How To Black Oxide Golf Clubs

Over time, some golf clubs pick up nicks and scratches, eventually leaving your club looking significantly worse than when you bought it. Although some people simply get new clubs, a black oxide finish is sometimes a better alternative.

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Here is how to black oxide golf clubs in five easy steps:

Sand the surface of the clubs until smooth
Clean and degrease the surface
Apply a blackener
Dry the golf club
Bead blast the golf club

A black oxide finish on your golf club gives it that clean and professional look you want, breathing new life into your club and your swing. By the end of this article, you’ll have learned everything you need to safely black oxide your club without breaking the bank.

1. Sand the Surface of the Clubs Until Smooth

The first step in blackening your golf clubs is to smoothen their surfaces. Smoothing the surface of your putter removes scratches and minor damage the putter might have picked up. A smoother surface also improves the adhesive properties of the putter, making the rest of the blackening process significantly easier.

The easiest way to smoothen your putter is to use sandpaper. Sandpaper is cheap and affordable at most stores so it’s the best option for most people.

If you’d like to go the extra mile and get a truly professional finish, then you might want to bead blast your putter before the process starts. Bead blasting is similar to sandblasting, a way of smoothing a surface by propelling abrasive media across it at high pressure.

You’d have to buy the equipment separately if you want to do it yourself. However, if you don’t plan to do this process often, a local hardware store will usually have one they might let you use. Alternatively, you can reach out to people in online DIY communities to find someone around that can loan you theirs.

2. Clean and De-grease the Surface

Sanding the golf club’s surface will remove a lot of unwanted material but will ultimately leave some residue. While smoothening the clubhead evens the surface, the cleaner gets rid of dirt and grease that might ruin its final look.

A good cleaner you can try is Birchwood Casey Aluminum Black Touch Up (available on Amazon), which comes with a cleaner for this step, and a blackener you can use for the next one. When applying the cleaner, make sure it covers the entire clubhead. The Birchwood Casey kit comes with brushes you can use to apply, but you can use any old toothbrush or a q-tip.

Remember to clean off the gold club with distilled water after applying the cleaner. Also, let it dry properly and mop off the excess moisture with paper towels.

3. Apply a Blackener

For this step, you’ll also need some q-tips or a brush. Apply the blackener liberally and distribute it evenly across the surface of the putter. The blackener will start off looking lighter than it should, but it will darken with time.

If you are looking for a lighter shade of black, you can mix the blackener with water. The more water you mix in, the lighter the final result.

If you’re not sure about blackeners, Birchwood Casey Perma Blue (also on Amazon) is a good choice. It’s a good, affordable choice that leaves you with a very good-looking finish.

4. Dry the Golf Club

Let the golf clubs dry for about 10 to 15 minutes. This will allow enough time for the blackening agent to stick to the clubs. If the agent isn’t allowed enough time to dry, it may not look or perform as well as it should. Make sure you keep the clubs far from dust to stop them getting dirty while drying.

5. Bead Blast the Golf Club

Bead blasting your clubs after you’ve applied the blackener isn’t a necessary step for most people. Still, if you’re willing to go the extra mile or have a bead blaster readily available, then it can significantly improve the result.

Bead blasting the club will improve the surface of the club and make the oxide slightly more even. If you found a way to bead blast your clubs for the first step, then you should already have a way to do it for this one.

When bead blasting, do it lightly at low pressures between 70-90 psi (483 – 620 kPa). You might want someone with a bit more experience doing this if it’s your first time since bead blasting can lighten the surface of your club if it’s done too heavily.

Conclusion

Using black oxide on your golf clubs is a great way to improve their look. Many people never go for it and ultimately decide to get new clubs, but if you follow the steps above, a black oxide finish is a cheaper and better option if you simply want to improve the look of your equipment.

Most of the things you’ll need to black oxide your golf clubs are cheap, and it will usually take you less than an hour once you get the hang of it.