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GR clubmakers -

How do "you" pull graphite shafts without damaging them? I don't plan on investing a lot of money into clubmaking tools but would like to play around with reshafting and regripping.

The tutorials I have read all talk about putting the shaft in a "shaft puller" of sorts and then using a heat gun. Is there a way to get this done in your garage without damaging the club/shaft and not buying tons of specialized tools?

A shaft puller is essential in pulling graphite shafts. About 70 for a decent one for tinkering in the garage. Also a heat gun about 50 at home depot. Go to a golf shop and average for pulling and reshafting 10 to 20 a club and thats without buying the shafts. Do the math!!

Forget the heat gun, go with a propane torch for iron heads, and a butane Micro torch for pulling driver heads. I too would say you should have a shaft puller, but you might get away without one, if you use a Butane torch and have a helper. You could apply the heat yourself, and have your helper pulling on the club head. Not a great way to do it, but it might work okay. If you don't want to re-use the shaft, you could just cut it off flush with the top of the hosel, and then drill out what's left inside. If you don't plan to do too many clubs, you could just have a golf shop pull the old shaft, and you could install the new one. That would save you some money, and you wouldn't have to buy a shaft puller. You might want to check with Golfsmith and Golfworks and see what they are selling. Prices run from $20 to over $300, depending on what you want and need. Rememer, if the shaft you're pulling is worth $90, you might want to figure that into how much you're willing to spend for a decent shaft puller. I built my own spring loaded shaft puller a few years ago, and I wouldn't think of pulling a graphite shaft without it. It's not worth the risk of ruining an expensive shaft.

I wouldn't recommend Golfsmiths cheapest 'DIY' extractor. It makes a mess of tough jobs (the ones that don't come out as easily as they should). Definitely get the next one up. There's also a hydrolic one of Ebay which looks really interesting.

Golfsmith used to sell a spring loaded shaft puller a few years ago. Being cheap, and a machinist, I build one just like it and it works fine for me.