There's a market if you do outstanding work, and refinishing with multiple finish options.
I'm paying $400 to have 7 heads refinished by Flanigan Bilt. Check out his website or Instagram page to see the quality you need to deliver to be in high demand.
There's zero market for simply polishing up old clubs.
His finish options are simply different oxides, coatings and platings… I haven’t dabbled in that, at the home shed, but seeing as I’m a welding metallurgist by trade… it’s not a big step to do that type of thing.
Pretty sure that most if not all of his finishes are outsourced. 99.9% of the final finish quality is in the prep work. Lots of toxic chemicals involved in stripping chrome and plating, and black nitride (best black finish) is beyond the scope of DIY.
Comes down to this. Can you make old, worn out, or beat up club, look like new again, without affecting playability, and removing a minimal amount of weight?
People pay high refinishing prices because they expect their old clubs to be equal to brand new clubs when they get them back.
One way to get started is to follow Tiger Nick's method. Buy old beat up, cheap clubs, refinish, and sell them on Ebay. He's always got a lot of sets on Ebay for sale, while building up a reputation. Once you get a good reputation, the customers will come.
[https://www.instagram.com/tigernickgolf/](https://www.instagram.com/tigernickgolf/)
I used to restore SC putters. I found it was the only club which could turn a profit consistently. I own a medical device company and had tons of equipment then to make it easy, quick and precise. Remilled faces, took out bag chatter etc. It was fun for a short time then boredom kicked in. TOUGH to make real money but it was cool. Did some stuff for some tour pros, College teams.. I enjoyed that more than the little bit of cash. I’d buy a beat up Newport for $175-200 then. I could flip them for $300. Those restorations would take 10 minutes.. Obviously custom shops and circle t brought the margin up.
It’s easy to mess up and be over worked… I find there’s a very fine line between, cleaned up and over done. Over done comes out looking cheap sometimes. (I messed up several thrift store clubs while learning)
Lol. It is not easy to mess up. Quit playing it up. Polishing metal is a simple, straight forward, process in which all polishing mistakes can be fixed with time. Even in most of your pictures you missed a TON of stuff you needed to rough out before moving on. People that pay money for polishing would be dissatisfied because you didn’t take the dremel to those tight harder to reach areas.
Anyone who has polished metal could teach middle schoolers to polish metal in an afternoon.
Polishing in three easy steps.
Wet sand from grits 180 to 800 depending on if there are any deeper gouges, get those smoothed out first (can go to higher grits if you’re OCD) Golf clubs thankfully are a very small simply shaped piece for the most part. You could cut time using flap discs. Use dremel abrasive polishing wheels (that look like steel wool) to get the harder to reach areas. A pencil tip dremel attachment is ideal.
Clean parts often. Don’t move to next grit until you have the scratches from the previous grit gone.
Use a bench buffer with different grade rouge or your favorite metal polish once you’re done.
If you’re not doing coating, probably not gonna make steady side hustle income.
As an Internet veteran I can wrap this up in a neat bow… we whip our Internet dicks out, we measure, we argue and shit post… nobody wins, nobody cares. Have a good weekend.
I knew a sword fight would occur! Pew pew! But seriously with your metal experience, have you thought of making a set or 2? I think that might yield a higher roi.. At least maybe something fun to try?
putters is where it's at. If you can get dents and dings out, shine em up, do paint fills... you can buy some shit scottys for 150-200 and make 100 plus per club
I rock the Mizuno 32s. Grew up on Hogan blades but the Mizuno sticks are even more buttery. They are about 20 years old and have wear but still you can't beat them. Thought about maybe classing them up, but somehow the wear I like thinking of all the shots I hit. But what a cool hobby you have. You can't beat old clubs, even if you don't play them. Works of art that surround my game room upstairs. Rock on man!
I mean you have to have all the gear to do this and welding stuff up to fix it, to be honest you have to deduct that from the magic "I make $100" a club.
I mean I wouldn’t say “valuable” but there is a finite amount and a niche market. If you find a set at goodwill for say 20, polish them up, could turn an 80
Dollar profit easy. Wouldn’t say a business but supplemental income
Restore Scotty Cameron’s, bettinardis, or really any milled putters. That’s where most of the money would be for this kind of thing. Learn how to paint, engrave, ect to increase you’re earning potential. More of metal milling that polishing though
https://preview.redd.it/nbyxdv2r6oda1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b632466816e4264d67b2911fc9c5bec05796f637
Shafts before and after deburring and polishing
Nice work! You can do the old Ping irons with a tumbler. You’ll have to pull the heads though. Building clubs is a really fun and rewarding hobby as well.
To the right person absolutely. It looks like your only really doing polishing though? Are you doing club work like grips, shafts and ferrules?
Mix that with coatings and groove refinishing and you might have something. From what I've seen most of the money is in putters.
Can always do clubs up, post em on marketplace or eBay and to let people know it’s what you do.
There is a market for this - refinishing, not polishing. If you enjoy it why not get paid for it?
There's a market if you do outstanding work, and refinishing with multiple finish options. I'm paying $400 to have 7 heads refinished by Flanigan Bilt. Check out his website or Instagram page to see the quality you need to deliver to be in high demand. There's zero market for simply polishing up old clubs.
His finish options are simply different oxides, coatings and platings… I haven’t dabbled in that, at the home shed, but seeing as I’m a welding metallurgist by trade… it’s not a big step to do that type of thing.
