Tips from the Bench: Ferrule Removal

How and When to Remove a Ferrule

While we have mentioned in a previous article how to safely remove a graphite shaft, one thing we failed to do was say how and when to remove the ferrule.  Most novice clubmakers take for granted that you simply just slice the ferrule off prior to putting the club into their shaft puller.  Like most procedures, there is a right way and a wrong way to do so.  So here are some tips that will make this procedure safe and effective.

Step 1:  Leave the ferrule on the shaft

This may seem like I am talking in tongues here, but in order to remove a golf ferrule you need to leave it on first.  To explain, remember we need to break the epoxy bond loose with a heat source in order to remove the shaft from the head.  There are several reasons why I will leave the ferrule on, one of which it is easier to cut a ferrule that is warmed up than it is cold.  Secondly, if you accidentally move your heat source toward the golf shaft instead of the hosel, the ferrule will help protect it.  For a normal ferrule, don’t be scared to add a little heat to it – just so it starts melting it.  When I say a little, I mean a little.  Try not to totally melt the ferrule otherwise you will have a big mess to clean up.

Step 2:  Cut to the chase

Immediately after heating the hosel and a little of the ferrule to start melting it, take a long handled utility knife (I like to use a Hyde knife), then carefully cut the ferrule.  The blade should go parallel to the shaft so you do not cut into the fibers.

Also, cut along the back side of the ferrule.  Why?  In case the knife slips, you will not potentially ruin the finish on a part of the head that is visible especially on painted heads like drivers, fairways and hybrids.

The only case you do not want to cut a ferrule is on some of the thick, thermoplastic specialty ferrules. Examples are the modern Callaway drivers, fairways and hybrids which you are just best off to leave on the shaft and have your shaft puller push against it instead of the top of the hosel.  Yes, it will get deformed, but it will be easier to get off later.  For those who have tried to cut one of those ferrules with a knife will attest just how hard they are.

Continue cutting through the ferrule until you reach the top of the hosel.

Step 3: Lickety-Split

Now that the ferrule is split, you should be able to peel it away from the shaft.  You can use your knife blade to assist you rather than trying to use your fingers or some other type of tool to use.

These steps should take less than a minute as you do not want the hosel or ferrule to become cool.  Now you are ready to use you puller to extract the shaft.

Here are a couple more tips to remember.  As soon as the shaft is removed from the head, immediately remove any epoxy from inside the hosel. There are a number of items you can use such as sandpaper rolls on a mandrel that can be stuck in your hand drill, to hosel cleaning brushes to items you might have lying around like a triangle file shown here.

One other thing to do is to clean the shaft tip of epoxy when it is warm as well.  At this point the epoxy can easily be scraped away from the shaft tip with your utility knife.  Remember not to dig or gouge into the tip as all you want to do is scrape off loose epoxy so it can be ready for the time you might need to re-use the shaft if it was successfully removed.

Hopefully these tips will help you increase your efficiency in your shop!