Alright, buckle up buttercup, because I’m about to lay down the nitty-gritty on how I tackled this spider mallet putter project. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, lemme tell ya, but the end result? Chef’s kiss.
First off, I started by tearing down the old putter. I’m talkin’ completely disassembled. Grip off, shaft out, the whole shebang. Gotta get down to the bare bones, ya know? It was a bit crusty, showing its age, but nothing a little elbow grease couldn’t fix. I made sure to take pictures at every step. Trust me, your future self will thank you when you’re trying to remember which screw goes where.
Next up was cleaning. Oh boy, was it dirty. I used a wire brush, some steel wool, and a whole lot of WD-40 to get all the rust and grime off the head. This part took a while, honestly. Probably a good hour or two of just scrubbing. But you gotta be thorough. A clean surface is key for anything else you’re gonna do.
Now, the fun part: customizing! I wanted a different finish. The original was kinda dull, so I decided to go with a dark, almost black, look. I ended up using some gun blueing solution. I’d never tried it before, but I figured, what the heck? I followed the instructions super carefully (safety first, kids!), and it actually turned out pretty awesome. A nice, even, dark finish. Definitely gave it a new lease on life.
The shaft was next. The old one was fine, but I wanted something a little stiffer. Found a used one online for a decent price. I cut it down to the right length, using a pipe cutter. Easy peasy. Then, I epoxied it into the putter head. Made sure it was perfectly aligned before the epoxy set. You don’t want a crooked putter, trust me.
Finally, the grip. I went with a thicker, more comfortable grip. My hands get a little sweaty sometimes, so I needed something that wouldn’t slip. I used some grip tape and solvent to get it on there nice and snug. Let it dry overnight. The anticipation was killing me!
And that was it! Reassembled, cleaned, customized, and ready to roll. I took it out to the practice green the next day, and wow, what a difference. The new shaft felt great, the grip was perfect, and that dark finish just looked so damn cool. Worth every bit of the effort, I tell ya.
- Disassembled the putter
- Cleaned the head
- Applied gun blueing
- Replaced the shaft
- Installed a new grip
It wasn’t perfect, mind you. There were a few scratches here and there, and the finish isn’t 100% flawless, but hey, that’s part of the charm, right? Plus, I learned a ton. And now I’ve got a putter that’s truly one-of-a-kind.
Bottom line: Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty and try something new. Even if you screw up, you’ll learn something. And who knows, you might just end up with something amazing.
