Tip Weighting Graphite Shafts

[Tyler86]

So Im a tinkerer. Im going to start dabbling in club building. I am not trying to start a debate on the IMPORTANCE of getting fit for shafts etc, i agree 100%. I've decided to experiment with a heavier graphite shaft due to my tempo. Ive been doing a lot of research about tip weighting graphite, particularly Steelfiber i95. I have a feeling im going to have to add 8+ grams to my 699 heads. It would seam as there isnt a really good solution to this as brass weights dont fit in the tip. Ive read that a lot of people drill out the shaft tip ID to fit them. This seems shotty to me, but it could be the industry standard? Im trying to avoid lead/rubber as i quite possibly will end up pulling the shaft again. Ive also read that you can lead/tungsten powder and cork the weight down there. But im confused as to how you can do that when the only ram rods i can find seem too big a diameter to get the cork all the way down the shaft with out getting stuck in these very small ID shafts. I can pick up some smaller diameter stock locally and make a rod, i believe.
 

My other thought was to epoxy some tungsten into the hosel and tip trim accordingly, assuming i still have around 1” of shaft in there as well. 
 

Any insight from you veteran builders/tinkerers would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[Bobbers]

I have brass weights that work like a charm.  Imagine a thick brass wire with a round, flat head on one end.  Got 'em off ebay once upon a time.  Keep in mind that you'll be moving the center of impact toward the heel of the club head by tip weighting the shaft.  And at 8 grams, per your estimate, it might be noticeable when it comes to the finished club.

[Bobbers]

Not sure if this is allowed so if a mod needs to remove it I understand and apologize, but this is what I'm referring to:

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/255463525035?hash=item3b7ad00aab:g:RhwAAOSw5IFiRQoH

[Tyler86]

43 minutes ago, Bobbers said:

I have brass weights that work like a charm.  Imagine a thick brass wire with a round, flat head on one end.  Got 'em off ebay once upon a time.  Keep in mind that you'll be moving the center of impact toward the heel of the club head by tip weighting the shaft.  And at 8 grams, per your estimate, it might be noticeable when it comes to the finished club.

That may not be a bad thing for this guy lol. 
 
Your link says .355”. That fits in a steelfiber i95 tip 3/8”? Seems big from what ive read.

[Bobbers]

14 minutes ago, Tyler86 said:

That may not be a bad thing for this guy lol. 
 
Your link says .355”. That fits in a steelfiber i95 tip 3/8”? Seems big from what ive read.

Actual diameter of the brass "wire" that fits up inside the shaft is more like 4.5mm or .175 inches which will fit the interior of a .355 or .370 shaft pretty easily in my experience.

[Tyler86]

2 hours ago, Bobbers said:

Actual diameter of the brass "wire" that fits up inside the shaft is more like 4.5mm or .175 inches which will fit the interior of a .355 or .370 shaft pretty easily in my experience.

Oh duh…... I read it as OD of the brass. Brain fart

[Bobbers]

8 hours ago, Tyler86 said:

Oh duh…... I read it as OD of the brass. Brain fart

No worries, that's why we're here, to share and clarify information.  As you tinker?  Don't hesitate to ask me questions.  I've been tinkering for 40 years or more, happy to share any information or experience, good or bad, I might have accumulated along the way.

[McGolf]

Not being snotty here but some questions/answers to the questions:

1) Why add 8 grams? you are getting light weight shafts for some reason, the club is going to be light.  Yes you can add weight to get to a particular SW however it will be "feel" the same.  since you are tinkering,  tinker without the weight first.  Then add some lead tape to the head until you get a good feel, measure it and re assemble the heads with the same amount of weight.  That's the whole idea of tinkering. 

2) The club doesn't care what the material of the tip weight is.  the installer might. Brass is popular because lead is baaaaddddd (yes this is sarcastic). Like most things its the amount of exposure and time exposed. Although not an expert, the amount of time handling the lead would be minimal or you could wear a glove and use it just the same.  Yes, drilling the of the tip to make it fit is not the best result however it works.  The aero tech and other makes of shafts that use lots of layers will have small tip IDs. IMO Its a result of trying to reduce torque and making the tip stiffer. You may also find that as the weight gets lighter the tip ID gets bigger. 

3) When dealing with graphite shafts, tip weighting can be a day long discussion, tungsten and cork are always part of the conversation. This method was developed for the steel shaft and not recommended for graphite for fear of creating a shear point inside the shaft and adding some gross amount of weight thus totally wrecking the profile of the shaft. I know as I am about to send this that another reader will add in and say "but I used the tungsten and cork without an issue" and that is ok.  I'm just telling you that method wasn't for graphite. 

4) Welcome to clubmaking and the several different ways to get to the same place. Wait until we start talking about trimming coke cans for shims. :)

[Tyler86]

7 hours ago, McGolf said:

Not being snotty here but some questions/answers to the questions:

1) Why add 8 grams? you are getting light weight shafts for some reason, the club is going to be light.  Yes you can add weight to get to a particular SW however it will be "feel" the same.  since you are tinkering,  tinker without the weight first.  Then add some lead tape to the head until you get a good feel, measure it and re assemble the heads with the same amount of weight.  That's the whole idea of tinkering. 

