official Review Thread Putter: L.A.B. Golf DF 2.1, 36", 68°, Black with Custom Sightlines, BGT Stability Tour, L.A.B. Press II 3° | Unofficial Review Grips: Star Sidewinder, Undersized with Custom Tape Build-Up Ball: Snell MTB-X Optic Yellow Tracked By: Shot Scope H4 Bag: Personalized 2020 Sun Mountain Sync Riding On: Bag Boy Nitron | Official Review Thread WITB? | 2022 Reviewer Edel SMS Wedges | 2021 Reviewer Maxfli Tour and Tour X Balls | 2020 Participant #CobraConnect Challenge | 2019 Reviewer Callaway Epic Flash Driver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kor.A.Door Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 Were these plated before hand. If so how did you remove the plating? edingc 1 Quote Lefties are always in their Right Mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballplayer002003 Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 Nice job! Don't paint fill. I can't tell if you filled with black or if it's just the shadow. But again, they look MUCH MUCH better!!! edingc 1 Quote Driver: Epic Flash Sub Zero Hzdrs Smoke x flex 70g 3 Wood: 917 w/ Diamana Whiteboard stiff 5 Wood : Epic Flash 18* Hzdrs Smoke stiff 4 Hybrid: TSi3 Hzdrs Smoke X flex Irons: 5-7 Apex forged 19 w/ Modus 120 X 9-A Apex Pro 19 w/ Modus 120 X Wedges: MD5 52&56 Jaws Dynamic Gold wedge flex Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 5.5 34" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miboy62 Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 Great job, those look awesome! edingc 1 Quote ZX5 MKII LS 8.5 Stealth 2 plus 3 wood Stealth 2 plus 5 wood Stealth 2 plus 19.5 Hybrid ZX5 MKll 5 / AW Dart stiff MG3 black 52 9b 58 12b 7.5 Phantom 34” Z Star Diamond 2023 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edingc Posted January 25, 2020 Author Share Posted January 25, 2020 Thanks, all! On 1/9/2020 at 1:47 PM, Kor.A.Door said: Were these plated before hand. If so how did you remove the plating? These weren't chrome plated, just more of a brushed stainless finish. Quote Unofficial WHS Handicap: 7.5 / Anti-Cap: 13.0 (Last Updated Feb. 19, 2024) Driver: Callaway Paradym TD (10.5°, -1/N), 45.75", Fujikura Motore X F1 6X | Fitting Post 3 Wood: Cobra RadSpeed Big Tour (14.5°), 43", Fujikura Motore X F1 7X 20° Hybrid: PXG 0211 (2020 Model), 40.25", Mitsubishi Tensei AV RAW White 90X 4 Utility: Cobra KING Utility (2020 Model), 38.5", Aerotech SteelFiber i110cw Stiff 5-PW: Ben Hogan PTx Pro, 37" 7 Iron, Aerotech SteelFiber i125cw Stiff | Club Champion Fitting 50°, 54°, 58°: Edel SMS, V Grind, Nippon Modus 125 Wedge| Official Review Thread Putter: L.A.B. Golf DF 2.1, 36", 68°, Black with Custom Sightlines, BGT Stability Tour, L.A.B. Press II 3° | Unofficial Review Grips: Star Sidewinder, Undersized with Custom Tape Build-Up Ball: Snell MTB-X Optic Yellow Tracked By: Shot Scope H4 Bag: Personalized 2020 Sun Mountain Sync Riding On: Bag Boy Nitron | Official Review Thread WITB? | 2022 Reviewer Edel SMS Wedges | 2021 Reviewer Maxfli Tour and Tour X Balls | 2020 Participant #CobraConnect Challenge | 2019 Reviewer Callaway Epic Flash Driver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rickp Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 I picked up a 52/56/60 set of Vokey clones from Diamond Tour Golf a few weeks ago, with the intention of possibly using them as my wedges next season. At $35 delivered for the three heads, I figured it to be a cheap experiment for me to try. The heads are 431 stainless steel, and while not ugly, aren't gorgeous either. They're boring, and the branding/font used screams clone to me. I'm a fan of the "oil can" or "gun blue" finishing that can be used on carbon steel wedges, stainless however does not have option. So, I decided to give tempering a try to bring out some dark straw, blue and purple colors. First, what the wedges looked like from DTG. I removed the paint fill with some CitriStrip and acetone, and then using latex gloves gave them a final acetone wipe to remove any oily residue before torching. I have a propane weed torch from Harbor Freight that I use for weeding our driveway and also searing steaks post-sous vide. HF claims the torch can reach over 3,000 degrees, and since stainless takes a lot of heat to temper, it was my choice for this work. I have a smaller propane torch, but I would have been heating each head for a long time (target temperature for blue/purple color on stainless is VERY high). Please note: Be careful. I managed to complete this without burning my house down, but I am not responsible for whatever happens if you choose to (literally) play with fire. I setup on my concrete driveway placing the head on a brick so that the driveway wouldn't bear the brunt of the heat. Basically, I blasted away for several minutes until I got the color I wanted and them dumped the heads in a snowbank to cool rapidly. I recommend a long screwdriver or bolt to turn the heads and to transport them to their cooling