US1796274A - Golf-club shaft - Google Patents

Description

T. W. BRYANT GOLF CLUB SHAFT March 10, 1931.

Original Filed July 1, 1925 INVENTOR ORNEY Patented Mar. 10, 1931 PATENT OFFICE THOMAS W. BRYANT, OF TORRINGTON, CONNECTICUT GOLF-CLUB SHAFT Application filed July 1 1925, S eria1 No. 40,767. Renewed .Tune 24, 1927.

, My invention relates particularly to shafts for golf clubs. One object is, to provide a light but very strong and durable construc tion having desired uniform characteristics asto stiffness and flexibility.

Another obj ectisto provide a construction of this character which can be made and finjshed at a reasonable. cost and yet which is neat and attractive and which is not subject 19 to: rapid deterioration.

7 Another object is to provide a construction which can be used for various kinds of clubs and which may have any suitable form of handle. a

' In carrying out my invention I provide a tubular metallic core and app y to it fibrous material which is coated or impregnated with 'siccative substance. The finished shaft may be used like any other shaftl- Fig. 1 is a side view .of a golf club embodying one form of theimprovements of my invention. l

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view. on the plane o'f tlie line @'2 of 1, but on a much enlarged scale.

Fig.3 is a side view of the core memberof the shaft. i Fig. 4 shows ashaft in process of formationf" r p r 39 The core 5 is preferably of very thin steel and may be'rolledor otherwise formed from strip" stock and then hardened. "The" thick? ness of theistock will" depend upon the characteristics' of the material available and'the' require d weight and strength of the shaft. A carbon steel may be'employed of from say ten to' fifteen thousandths of an inch in thick ness. i Y

This core is preferably covered with one or more layers of material such as strips ofvpaper 6 and 7 which may be wound helically' as shown in Figure 4. These-strips may be very thin and should be applied tightly so as to provide a maximum re-enforcing strength.

Preferably the material is-somewhat absorb- "These strips maybe coated or impregnated with a waterproof compound 8, which will be hard when dried or baked. I A suitable com- 5 pound is carbaloid, or'other plastics such as core has been wound.

phenolic condensation products and the like. This material may be applied to the individual strips at the time of winding or the shaft may be coated with the compound after the This may be dried and hardened in any suitable manner. There should be some of the compound between the core 5 and the strips 6 and 7 so that the strips will adhere strongly to the steel. lVhenthe compound is entirely dry and hard it may be sand-papered, finished, or turned in a lathe if desired. The impregnated and hardened covering substantially re-enforces the metal tube so that the finished articlehas the necessary resistance against crushing strains, against bending, and against twisting. This also ensures a permanent protection to the shaft which is not possible with ordinary painted or varnished shafts or shafts which have been coated with copper or similar substances which do not themselves constitute any substantial re-enforcement and which quickly wear through unless made so thick that the weight and cost is prohibitive. Furthermore, varnish applied directly to a metal I core'will crack and peel due to the necessary twisting and bending of the shaft when ,in ordinary use. Y j

In the drawing I have illustrated a head 9 intended to typify any suitable golf club head applied on the smaller end of the shaft, and a handle '10 of any suitable form applied directly on the other end. The particular head shown has a hozel or socket ll-to receive the end of the shaft. In constructions of this character it is custcmary'to. employ a transverse pin 12 and to crimp the outer end of a hozel into the material of the wood shaft. This crimping is of course impractical with an ordinary steel shaft; but is entirely feasible where the shaft has a fabric or fibrous covering according to my invention. The present invention also makes it entirely practical to apply several additional layers of the fabric so as to thicken the coating as at 13 and give it the necessary size and taper to fit a standard hozel, in fact, the head end of the shaft may be made somewhat larger inv diameter than the rest of the shaft and sandpapered or turned down to fit any desired club head. It may also be desirable to extend the enlargement backward as at 14 and taper it off gradually into the small part of the shaft some little. distance fro-m the head so as to furnish a re-enforcement immediately adjacent the end of the hozel where the greatest strain occurs. I may also provide an interior plug member 15,'for instance of wood, within the small end of the shaft. This plug reintomake the core of the shaft of a strip mate= forces the shaft at that part through which the anchorage pin 12 passes, and also at the point adjacent the end of the socket or hozel 11. V The plug beingof softer or more yield ing material than the shaft can be made to fit the shaft without straining the, material of the'shaft. The upper'end of this plug may be tapered OK or pointed so as to permit a maximum bending of the tube {without severely'strfessing the very thin wall of the tube. 1 I