2) The club doesn't care what the material of the tip weight is.  the installer might. Brass is popular because lead is baaaaddddd (yes this is sarcastic). Like most things its the amount of exposure and time exposed. Although not an expert, the amount of time handling the lead would be minimal or you could wear a glove and use it just the same.  Yes, drilling the of the tip to make it fit is not the best result however it works.  The aero tech and other makes of shafts that use lots of layers will have small tip IDs. IMO Its a result of trying to reduce torque and making the tip stiffer. You may also find that as the weight gets lighter the tip ID gets bigger. 

3) When dealing with graphite shafts, tip weighting can be a day long discussion, tungsten and cork are always part of the conversation. This method was developed for the steel shaft and not recommended for graphite for fear of creating a shear point inside the shaft and adding some gross amount of weight thus totally wrecking the profile of the shaft. I know as I am about to send this that another reader will add in and say "but I used the tungsten and cork without an issue" and that is ok.  I'm just telling you that method wasn't for graphite. 

4) Welcome to clubmaking and the several different ways to get to the same place. Wait until we start talking about trimming coke cans for shims.

No snot taken! I have little idea as to what im doing. I appreciate the insight.

I dont have any issue with using lead tip weights, i just read that they are worse to get out later. 

Im just guessing at the 8. Im hoping little to none will be needed. Ive been messing with lead tape etc for a while. The plan is to rough fit and weigh and go from there. Im only gonna shaft 1 club and see how it goes/fits before i consider doing the others. 
 

The cork and powder creating a shear point is a good thought. Thanks for that one. 
 

Whats your preferred way to add head weight to these types of shafts, permanently, after testing with lead tape?

[McGolf]

16 hours ago, Tyler86 said:

No snot taken! I have little idea as to what im doing. I appreciate the insight.

I dont have any issue with using lead tip weights, i just read that they are worse to get out later. 

Im just guessing at the 8. Im hoping little to none will be needed. Ive been messing with lead tape etc for a while. The plan is to rough fit and weigh and go from there. Im only gonna shaft 1 club and see how it goes/fits before i consider doing the others. 
 

The cork and powder creating a shear point is a good thought. Thanks for that one. 
 

Whats your preferred way to add head weight to these types of shafts, permanently, after testing with lead tape?

actually lead is the easiest to take out IMO.

once you find the proper/ desired weight you will have to take apart the club insert a tip weight and put them back together trimming as needed. to get back to the original length

[Tyler86]

So i pre fit my club today and im at D1 barely. To get to D3 i need 5 to 6 grams in the head. Has anyone thought about mixing tungsten powder with silicone and injecting it into the shaft? Would this alleviate the “shear point” concern since it would be semi flexible?

[flyingwedges]

On 4/16/2022 at 9:13 AM, Tyler86 said:

So Im a tinkerer. Im going to start dabbling in club building. I am not trying to start a debate on the IMPORTANCE of getting fit for shafts etc, i agree 100%. I've decided to experiment with a heavier graphite shaft due to my tempo. Ive been doing a lot of research about tip weighting graphite, particularly Steelfiber i95. I have a feeling im going to have to add 8+ grams to my 699 heads. It would seam as there isnt a really good solution to this as brass weights dont fit in the tip. Ive read that a lot of people drill out the shaft tip ID to fit them. This seems shotty to me, but it could be the industry standard? Im trying to avoid lead/rubber as i quite possibly will end up pulling the shaft again. Ive also read that you can lead/tungsten powder and cork the weight down there. But im confused as to how you can do that when the only ram rods i can find seem too big a diameter to get the cork all the way down the shaft with out getting stuck in these very small ID shafts. I can pick up some smaller diameter stock locally and make a rod, i believe.
 

My other thought was to epoxy some tungsten into the hosel and tip trim accordingly, assuming i still have around 1” of shaft in there as well. 
 

Any insight from you veteran builders/tinkerers would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Seems no one, other than Jim, answered. Here's your sources.

1 - https://www.golfworks.com/lead-shaft-tip-weights/p/gw0105/

2 - https://www.golfworks.com/rubber-tungsten-tip-weights/p/gw0121/

3 - https://billybobsgolf.com/product/brass-swingweights-for-graphite-shafts/

 

Billy Bob's sources much of the equipment they make, themselves.

[Militant Buddha]

Here’s a $ saving tip when tip weighting.

Always buy the heaviest weights available.

Then trim the weight to your desired finished swing weight..

My best friends dad showed me that trick so long ago.

He would say,”You can always remove weight but you can’t add”.

Logical dude he was.

I’m not a club smith like he was but I really enjoyed hanging around his shop when I was young.

Not sure why that stuck with me.