2 piece stick Assembly question

[Cosmic 178]

Does anyone have any tips on assembling 2 piece sticks? Specifically, I am curious about the order of heating up the blade/shaft/glue. I do not want to overheat the shaft, especially, or have to heat it multiple times in a small window. I just want to heat it once, throw everything together, and then have it solidify. So, what is the order that is best, for heating shaft/blade/glue? I suppose if I had 3 heat guns and 3 people, then it may be best to do everything at once, but I am not sure I will have this luxury.

[Vet88 674]

Assuming you have a heat gun -

put the shaft of the blade and the end of the stick side by side (eg resting on the end of a table so the area you want to heat is suspended in mid air), run the heat over both until the glue starts to melt and goes slightly runny, don't leave the heat on any one spot for any length of time, keep moving the heat gun side to side and around, Rotate the shaft and blade a couple of times so you heat all sides. Once the glue has gone runny, put the butt end of the shaft on the floor, push the blade into the shaft (holding the blade, I then give the butt end a light tap on the floor to make sure the blade is fully in), quickly wipe off excess glue, job done.

[McDugan 89]

I usually heat the shaft, and then try to push the blade in without heating it. The heat from the shaft is enough to melt at least the first bit of glue.

Then, with the butt end on the ground, the blade in one hand, and the heat gaining the other, I give the hosel just enough heat to melt the glue on it and reduce resistance, then push it in.

[Souldriver 64]

Assuming you have a heat gun -

put the shaft of the blade and the end of the stick side by side (eg resting on the end of a table so the area you want to heat is suspended in mid air), run the heat over both until the glue starts to melt and goes slightly runny, don't leave the heat on any one spot for any length of time, keep moving the heat gun side to side and around, Rotate the shaft and blade a couple of times so you heat all sides. Once the glue has gone runny, put the butt end of the shaft on the floor, push the blade into the shaft (holding the blade, I then give the butt end a light tap on the floor to make sure the blade is fully in), quickly wipe off excess glue, job done.

This. I concentrate on heating the blades glue much more than the shaft though as the shaft only needs to be warm so the glue doesn't want to cool too fast on contact.

[McDugan 89]

This. I concentrate on heating the blades glue much more than the shaft though as the shaft only needs to be warm so the glue doesn't want to cool too fast on contact.

Interesting, since I kind of do the opposite... I find that if the shaft isn't heated, it won't expand enough to fit the blade in.

But I'm also somewhat often taking a blade out and putting another in, so maybe that's why I'm in the habit of heating the shaft.

[Tyler Roy 86]

First you want to make sure you have the right blade for the shaft(tapered with tapered and standard with standard). Everybody has their own method but the way I always did it was heat up the glue first and apply the amount needed to the blade. Next I would heat the shaft up so the fibers could expand a bit if needed to fit the blade. While the shaft is hot I reheat the glue that is on the blade and insert into the already warmed shaft. Sometimes this is a one shot deal but sometimes the blade may fit more snug so additional heat can be used. If the blade fits too lose you can always use more glue or add strips of tape to the hosel where needed to get a better fit. Quite a few videos on youtube show how to insert a blade into a shaft.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HaYJd-tE30&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PL306193CDF86314C9

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoA_MJVslyY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBcDvbzbTM0

Obviously some are better than others...

[Cosmic 178]

First you want to make sure you have the right blade for the shaft(tapered with tapered and standard with standard). Everybody has their own method but the way I always did it was heat up the glue first and apply the amount needed to the blade. Next I would heat the shaft up so the fibers could expand a bit if needed to fit the blade. While the shaft is hot I reheat the glue that is on the blade and insert into the already warmed shaft. Sometimes this is a one shot deal but sometimes the blade may fit more snug so additional heat can be used. If the blade fits too lose you can always use more glue or add strips of tape to the hosel where needed to get a better fit. Quite a few videos on youtube show how to insert a blade into a shaft.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HaYJd-tE30&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PL306193CDF86314C9

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoA_MJVslyY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBcDvbzbTM0

Obviously some are better than others...

Thanks Tyler, this is what I was looking for (order of heating stuff up and how to just keep all the items organized.

[Souldriver 64]

I never had an issue with the hosel not fitting into a shaft but I have had it where the glue hardens too quick and it gets in the way or it stops allowing you to push it in. This is why I get the glue decently runny and warm up the shaft so it doesn't cool the glue. I forgot to mention I do put heat on the whole connection when I'm pushing it in. You get a more stable glue joint when the glue dries from a more heated drippy liquid form to solid than from half melted to solid.

I'll also put it out there I've only done this with standard non tapered shafts. I never owned a tapered shaft so maybe there it's more important to heat the shaft to open it up.

Also, also on heat guns use the lowest setting.

[chippa13 1844]

I always use my heat gun on the high setting. Never had a problem. The trick is to keep everything moving so you don't heat any part of the shaft too quickly.

[Buzz_LightBeer 973]

Agreed. To ruin a shaft with a heat gun takes quite a bit of a screw up. Let the shaft cool with the blade down do the glue settles on the bottom and not up the shaft

[OldCY 94]

I have the old Christian heat n shoot.

[Vet88 674]

And for those that are doing this to a ops, I have found that having an old blade with all the glue scrapped of the shaft makes things much easier. By making sure the old blade will fit into the unheated shaft makes the final assembly a breeze.

