Restoring Irons – 2: Shaft Removal

Shaft removal is not a difficult process if you know what to do. 
For instance, most of the older Hogan heads are secured with both epoxy and shaft pins. You can clearly see these pin-holes in the pics below. If the heads have pins, you must get rid of those before you start breaking the epoxy bond. 

 

Pin Removal

To remove the pins, first have a look at the width of the pins on both sides of the hosel. If they don't look exactly similar in width, you probably have a set with one way pins. This means they can only be punched out from the thinner end. Make sure that you hold the punch securely so as not to scratch the chrome near the pin hole during punching. 
Some pins can be a real pain to punch out and may have to be drilled out. The other option is to cut off the shafts half an inch above the hosel and take a screwdriver and hammer the screwdriver down the hosel to break the pin. Once the pin is broken in two, it's usually easier to punch the remains out.
 
Punching out a (one way) shaft pin.

Shaft Removal

Put the shaft in the clamp and put the shaft clamp in a vice. Now take a blow torch and heat the hosel for a couple of minutes. Put on an oven mitt or a heat resistant glove and twist of the head. If it will not come loose, just go ahead and heat up the head some more. Tip: When you start hearing a hissing sound you know the epoxy bond is breaking. You should now have the head and shaft separated.
Put the head in a heat resistant and dust free place so it can cool down.
Put the shaft tip-down against a wall with the tip resting on a piece of newspaper. If there is any epoxy left in the shaft it will have a chance to drip on to the newspaper.

Heating the hosel until the epoxy bond breaks and then the head can be twisted of by hand. (Don’t forget to wear an oven mitt!!)

EDIT: There is a different way of doing this in case heat doesn't help, go here to read all about it.
Next up: Shaft Preparation