Lead tape Heaven, ideas for use of lead tape.

[Howard_Jones]

**Lead Heaven**

This is a tribute to Lead tape and a few ideas of how we can use it you might not have thought of.

 

**How to build a shaft set with tighter SHAFT weight tolerance than Tour Issue?**

That’s very simple, if your target is CONSTANT weight, and your raw shafts is CONSTANT Wgt, we simply do everything as usual, and when your shafts is dry fittet, and cut to their actual net play lengths, we put them on the scale, one by one, take notes, and then we measure the balance point of each shaft.

 

We cant remove weight, only add, that’s what we do with lead tape, so now we do the math for how much we need to add to your shafts, so all becomes just like the most heavy of them, and add that weight as lead tape on the underside of the shaft, on the shafts actual balance point. This way we don’t see that lead tape from address. We can RAISE the shaft weight on all if wanted.

 

If you start from DESCENDING WEIGHT shafts, start by weight sorting of them, the lightest for the longest club, the heaviest for the shortest. Just like with tapers, do everything as usual, and when Dryfit and shafts are cut to play lengths, match all shafts with lead tape to become like the heaviest of them on the shafts actual balance point. This way even descending weight shafts can be made to tolerances better than constant weight Tour Issue from OEM.

 

ASCENDING WEIGHT can be made the same way, and with the progression you like, its no limits, only for when it don’t fit you anymore, so never overdo it, Weight is a very important factor, so don’t make it “Light or Heavy” make it “Right”

 

Example, you like the weight of Classic DG in the short end, but they are too heavy in the long end, and AMT to light or dont feel right. DG120 might fit better in the long end than both the others, but is to light in the short end. No problem, go DG 120 and make them ASCENDING WGT with the slope you find right, it be a PW of 127 or 135 grams, with lead tape we can do that.

 

 

**How To find the shafts balance point**, put the net.cut shaft on one finger to find circa BP. Put some painter tape around the shaft at that point, and put the shaft of a “sharp edge” (a knife in a wise, edge up is perfect),m then move it back and forth until the shaft rest in balance. Now push it down against the knife, so the edge of the knife set a BP mark in the tape, NOT the shaft, thats why we added that tape, so dont push to hard. Measure distance in millimeter from both sides and take notes and mark it.

 

**Why not go 3/8” and still choose if you wants to play classic SW match or Poor mans MOI match or maybe something in-between?** The 3/8” set ups has become some kind of a “Custom Iron standard” for how we easiest can get both the long and the short end of the set “right for us”….

We also have lots of other options, but start by looking at the 3/8” set ups, they gives a very good picture of how this looks like compared to the classic 4/8” system.

 

This charts is based on the #8 iron as our starting point, then 3/8” both ways, so if you are happy with your #8 iron as it is, and wants the other to feel like that club, this charts is strait forward to that. If your #8 iron is plus 0.5”, then that’s how it should be, and then that’s your starting point.

 

 

ALL numbers is “relative” to expected standard specs where SW value is D2, but no matter what play lengths we choose, or what SW value we start from, if they are all the 4/8” and the same SW value now, the needed amount of head weight correction is the same for all, so its not much lead tape needed to tune them up to “poor mans Moi Match”, but you should choose the head weight progression you play the best with, and the lead tape gives you that freedom.

 

 

Reference numbers for grams pr SWP

 

**How to make a Counter-weighted shaft.**

This subject is very often misunderstood, way to often we se a player asking for help to lower feel of head weight without going down on head weight or go shorter, so they try the Counterweight method, only to find out that when total weight went up, it became worse.

 

Look at this 2 “brother models”, Grafalloy PL Red and Grafalloy PL RED SUPERCHARGED

They have the same weight and uncut play lengths, but with a very different balance point, so the Supercharged model will show up to 5 SWP lower “all else equal”, so its designed to be played 1 inch longer or with 10 grams higher head weight if you like.

 

We might think that we can take the standard model of 64 grams, and add 5 grams pr SWP we need as Counter-weight, so to make this to shafts to return the same SW value, we need 5 SWP x 5 = 25 grams added to the butt on the standard model

 

**We now have a Super-Charged 64 grams and a Super-Charged 64+25 = 89 grams….we failed BAD.

**

To make it right, we must reverse the numbers, and use 5 grams = 1SWP, so if we need 3 SWP as Counterweight, we must start from a shaft 15 grams below our need to make total weight correct.

 

Lead tape on the butt side of the shaft for all clubs can be rolled in a spiral pattern under the grip. If you do a good job, and roll the shaft a few times on your table when done, 1 layer of standard Lead tape will add about the same as 1 layer of Build up tape and weight about 25 grams for 1 layer.

 

**Even GRIP WEIGHT can be matched to "Tour issue tolerances"** this way, they might be up to plus minus 3.5 grams from production. Find the grips BP, add that amount of lead tape on the shaft where the grips balance point is so all grips gets the same weight.

 

Thanks for reading and thanks for the Lead tape, use it right and improve your game and have more fun both building clubs and playing them out there.

