Composite Mallet Repairs

(Applies to Fibercane and earlier Graflite mallets)

Polo Mallets break. Lets face it, they would be dangerous if they didn’t. Most mallets can be repaired – this page describes how.

Fitting New Heads

TOOLS REQUIRED:

Saw, File, Vice. Optional extras 1/2”-7/16” or adjustable dies.

PREPARATION OF THE SHAFT

Unwrap the plastic tape at the top of the clear plastic sheath above the head and pull it up the shaft away from the head. Saw the old head off either side of the shaft. Break away the remaining pieces of the old head by using a cleaver, being careful not to damage the shaft. Any remaining pieces of wood or glue may now be filed flush with the thread.

RE-THREADING

Although sometimes not absolutely necessary, threading the shaft with a die ensures maximum surface area for adhesion to the threaded hole. In most cases, the existing thread will just need cleaning out with a sharp file.

To thread a shaft from scratch, clamp the shaft between two V’s in a vice. ( A large tap wrench can also be ideal) It’s very important not to weaken the shaft by threading too deeply, so select a die which can rethread the shaft back to it’s original distance. Either a 1/2” or 7/16” is usually ideal. (Imperial dies have a wider thread and are therefore more suitable) Thread no further than 38 mm from the end. Try screwing the head on bearing in mind that the glue will act a lubricant, next time around. If it is too tight, adjust by filing.

GLUING

When you're satisfied that you have a good fit, apply some high strength epoxy glue to the thread and into the hole of the head. It helps if you make a small hole at the bottom of the head so that excess glue can be squeezed through. Twist on the head to about 5mm above the threaded section and check the length and adjust if necessary. Wipe off any excess glue and align the head with the handle. When dry, stamp and varnish the head and knock down the plastic sheath to fit firmly against the top of the head. Apply a wrap or two of plastic tape to keep the plastic sheeth in place.

Shaft Repairs

Virtually any broken shaft can be successfully repaired, no matter where the break, by gluing a short fiberglass sleeve about 45 mm either side of the break.

We supply a two sizes of prethreaded sleaves with either 10.5 or 12.00 internal holes which will generally repair most shafts.

It's critical to ensure a good fit either side of the break. In most cases this can be done simply with a sharp file although we an adjustable die. A little patience is all thats required to achieve a good fit. When each end fits tightly into the sleeve so that they meet in the middle, epoxy glue may be applied to all internal surfaces and the joints can then be screwed back together. At this stage the head can be re-aligned with the handle and then left to set. Check that the shaft is set straight and adjust if necessary. When dry, the sleeve may be filed off at the edges and repainted if desired.

Fitting New traditional Grips

Step 1:
Remove old grip, and sling if necessary, and prise out any old tacks with a penknife or screwdriver. Strips of cloth tape can be laid in appropriate areas to build up the handle or it may be filed down to the desired size and shape if required.

Step 2:
Affix new sling. Use two large tacks (or 14 mm staples if you have a suitable staple gun) on each side through the central line of the Knob leaving approximately 1” on the handle.
Note: Sling length for an average hand is 21” long allowing 1” on either side under the grip. The length may be adjusted to suit.

Step 3:
Our grips come with a pre-shaped end which needs to be tacked close to the sling with a small gimp pin or tack.

Step 4:
Wrap on the grip. For the first complete turn, keep the top of the grip level with the top of the handle. When the first turn overlaps the gimp pin, stretch reasonably tight and follow the line of the shaped section of the grip down the handle overlapping just under half the grip width. Continue stretching tight with each turn and try to keep a uniform diagonal line until the bottom of the handle.

Step 5:
When the handle is fully covered, bind down around the shaft while keeping the grip tight. Using a good plastic tape (We recommend 3M 12 mm #471), wrap tightly over the grip material at least two turns at the point where the handle ends and shaft begins. If this is firm, the grip material below the tape may be trimmed off using a knife and a second wrap of tape can be applied starting on the shaft and binding up over the first wrap of tape. Finish of at the back of the handle. Please note that some mallet makers use tacks to hold the grip in place at the bottom of the handle. This often splits the canes and can be avoided by using a good quality tape.

Replacing molded grips

The new molded grips are extremely durable and outlast the traditional style of grip but after considerable use they may need replacing or you may want to fit a smaller or larger handles. The glue we use is standard hot melt adhesive. This is readily available in most parts of the world and is widely used by handymen for quick repair jobs etc. Tools required are a hot melt glue gun and a heat gun (the type used for paint stripping is fine). The secret to replacing a handle is to heat the old handle up with a heat gun so that the black polypropylene part of the handle gets hot enough to soften the adhesive underneath the handle can be twisted off quite easily, it just takes a couple of minutes to get the handle hot enough. Tip: if you wrap a layer of electrical or masking tape on the shaft at the base of the handle before removal, mark the center line of the handle onto the tape. This way, its easy to align the new handle with the mark and any excess hotmelt glue cane be peeled off with the tape.

The new handles are available in two sizes and colors and come ready to glue straight on to the shafts using hot melt glue. The heat gun is also useful at this stage to keep the hot melt glue hot enough, allowing time to fit and align the new handle. A bit of electrical tape over the shaft at the bottom of the handle helps to avoid excess glue getting on the shaft.

Spare Handles are available at NZ$10.00 each with slings fitted. The handle replacement procedure normally takes less than 5 minutes.

A complete range of polo mallet repair materials are available for immediate dispatch by air post.