' By the u'se'of my invention, it possible in a uniform manner so that the finished 6 golf club shaft is'subjected. n ""lclaimz" 1. A golfclu-b shaft formed of thin' sheet product'can be made according to' definite standards. .As a result there will be very little', if any, variation in weight, stiffness or strength in shafts made according to my invention. It is thus possiblejto make a' shaft not only very light in weight'but very strong the 'peculia'r stresses and strains to whichfa metal externally reinforced throughout its length by a fibrous coating, having an excess thickness at one end' to adapt the same to be turneddown to fit the socket of a head.

' 2. A. shaft forgolf clubs and the like em- V bodying a hollow "resilient metal core and a tubular outer casing formed of fabr'ic im pregnated with a condensation-product hardened and tightly embracing and adhering to V the core for movement therewith under strain.

7 '3; A golf club having a head with atubular shaftstepped in the head and'reinforced internally by aplug within that part'of the shaft which is within the head and reinforced externallybyan outer protective covering in eluding" c'arbaloid or similar condensation product hardened and tightly embracing the the shaft and adhering thereto for movement therewithun'der strain.

4. "A resilient somewhat torsionable golf nut shaft formed of a, tapered metallic tubulari core having a thin -wall and a 55.

tapered tubular protecting and reinforcing top of the socket.

outer casing of non-metallic, hard and flexible material of a length co-extensive with the length of the main core of the shaft, said casing being formed on the core and hardened in place and permanently adhering, to the core for movement therewith under strain.

5. A'shaft for golf clubs embodylng a resilient core and a flexible tubular outer protective casing including a condensation prodnot 7 hardened and tightly embracing and adhering to the core for movement therewith under strain and extending for at least the full length of the part of the core between the head and gripof the club. H p

6. A golf club having a head with a socket and a tubular .shaft'received therein j and a reinforcing plug tightly fitting within that part of the shaft which is within the socket and having a tapered end projecting into the shaft just beyond'the outer end of the socket.

7. A golf club comprising a head having a socket, a tapered tubular resilient'shaft having a handle portion at its upper large end and being tapered to its smallest diameter at the neck a short distance abovethe socket, said shaft increasing in diameterv from the neck to the end of the socket and having its flexible waterproof material comprising a I V hardened plastic material adapted to. withand durable and capable of wlthstandlngall stand fi'exure and torsion of play when used the shaft.

' 9. A flexible netal'golfclub shaft-ha ing a "flexible waterproof reinforcingcover comprising a hardened plastic material under tension, binding said shaft tightly enough to be moved therewith under distortion, extending shaft length, and of'sufiicient, toughness to prevent cranking andibreaking off in use.

" 10. The combination with :a hollow metal shaft, of a golfclub head having a socket in which said shaft'is received; and a plug member fitted inside the received end of said shaft, said plugmember beingtapered up: wardly adjacent the open end or upper end of thesocket'. I 7 11. The combination with a hollow metal shaft, of a golf'clubhead having a socket in which said shaft is received, a plug member of'softer material than saidmetal shaft Within said shaft' land socket, said plug being tapered beyond said socket and fitted to reinforce the shaft againstfiexure, acent the 12. A golf club provided with as aw;-

lar shaft 'lciavinga thin wear and corrosion over at least the'major portion of the resisting protective coating comprising strips of material impregnated with a condensation product and hardened said coating being applied under tension to adhere to said shaft under strain When hardened and tough enough not to crack off under normal flexure and torsion thereof.

13. A golf club shaft comprising a tapered split tube of thin sheet metal held together and entirely enclosed by a number of strips of thin material Wound thereon throughout the greater part of its length and coated With a Wear resisting waterproof compound.

' THOMAS W. BRYANT.

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