[Hack Daddy]

Lead tape's the greatest thing to happen to club building since the internet.

 

 

[mogc60]

> @"Hack Daddy" said:

> Lead tape's the greatest thing to happen to club building since the internet.

>

>

>

Not gonna lie, I teared up the last time you posted that pic. I held it together a bit better this time. All that lead is just so beautiful...tugs at my heart. Some people paint, some people play music, we lead tape. Pure art...hahaha.

 

[mogc60]

Juicing...lol

[Mikeski]

I use lead tape under all my grips on my irons. One strip the full length of the grip.

[Hack Daddy]

> @mogc60 said:

> > @"Hack Daddy" said:

> > Lead tape's the greatest thing to happen to club building since the internet.

> >

> >

> >

> Not gonna lie, I teared up the last time you posted that pic. I held it together a bit better this time. All that lead is just so beautiful...tugs at my heart. Some people paint, some people play music, we lead tape. Pure art...hahaha.

>

 

[bro hug]

[Howard_Jones]

> @"Hack Daddy" said:

> > @mogc60 said:

> > > @"Hack Daddy" said:

> > > Lead tape's the greatest thing to happen to club building since the internet.

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > Not gonna lie, I teared up the last time you posted that pic. I held it together a bit better this time. All that lead is just so beautiful...tugs at my heart. Some people paint, some people play music, we lead tape. Pure art...hahaha.

> >

>

> [bro hug]

 

Some players Lead, other just follows, so if you want to be a Leader, use Lead tape :)

[OrangeGravy]

Nice

[wkuo3]

It can be rolled up and use as tip weight, easy to measure the exact weight you'll need. Epoxy it in the tip when shafting. I've used it for the steel shaft without any issue.

[Howard_Jones]

> @wkuo3 said:

> It can be rolled up and use as tip weight, easy to measure the exact weight you'll need. Epoxy it in the tip when shafting. I've used it for the steel shaft without any issue.

 

 

[charlokim]

> @"Hack Daddy" said:

> Lead tape's the greatest thing to happen to club building since the internet.

>

>

>

 

Here's my version

 

[NRJyzr]

Here's my Golden Ram 1 iron, head was a little light (original shaft even had lead powder in hosel) with the NV105 shaft on it. And, I like D5-D6 swingweight with a 105g shaft

 

 

[Poolparty]

> @"Howard Jones" said:

> > @wkuo3 said:

> > It can be rolled up and use as tip weight, easy to measure the exact weight you'll need. Epoxy it in the tip when shafting. I've used it for the steel shaft without any issue.

>

>

>

 

Where does hotmelt fall on this chart?

[mogc60]

> @NRJyzr said:

> Here's my Golden Ram 1 iron, head was a little light (original shaft even had lead powder in hosel) with the NV105 shaft on it. And, I like D5-D6 swingweight with a 105g shaft

>

>

>

 

I really miss square toed irons! With a high toe like those.

[dcopp7]

> @mogc60 said:

> I really miss square toed irons! With a high toe like those.

 

I've got some you can buy ;)

 

[braveheart]

Is it possible to make Steelfiber i95 into i110 with lead tape? 15 gram difference. 8-10" of tape to back of shaft? Is that functional? I thought of trying this instead of the expensive purchase of another set of Steelfibers.

Edited July 28 by braveheart

[Drivingrangehero]

12 minutes ago, braveheart said:

Is it possible to make Steelfiber i95 into i110 with lead tape? 15 gram difference. 8-10" of tape to back of shaft? Is that functional? I thought of trying this instead of the expensive purchase of another set of Steelfibers.

The Steelfiber i110 have a different balancepoint than the i95s, but you can add lead tape to the shaft around 14” (rough estimate on the balancepoint) from the butt of the club below the grip, and that will increase your static weight, without increasing, or decreasing swingweight

 

i did a Progressive weight increase recently with a set of Modus 105 at 14.5” from the butt. I added 2g increments starting with my 6iron down to my 50° Ping U wedge. It’s been a game changer.  
 

Im in the honeymoon phase right now, and have only done 3 range sessions with this set up, but it’s been great. 
 

I did this after reading a thread about lead tape and static weight, and after I hit a used set of SGI Ping Irons with AWT 2.0 shafts, so I felt it would be a better approach than just adding gobs of lead tape to the heads, especially in the short irons. 

[st1800e]

43 minutes ago, Drivingrangehero said:

you can add lead tape to the shaft around 14” (rough estimate on the balancepoint) from the butt of the club below the grip, and that will increase your static weight, without increasing, or decreasing swingweight

The way I read @Howard_Jones first post is that you should add tape at the shaft’s balance point, not the whole club SW balance point.  Hoping Howard will clarify that.  

[Drivingrangehero]

1 hour ago, st1800e said:

The way I read @Howard_Jones first post is that you should add tape at the shaft’s balance point, not the whole club SW balance point.  Hoping Howard will clarify that.  