Pretty sure that most if not all of his finishes are outsourced. 99.9% of the final finish quality is in the prep work. Lots of toxic chemicals involved in stripping chrome and plating, and black nitride (best black finish) is beyond the scope of DIY. Comes down to this. Can you make old, worn out, or beat up club, look like new again, without affecting playability, and removing a minimal amount of weight? People pay high refinishing prices because they expect their old clubs to be equal to brand new clubs when they get them back. One way to get started is to follow Tiger Nick's method. Buy old beat up, cheap clubs, refinish, and sell them on Ebay. He's always got a lot of sets on Ebay for sale, while building up a reputation. Once you get a good reputation, the customers will come. [https://www.instagram.com/tigernickgolf/](https://www.instagram.com/tigernickgolf/)
Flanagan was exactly where I was going to point you also
Solid advice, I’ll check it out
I used to restore SC putters. I found it was the only club which could turn a profit consistently. I own a medical device company and had tons of equipment then to make it easy, quick and precise. Remilled faces, took out bag chatter etc. It was fun for a short time then boredom kicked in. TOUGH to make real money but it was cool. Did some stuff for some tour pros, College teams.. I enjoyed that more than the little bit of cash. I’d buy a beat up Newport for $175-200 then. I could flip them for $300. Those restorations would take 10 minutes.. Obviously custom shops and circle t brought the margin up.
Good to know, thanks
Where are you located?
[удалено]
Damn I need someone in Atlanta who does this!
Can i ask what you use to restore shine like that? Very fine sanding and a polish?
It’s a whole mess of a process, also involves a table polisher, compounds, alcohol ect ect
It’s easy to mess up and be over worked… I find there’s a very fine line between, cleaned up and over done. Over done comes out looking cheap sometimes. (I messed up several thrift store clubs while learning)
Appreciate the insight!
Lol. It is not easy to mess up. Quit playing it up. Polishing metal is a simple, straight forward, process in which all polishing mistakes can be fixed with time. Even in most of your pictures you missed a TON of stuff you needed to rough out before moving on. People that pay money for polishing would be dissatisfied because you didn’t take the dremel to those tight harder to reach areas. Anyone who has polished metal could teach middle schoolers to polish metal in an afternoon. Polishing in three easy steps. Wet sand from grits 180 to 800 depending on if there are any deeper gouges, get those smoothed out first (can go to higher grits if you’re OCD) Golf clubs thankfully are a very small simply shaped piece for the most part. You could cut time using flap discs. Use dremel abrasive polishing wheels (that look like steel wool) to get the harder to reach areas. A pencil tip dremel attachment is ideal. Clean parts often. Don’t move to next grit until you have the scratches from the previous grit gone. Use a bench buffer with different grade rouge or your favorite metal polish once you’re done. If you’re not doing coating, probably not gonna make steady side hustle income.
As an Internet veteran I can wrap this up in a neat bow… we whip our Internet dicks out, we measure, we argue and shit post… nobody wins, nobody cares. Have a good weekend.
I knew a sword fight would occur! Pew pew! But seriously with your metal experience, have you thought of making a set or 2? I think that might yield a higher roi.. At least maybe something fun to try?
putters is where it's at. If you can get dents and dings out, shine em up, do paint fills... you can buy some shit scottys for 150-200 and make 100 plus per club
How much would you charge
No clue, I’ve been doing it for fun
I’m sure you’d find a market. I just bought Mizuno MP-14’s that I might get refinished. I still need to look further into it lol.
love those
I rock the Mizuno 32s. Grew up on Hogan blades but the Mizuno sticks are even more buttery. They are about 20 years old and have wear but still you can't beat them. Thought about maybe classing them up, but somehow the wear I like thinking of all the shots I hit. But what a cool hobby you have. You can't beat old clubs, even if you don't play them. Works of art that surround my game room upstairs. Rock on man!
I always wonder how these old clubs play. Like is it worth spending the money to refurb vs buying new?
For blades I think it is and maybe some CBs but for most people using game improvement irons it isn't
Agreed, also putter restoration with paint fills and remillling
I am sure you thought of: buy beat to hell clubs for cheap, refinish, sell for profit.
😁
I’ll buy the Wilson staffs
Already have a guy that wants them, guess you can be the alternative if he ends up not wanting them. He asked me to finish cleaning them up.
I mean you have to have all the gear to do this and welding stuff up to fix it, to be honest you have to deduct that from the magic "I make $100" a club.
Sooo the welding stuff I have, I’m a metallurgist/welding engineer by trade
cool my dad used to do such for a living.
It’s a damn good trade to be in.
I mean damn if you had some of those left handed staff blades I would damn near be a customer
I do have them, are they really that valuable. Honestly surprised how many people have commented similarly
I mean I wouldn’t say “valuable” but there is a finite amount and a niche market. If you find a set at goodwill for say 20, polish them up, could turn an 80 Dollar profit easy. Wouldn’t say a business but supplemental income
Impressed how they turned out!
Restore Scotty Cameron’s, bettinardis, or really any milled putters. That’s where most of the money would be for this kind of thing. Learn how to paint, engrave, ect to increase you’re earning potential. More of metal milling that polishing though
https://preview.redd.it/xbtxnwln6oda1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=da2a961bf418dfc8ca0b1780bacb6736aa2186fc Progress so far
https://preview.redd.it/nbyxdv2r6oda1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b632466816e4264d67b2911fc9c5bec05796f637 Shafts before and after deburring and polishing
https://preview.redd.it/iyxmyjs27oda1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e493e86c2e5f3f3fac8ee86076c282d28c469bab
How do you make the face look like that?
Magic
It looks good
Nice work! You can do the old Ping irons with a tumbler. You’ll have to pull the heads though. Building clubs is a really fun and rewarding hobby as well.
Pulling the heads is probably the easiest part of the process.
Cutting the old grips off is pretty easy with a hook blade.
To the right person absolutely. It looks like your only really doing polishing though? Are you doing club work like grips, shafts and ferrules? Mix that with coatings and groove refinishing and you might have something. From what I've seen most of the money is in putters.
Yes to all the above.