Cleaning vintage golf clubs.

[Tony]

I've come by some very old hickory shafted clubs, the heads of which
are quite rusty. Has anyone any advice on the best way to remove the
rust - any good proprietary cleaners out there?

Thanks.

Tony.

[Tony]

Post by Tony
I've come by some very old hickory shafted clubs, the heads of which
are quite rusty. Has anyone any advice on the best way to remove the
rust - any good proprietary cleaners out there?
Thanks.
Tony.

Also, has anyone any reference points as to ascertaining the value? I
know nothing about old clubs.

T.

[John Laird]

Post by Tony
I've come by some very old hickory shafted clubs, the heads of which
are quite rusty. Has anyone any advice on the best way to remove the
rust - any good proprietary cleaners out there?

I don't believe you can "clean" rust - it's the surface of the steel
that has oxidised, after all. I would start with fine wet-and-dry,
used wet, or some very fine grade steel wool (I forget which is less
abrasive - probably the wool). Go gently, and apply some metal polish
when you've finished.

We do have a resident expert in these matters, although he's been quiet
of late (probably off somewhere exotic !).

[Chris & Janet Homer]

Post by John Laird

Post by Tony
I've come by some very old hickory shafted clubs, the heads of which
are quite rusty. Has anyone any advice on the best way to remove the
rust - any good proprietary cleaners out there?

I don't believe you can "clean" rust - it's the surface of the steel
that has oxidised, after all. I would start with fine wet-and-dry,
used wet, or some very fine grade steel wool (I forget which is less
abrasive - probably the wool). Go gently, and apply some metal polish
when you've finished.
We do have a resident expert in these matters, although he's been quiet
of late (probably off somewhere exotic !).
--
"Reputation: what others are not thinking about you."

Been in Scotland - off to the Netherlands on Friday for a week's hickory
events. It's a hard life but someone has to do it:))

Chris
chrisatoldlinksgolfdotcom

[Thomas Prufer]

Post by Tony
I've come by some very old hickory shafted clubs, the heads of which
are quite rusty. Has anyone any advice on the best way to remove the
rust - any good proprietary cleaners out there?

Google for "electrolytic rust removal". Strips the rust but not the iron. I've
used it on old tools, and it is entirely satisfactory.

Don't know how you'd protect the hickory shaft, as the cleaning method involves
immersing the metal in an electrolyte.


Thomas Prufer

[JPW]

Go to an engineering merchants and ask for some phosphate jelly. This
is a clear jel, sold in small tubes about as big as an araldite tube,
which you spread lightly, leave for a period of time, wash off with
water, dry and hey presto its done!

It works like this. The jel contains Phosphoric Acid which has a
unique property of dissolving iron oxide (rust) quickly while etching
iron very slowly. (Remember that your iron clubs are not iron at all
but steel which is an alloy of iron and carbon) This means that you can
leave metal in Phosphoric Acid for much longer than necessary with very
little damage. The acid will attack bare metal slowly so you watch what
is going on and leave the jel on for a minimum of time, just enough to
remove the rust.

Another unique advantage of Phosphoric Acid is that it leaves a fine
coating of iron phosphate behind. Iron phosphate is a rust
preventative. However, the iron phosphate coating is not very thick and
not durable. Some additional protection may be required. A simple
solution is a wipe with an oily rag or a spray with WD 40.

Phosphoric Acid etch will leave a hard, bright metal finish. This is
because it will etch the surface slightly, exposing new, bare metal.

Hope that helps.

[Chris & Janet Homer]

Post by Tony
I've come by some very old hickory shafted clubs, the heads of which
are quite rusty. Has anyone any advice on the best way to remove the
rust - any good proprietary cleaners out there?
Thanks.
Tony.

Heads of hickory shafted irons should be cleaned using two grades of wet or
dry as John says, in the wet use medium then fine. If they are not too
pitted, finish off with a metal polish. I have usesd Autosol for years (at
Halfords etc).

I would never use 'rust removers' as you are looking to get the same finish
as when the clubs were in use 80 or so years ago.

Head cleaning is but a first step in restoring your clubs. The shafts are
the heart of the club.

Value depends on collectability which reflects the interest in the club, its
age, patent, maker etc and, of course, its scarcity. Most clubs, called
'commons' have none of these attributes and while they might make attractive
wall hangers or in many cases, like ours, be restored for play, they may be
bought for a tenner or less. Less than 5% are of interest to collectors.

The value of clubs gnerally has collapsed following first the withdrawal of
the Japanese from the market and then the relative collapse of the dollar.
Clean them up and tell me what you have.

For more on hickory golf see our website www.oldlinksgolf.com and that of
Ralph Livingstone (in the U.S.A.) www.hickorygolf.com whose website has a
wealth of information on hickory club restoration.

Chris
('Hickory' Homer)
chrisatoldlinksgolfdotcom