Correct, if it were to be added to the clubs balancepoint, it would be about 3 inches from the ferrule, I added mine 14.5” from the Butt end of the club…… a few inches below the grip, which didn’t change the swingweight of the club 

 

I read both 14” and 15” so I split the difference and just got lucky I suppose, since my club was shafted with grips already, I figured if it changed the swingweight, it would be minimal, and I wasn’t concerned about a swingweight point in either direction, I was concerned more with static weight…… it just happened to work out, plus it was above the first step near the P in N.S PRO on the Modus label 

 

I can see where you may have thought I was referring to the clubs balancepoint, but I meant the shafts…… some clubs like the SF i110 have a higher balancepoint, so to keep the same swingweight, you may put the tape at 13” while others with a lower balancepoint like a MMT, you may have to go 16” (I’m not saying that is the actual numbers on those shafts, just spitballing on how shafts balancepoints are different, which I believe what Howard is referring to) but I think Howard might be thinking in terms of a club builder, that would have a loose, ungripped shaft that is cut to length when finding the shaft’s (not the clubs) actual balancepoint, which would give you an exact reference point, rather than a ball park, but I’m sure Howard could answer that in a clear and concise reply. 
 

 

. 

Edited July 28 by Drivingrangehero
Added info

[Stuart_G]

14 hours ago, st1800e said:

The way I read @Howard_Jones first post is that you should add tape at the shaft’s balance point, not the whole club SW balance point.  Hoping Howard will clarify that.  

 

IF you want to exactly duplicate a heavier model shaft with a lighter model shaft and some lead tape,  you need to add the weight so that the balance point of just the shaft AFTER adding the lead tape matches that heavier shaft's balance point.   That is not the same as adding the lead tape to the balance point of the lighter shaft.   

 

However, that's for testing out if you might want to buy and change to the heavier shaft model and how it might effect head weight feel.     If you want to just add lead tape to increase the static weight of the club, or just testing out different shaft weights without a specific shaft model in mind - exactly where you add it really isn't that important - AS LONG AS you go through the process of refitting for head weight / swing weight.  

 

Some people say add it to the 14" swing weight fulcrum point - which is not any kind of balance point.   So the "swing weight wont change." That's one possible spot but it's really an arbitrary choice and it's not really keeping the heft feel the same - since it's still increasing the MOI of the club.

 

I personally prefer adding it a bit higher up because that makes the head weight refitting a bit easier.  Less of a chance that you might need to reduce the head weight.  But again, where to add it is pretty arbitrary.  There is no right or wrong place to put it.

 

Edited July 29 by Stuart_G

[Drivingrangehero]

1 hour ago, Stuart_G said:

F you want to exactly duplicate a heavier model shaft with a lighter model shaft and some lead tape,  you need to add the weight so that the balance point AFTER adding the lead tape matches that heavier shaft.   That is not the same as adding the lead tape to the balance point of the lighter shaft.   

This makes sense, thanks! 
 

I was interested in added static weight, and it’s been great, so far. 
 

Amazing how far a few grams on the shaft goes for feel. 
 

When I played DG X100’s, my clubs were around D0 and felt plenty heavy, and when I had Modus 105 stiff in my last set, I added lead tape to the head ( I got them to about D3.5 because they felt a bit too light) , but I was trying to hit a consistent swingweight value at the time…… why…….a mix of ignorance and misinformation thinking the same number (D3.5) had some sort of value.  I’m not trying to dismiss it completely, but my 5 iron swung different than my 8 iron. 
 

Adding static weight and a little fine tuning with the head, really feels dialed. I’m still in the honeymoon phase, but my set up now just feels great in every club.

 

Prior to another lead tape thread, I never considered putting lead tape on the shaft. After trying this little experiment, I much prefer this to just adding it to the head alone. 
 

 

 

[Howard_Jones]

15 hours ago, st1800e said:

The way I read @Howard_Jones first post is that you should add tape at the shaft’s balance point, not the whole club SW balance point.  Hoping Howard will clarify that.  

You got it right.

. If the task is to simulate the effect of higher shaft wgt, "all else equal", lead tape should be distributet in both directions from the shafts BP who most often is at the middle, or right above the middle.

Where is the middle of the shaft?
- Gross gripcap is most often 0.25", so the shaft starts 0.25" below the grip end.
We can follow the shaft to the top of hosel, and add 1.25" for insert.

Thats means, end of grip, to top of hosel plus 1.0 = net cut shaft length.
Net cut shaft length / 2 + 0.25" (grip cap) = the middle, measured from the end of the grip.

If we know that BP on the actual shaft is say 1.0 inch higher than the middle, we set the mark there, and add equal amount of lead tape in the grip to head direction. (underside of the shaft so we dont see it from adress)

Edited July 29 by Howard_Jones

[taki27]

I’m not as experienced as Howard or Stuart but I’ve always run a strip of lead tape on the underside of the shaft to increase shaft weight.  It seems to make the most sense if you want to recreate a heavier shaft rather than running a circle around one specific point and it looks better.

[EddieEdwards]

I like a strip added to my wedge shafts.