[jisatsu 4]

I remember the ole' days of using dad's vise in the garage and a blow dryer trying to put in sherwood blades into my louisville shafts. Took forever and was a pain. The best advice I can give is take a cloth or an old shirt, wrap it around the shaft and put it in a vise, make it hand tight and snug, but don't over do it. Apply heat to the shaft all over and evenly till it's hot to the touch but not blister burning. Take the blade and heat the glue on the blade so it's runny, then stick it in the shaft while keeping heat on the shaft. Once it's in take it out of the vise and have it stand up with the blade on the floor so the glue melts down. Give it about 10-15 minutes to dry, then scrape or sand the excess glue from around the blade/shaft.

[start_today 773]

"Agreed. To ruin a shaft with a heat gun takes quite a bit of a screw up."

Yeah, I think people make this out to be a technical job, when its really just heat, pull, heat, push. Don't over think it.

Remember to give the shaft sufficient cooling time. Even a small dry flex on a hot shaft can lead to breakage. Not that you should be dry flexing anyway.

[Cosmic 178]

"Agreed. To ruin a shaft with a heat gun takes quite a bit of a screw up."

Yeah, I think people make this out to be a technical job, when its really just heat, pull, heat, push. Don't over think it.

Remember to give the shaft sufficient cooling time. Even a small dry flex on a hot shaft can lead to breakage. Not that you should be dry flexing anyway.

I guess one might say that I am erring on the side of caution in this endeavor. I got some nice (pricey) sticks, and getting them out here was a hardship (not so much for me, but for a friend of mine who hauled them through 3 SE Asian countries while he went on interviews), so I am approaching this a bit differently than the manner in which I used to treat my $15 black Koho sticks ;)

[Cosmic 178]

Also, this might be an obvious question, but do I take the clear plastic off of the end of the replacement blade? I am guessing that this is on there to prevent dust and grime from settling on this insertion point. Just want to make sure. Thanks in advance.

[SirJW 207]

If glue overflow bothers you add tape at the end of the shaft b4 adding the blade then remove when cool.

[chanxebyshev 8]

My method for standard and tapered shafts

With a heat-gun or stove: with heat-gun I found about 3 inches works but I keep my sticks further away from the stove-top,

if the glue starts smoking you are too close in my opinion.

melt the glue on the blade, turning to melt all sides as evenly as possible,

once the glue is starting to melt (turning clear) heat the shaft up a bit on all sides and inside the shaft (hold the opening oven heat source)

I heat the glue until it is fully clear

insert blade into shaft and with butt-end of stick on the floor, press blade into shaft

if it won't go all the way in heat it again

if it cools and is still wobbly I take the blade back out an lay a piece of tape over the hossel and put it back in the same way

[shotty 7]

i wrap a piece of stick tape over top of the hosel, heat the hosel evenly until the glue gets a little shiny, then slide it into the shaft. remember that without the glue or the tape, the hosel would slide right into the shaft with slight resistance. it would be a perfect fit without it, but nothing holding it in except some friction between the two pieces. heating up the shaft changes the structure ever so slightly, and it also doesn't allow the glue inside to settle (warm hosel and warm shaft means the glue will move around) and heating up the hosel to the point where the glue is completely melted gives you even less control of where the glue ends up once it's inside the shaft. in addition, the glue can break down or shift after its been heated and cooled, so the tape creates the smallest difference in diameter to create a tight fit when the glue hardens and keeps it in place on two sides. the glue also serves as a bit of a lubricant for the tape.

using the tape method, i've never had an issue with the blade wiggling or the shaft breaking at the hosel, which have both happened to me without it.

[hunt3rsean 44]

I took a 2pc setup to my LHS. Normal guy wasn't there so a kid put the blade into the shaft. The hosel was a little too large. So instead of shaving down the hosel a bit.... He heated up the shaft some more and jammed the blade into it. He a crack as the blade went in. And there was smoke. Taking it home I found discoloration and a bit of a crack/split on the shaft.

Moral of the story. Don't do what the kid did.

[ktang 34]

I melt some glue just inside the shaft, then heat the shaft to expand it and keep the glue liquid. Then I put in an unheated blade. Then let everything cool down at room temperature.

This way the shaft shrinks back around the blade hosel, which doesn't shrink, and you get a tighter connection.

[fatwabbit 93]

Go to YouTube... There are a few videos that show you how it's done.

Type "ogive grip" and there's on e video that teaches you how to do it for an ogive grip, but its essentially the same technique

[ktang 34]

Also, this might be an obvious question, but do I take the clear plastic off of the end of the replacement blade? I am guessing that this is on there to prevent dust and grime from settling on this insertion point. Just want to make sure. Thanks in advance.

I would take off the clear plastic; I'm assuming that it's on the end of the hosel.

[Cosmic 178]

I would take off the clear plastic; I'm assuming that it's on the end of the hosel.

Yes, it is a clear plastic (potentially glue) on the end of the hosel of the replacement blade. I think it is a protective plastic coating; my wife thinks it is glue

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/543/wbc9.jpg/

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/268/8jc2.jpg/

[ktang 34]

Yes, it is a clear plastic (potentially glue) on the end of the hosel of the replacement blade. I think it is a protective plastic coating; my wife thinks it is glue

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/543/wbc9.jpg/

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/268/8jc2.jpg/

That stuff is probably hot-melt glue. If you heat it, it will turn liquid and clear.

I would heat the hosel to melt the glue, and then scrape it onto something. Then I would let the hosel cool down (to shrink it), and check the hosel's dimensions against the shaft's dimensions (sometimes they're a little off). Then you can add tape to the hosel, if needed.

I would then melt the glue again and put it inside the shaft, on all 4 inside edges. I would then heat up the end of the shaft, and insert the cool hosel. The hosel will push the melted glue to the right depth. When the shaft's end cools down, the glue will re-solidify and the shaft will shrink around the hosel, giving a nice, tight fit with no wiggling.