iron sole grinding

[Paul S]

Well, It's always been in the back of my mind that the only thing I don't like about my FG Tour V2s is the width of the sole. Even though I didn't prefer the feel of the MP 59s, I LOVED the sole on them and it's always bugged me that the FG Tours were just a bit chunkier in the sole. SO, I was looking at a bunch of  Pro WITBs and when i got to the Wilson staffer Kevin Streelman, I noticed that his FG Tours actually had a very slight sole grind on the trailing edge to give them a much sleeker sole akin to the MP 59s. It's EXACTLY what I want in my irons, though I don't know if this is something that I could realistically attempt on my own. Does anyone have any suggestion or experience on the topic?

 

Here's the WITB link where you can notice the very slight sole grind on the trailing edge.

 

[Mr_Theoo]

Only thing i could see happening with doing it yourself is having raw steel exposed so you might see some rust form over time

[Paul S]

Only thing i could see happening with doing it yourself is having raw steel exposed so you might see some rust form over time

That was also my chief concern. I know that I have more than enough attention to detail to get the right grind, I'm mostly interested in ways to make it look as clean as possible. I like the rust look, though I think it's much better on a club that will rust evenly, rather than just the trailing edge of the sole.

[Blade]

Don't forget about the weight you would be removing besides taking the chrome off.  

[Paul S]

Don't forget about the weight you would be removing besides taking the chrome off.  

That's also a very interesting point. I'm less worried about that right now because they're already pretty head heavy. They've been MOI matched, so I am worried that I'll knock them out of that. I'm curious about whether I can take of the same amount of sole through the set and retain the MOI matched characteristics. 

[Blade]

Oh if they're moi matched, definitely leave them alone. They won't be after grinding on them.

[Paul S]

Oh if they're moi matched, definitely leave them alone. They won't be after grinding on them.

Argh! Maybe what I'll do is grind the 3 iron next weekend because it's not even on a shaft and see how it looks in the end. If it's what I want, then I'll do them all and have them MOI matched again afterward. Otherwise, I'll wait till W/S comes out with some FG Tour V3s and hope that they have a sleeker sole.

[Blade]

Find some old irons with a similar finish and see what you get with grinding. Hate to see a set broken up.

[RookieBlue7]

If you're wantiing to do a trailing edge relief and aren't real experienced on the grinder, there's an easier, more fool proof way to grins the trailing edge off on irons.  Put them in a vice with just a small part of the sole exposed on the trailing edge.  Mark the relief you want on the sole with a Sharpie.  (as in the line up to which you'll grind as far as material removal).  Then mark at a 60 or 70 degree angle to the back flange a matching line the length of the sole.  Then you can use one of 2 tools.  If you have a steady hand, a die grinder with an 80 grit sanding wheel works great.  If you're afraid of messing it up or don't have a steady hand, use a double ba$tard hand file (that's what the cutting surface is called double ba$tard).  It'll take longer, but you're far less likely to mess it up.  Once you get close to the lines, switch to a single ba$tard file.  Once you're very close, use a sanding block increasing the grit until it's as polished as you want it.  Hit it with a polishing wheel and jewler's rouge and you're done.  It will be succeptable to rusting, but if it works for you, who cares if it rusts?  It's not going to render the useful part of the club useless, it just won't be as pretty.

If you own a sanding belt attachment for a grinder that has a rubber front wheel (the rubber front wheel is a must as it keeps it from jumping and allows you to apply pressure) then use that.  If you don't have one, the attachment isnt' real cheap.  Grizzly makes one as does JET.  Both are $250+ attachments last I checked.

[Shambles]

It's too big a job and needs too much skill. The end cost will be prohibitive.

 

 

Shambles

[Paul S]

If you're wantiing to do a trailing edge relief and aren't real experienced on the grinder, there's an easier, more fool proof way to grins the trailing edge off on irons.  Put them in a vice with just a small part of the sole exposed on the trailing edge.  Mark the relief you want on the sole with a Sharpie.  (as in the line up to which you'll grind as far as material removal).  Then mark at a 60 or 70 degree angle to the back flange a matching line the length of the sole.  Then you can use one of 2 tools.  If you have a steady hand, a die grinder with an 80 grit sanding wheel works great.  If you're afraid of messing it up or don't have a steady hand, use a double ba$tard hand file (that's what the cutting surface is called double ba$tard).  It'll take longer, but you're far less likely to mess it up.  Once you get close to the lines, switch to a single ba$tard file.  Once you're very close, use a sanding block increasing the grit until it's as polished as you want it.  Hit it with a polishing wheel and jewler's rouge and you're done.  It will be succeptable to rusting, but if it works for you, who cares if it rusts?  It's not going to render the useful part of the club useless, it just won't be as pretty.

 

If you own a sanding belt attachment for a grinder that has a rubber front wheel (the rubber front wheel is a must as it keeps it from jumping and allows you to apply pressure) then use that.  If you don't have one, the attachment isnt' real cheap.  Grizzly makes one as does JET.  Both are $250+ attachments last I checked.

That's great advice. I'm still thinking about experimenting with the 3 iron because that way I can really see what it will look like. My dad does quite a bit of woodworking at home, and he may actually have coarse enough paper for his belt sander. I'm not sure that it has the give in it that I'll need. Either way, I have a steady hand and would have no qualms with doing it by hand, so I may just go that route regardless. I'm determined to do this though.