destination. I almost started an oven mitt on fire because the heads were so hot. Anyway, I'm excited with how they turned out! I certainly didn't have perfect prep work and it shows, but I like the uniqueness of each head. In dim light they are dark straw/bronze color, and in the sunlight they have a lot of blue and purple highlights that are gorgeous. I haven't decided if I want to do new paint fill on them, or leave them empty. But, all in all, this was a fun experiment. I personally think they look a lot better than before.Great job, I like itSent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy edingc 1 Quote Rick Left Hand, Driver; PXG 0311XF Cypher 50 gr Senior 5 wood; Ping 425, Senior Shaft 55 gr 7 wood; Ping 425, Senior Shaft 55 gr 5 hybrid; Cally Steelhead, Hazardous R2 Irons; Mizuno JPX 923HM 7-GW Recoil 460 F2 Wedges; Titleist S9 54*, Mizuno SW 56* Putter; Waaay too many to list Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clafoone Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 I like! edingc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmishJason Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 I'm wondering how this affects the clubs in terms of performance. From my LIMITED knowledge of heat treat I'm guessing you actually have changed your clubs at the atomic level. I'm not saying you changed from one type of steel to another, but that color reminds me of iron/steel that has been in a 400-450F draw furnace for a couple hours which relaxes the carbon atoms and makes for a softer material. This is all just a guess because I dont knownthe club manufacturer's process and how/if the clubs are heat treated beyond the forging process. Quote Driver: Cobra Speedzone 10.5 Mitsubishi AV Blue S flex Wood: Cobra Bio Cell 3-4 Grafalloy Pro Launch Blue (low launch original version) S flex Hybrids: Taylormade GAPR 3 KBS graphite shaft Strata 4 and 5 hybrids R flex Irons: Strata 6-PW R flex Wedges: Texan Classics 52, 56, 60 R flex Putter: Odyssey Red Ball mallet Ball: Srixon Q Star Tour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edingc Posted February 9, 2020 Author Share Posted February 9, 2020 On 2/6/2020 at 12:55 AM, AmishJason said: I'm wondering how this affects the clubs in terms of performance. From my LIMITED knowledge of heat treat I'm guessing you actually have changed your clubs at the atomic level. I'm not saying you changed from one type of steel to another, but that color reminds me of iron/steel that has been in a 400-450F draw furnace for a couple hours which relaxes the carbon atoms and makes for a softer material. This is all just a guess because I dont knownthe club manufacturer's process and how/if the clubs are heat treated beyond the forging process. Long-term tempering will definitely change the properties of stainless steel. In this case, I didn't hold temperature long enough to do much beyond change the color. The results are similar to the discoloration that occurs from welding two pieces of stainless together, it just that most welders will go back over with a stainless wire wheel to remove the discoloration after the weld has cooled. The finish has held up really well so far, save for the bottom of the 60 degree that was accidentally skipped off concrete (oops...). Quote Unofficial WHS Handicap: 7.5 / Anti-Cap: 13.0 (Last Updated Feb. 19, 2024) Driver: Callaway Paradym TD (10.5°, -1/N), 45.75", Fujikura Motore X F1 6X | Fitting Post 3 Wood: Cobra RadSpeed Big Tour (14.5°), 43", Fujikura Motore X F1 7X 20° Hybrid: PXG 0211 (2020 Model), 40.25", Mitsubishi Tensei AV RAW White 90X 4 Utility: Cobra KING Utility (2020 Model), 38.5", Aerotech SteelFiber i110cw Stiff 5-PW: Ben Hogan PTx Pro, 37" 7 Iron, Aerotech SteelFiber i125cw Stiff | Club Champion Fitting 50°, 54°, 58°: Edel SMS, V Grind, Nippon Modus 125 Wedge| Official Review Thread Putter: L.A.B. Golf DF 2.1, 36", 68°, Black with Custom Sightlines, BGT Stability Tour, L.A.B. Press II 3° | Unofficial Review Grips: Star Sidewinder, Undersized with Custom Tape Build-Up Ball: Snell MTB-X Optic Yellow Tracked By: Shot Scope H4 Bag: Personalized 2020 Sun Mountain Sync Riding On: Bag Boy Nitron | Official Review Thread WITB? | 2022 Reviewer Edel SMS Wedges | 2021 Reviewer Maxfli Tour and Tour X Balls | 2020 Participant #CobraConnect Challenge | 2019 Reviewer Callaway Epic Flash Driver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kor.A.Door Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 the purple and blue colors come at 450-500 degrees. The copper color changes around 300 degrees. You have to hold temperatures in excess of 900° F or hotter in order to begin to change the steel. Since we are only getting the steel to a temp that will change the color and then letting it cool, theres not really any chance to get them up to 900° F. Quote Lefties are always in their Right Mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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