Step 2: Clubhead Rust Removal

With the clubhead removed from the shaft, you'll be able to properly remove any rust from the clubhead.

When you start looking for hickory golf clubs to buy at flea markets and antique stores, you’ll likely come across rusty clubheads. Sometimes, they’ll be so rusted that you can’t even read who made the club. Most collectors will pass on buying these clubs because of the obvious condition issues. But if your intent is to play the club and it feels good in your hand, you may have just found what I like to call a “diamond in the rust.”

If you’re a beginner or low-budget player, buying and refurbishing rusty clubs may be just what you need to build an affordable hickory set. I’m always on the lookout for clubs like the Tom Stewart mashie niblick pictured above because there’s often a good story and a still-playable club underneath the years of neglect. This one was no exception.

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In this Hickory Hack, I share my simple and effective process for removing rust from a clubhead using cleaning vinegar and #000 steel wool. As I explain in the video below, my intent with rust removal is not to make the club look like it was made yesterday; I’m simply trying to remove the surface rust while still maintaining the decades-old patina underneath. Some folks like to use a wire wheel brush to knock 90 years off the appearance of their club, which I agree can look really sharp, but I much prefer a club looking its age.

Depending on the amount of rust, the process can be lengthy but rewarding. You feel a bit like a treasure hunter when the name of a notable maker or professional finally emerges after a successful soak and scrub.

Since this video, I’ve discovered a safe and effective product that works even better and quicker than vinegar: Evapo-Rust. It uses the process of chelation to remove the rust and does so without damaging the patina. It’s more expensive than vinegar, but well-worth checking out if you have some really rusty clubheads or a significant quantity of heads that you’d like to process fast. I show the results of an Evapo-Rust soak in this Workshop Wednesday video.

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In the case of the mashie niblick pictured above, I found that club in a sad state at an antique store in Stratford, CT. I could clearly see the famous pipe cleek mark indicating that the club was made by Tom Stewart, but I couldn’t read for whom the club was made. At any rate, the club felt great with a few waggles and it was an easy $13.50 purchase.

After a lengthy 48-hour vinegar soak and scrub, I discovered that the club was made for Mike “King” Brady, who was a two-time U.S. Open runner-up (1911, 1919) and the longtime pro at Winged Foot Golf Club (1922-34). So now, I’ve got a great story to go along with an excellent playing club (51 degrees of loft, D2 swing weight) – all for less than $15: