[Putters] Breaking in Putters

[GripEnemy]

Didn't Ken Climo put discs on the roof of his house to let the sun heat them up?

And agree that microwaves are not a good alternate way to accomplish what the sun does to discs....

I believe he left them outside in his practice basket/yard and practiced with them for over a year before bagging. IIRC

 

[tbird888]

Heat might actually break down the plastic a bit, so you can leave your discs outside in the sun to soften them. I had a friend who used to leave Wizards in the back window of his car prior to SSS plastic and it really did seem to work. His Wizards were crazy/soft compared to the roof-shingle stiffness they started with. It took a long time, though. You had to leave them in the car for quite some time.

The story I heard about Gateway creating SSS plastic was that George Smith was Gateway-sponsored and liked a really soft putter, so they were leaving Wizards out in a practice basket in Dave's yard to soften them up for him. They decided to just create a plastic that soft out of the box for him, and it sold.

I always assumed that was where the microwave myth came from, trying to quickly reproduce the sunlight trick. I think the sunlight either breaks down the plastic or it's the process of heating/cooling repeatedly that works. The microwave seems like a really bad idea.

I actually have left a stack of putters (tons of different molds and plastics) in the Portals in the back yard testing the Climo method for the past few years, and so far I can't say that I've noticed a ton of softening from the firmer blends. Just fading. For some reason I have noticed a nice grip developing though. I did have a 150 Birdie that made me fall for the mold crack on me. It would just flip to flat and cruise through the yard. Stinking UV rays!

I do feel like my second run Fossil Wizard has softened a little though, but they were a little softer than the other runs so it could just be in my head. Thanks for the history lesson. I love continuing to hear that Dave's managed to grow his business just from tinkering.

I wonder if the microwave wouldn't work better if you turned it upside down and filled the disc with water. That might help keep the temps down enough to prevent serious damage.

 

[ILUVSMGS18]

Leaving them in a car/outside, will also remove the dome sometimes so be careful. I just flattened some Ontario Rocs this way. It also will undo warping and puddle topping on discs as well.

 

[zontar]

If this post wasn't tongue in cheek then I take back my thumb.

oh, it's tongue in cheek for sure. anyone that wants to try it is more than welcome, though. that's what evolution is for....

 

[Casey 1988]

So your saying dubious advice about microwaving your putters didn't work!?

It did with the Jawbreaker plastic I had them work as that plastic is one that gets more flexible when more broken in. I never did that to my Pro D models, those I did the putt her and close to the basket to break them in and did that more to the one I wanted as the longer approach/putting putter. Never do the microwave to plastics that are stiff type. I hav ontly seen this once with a disc golfer, more brothers friend was putting with Specal Soft DX Rhyno and wanted a putter like that softer so he did the microwave for 3-5 seconds to have discs like his Special Soft DX Rhyno, then made disc look like the Special with a sharpie.

 

[Casey 1988]

Leaving them in a car/outside, will also remove the dome sometimes so be careful. I just flattened some Ontario Rocs this way. It also will undo warping and puddle topping on discs as well.

I do that with my non Putters if putt gets soft when broken in. I do the softening in the sun outside on hot day or in a car, I did that to my Champion Destroyer as Champion plastic for that run in 2014 was stiff and not like the old 2000's Champion that I could not throw the disc. Now my newest Discs in the Champion plastic feels like the old stuff from the 2000's.

If Putter is supposed to be stiff then I do the other method I mention above.

 

[Casey 1988]

Iv'e seen it posted quite a few times before, so apparently some folks have tried it and probably ruined a few discs along the way. :gross:

Nope as the Jawbreaker putters are the only discs I have broken in that way. Only flaw is the Jawbreaker plastic on days 95 F+ the disc are too grippy to use and get soft when playing. I have broken in a champion disc 2014 my Destroyers with the car method due to the fact that they were not like the mid 2000's Champion plastic when new, that plastic was softer then what is used now. Also they kept they somehow kept the odd mid/average dome to flat mid section that they had from the begging.

I could not fix a Pro D Magnet I warped Bad on hitting a tree during a putt wind too it, I tried the sun method with the disc and wight on top of a flat piece of plywood. I tried the bending it back to shape. Finally I gave up and got the new putters in August 2017. I wanted to try new discs but was waiting to see if they did the delamination that the very similar discs, the Color Swirl putters Discraft made in the 2000's

 

[Casey 1988]

Didn't Ken Climo put discs on the roof of his house to let the sun heat them up?

And agree that microwaves are not a good alternate way to accomplish what the sun does to discs....

I have only done that to my Jawbreaker Magnets, I would never do that to a putter that is supposed to be stiff still when broken in. Any disc that is not a putter I would not either.

 

[Grippenripp]

So there we are. Sunlight, tree/chain hits = the only things that truly work

 

[rayoflight]

So your saying dubious advice about microwaving your putters didn't work!?

I microwaved a Megasoft Swan upside down with water in it, and it worked perfectly. I figured I had nothing to lose because the disc was crazy warped from laying in a heap in the back seat of a car, so I basically just microwaved it 5 seconds at a time and then stopped when the water was hot. After that I just left it in the microwave and let it cool so that the disc had time to set.

I really doubt it would work with firm plastic, though. It's just the soft plastics that can be molded with moderately hot temperatures and a bit of consistent pressure from the weight of the water.

 

[Casey 1988]

I microwaved a Megasoft Swan upside down with water in it, and it worked perfectly. I figured I had nothing to lose because the disc was crazy warped from laying in a heap in the back seat of a car, so I basically just microwaved it 5 seconds at a time and then stopped when the water was hot. After that I just left it in the microwave and let it cool so that the disc had time to set.

I really doubt it would work with firm plastic, though. It's just the soft plastics that can be molded with moderately hot temperatures and a bit of consistent pressure from the weight of the water.

I never used water, I just put both of my Jawbreaker Magnets in the microwave for 10 seconds then 10 off in the Freezer for 3 rounds to get them where the disc should be after about 6 months to a year using the disc. I froze the disc for 10 seconds because if I did all 30 seconds at once the disc would be warped bad and the freezing made the disc so it kept its rigidity plastic wise that the Jawbreaker plastic has. Though if I did this again I would only go 5 seconds for the last microwaving then 10 seconds in the freezer. I feel I went a bit long as in temps past 94/95 F the disc is to grippy and plastic is too soft though it maintains it never gets to that floppy the way Soft Pro D Magnets get after a few years of use as main putter.

 

[SD86]

I microwaved a Megasoft Swan upside down with water in it, and it worked perfectly. I figured I had nothing to lose because the disc was crazy warped from laying in a heap in the back seat of a car, so I basically just microwaved it 5 seconds at a time and then stopped when the water was hot. After that I just left it in the microwave and let it cool so that the disc had time to set.

I really doubt it would work with firm plastic, though. It's just the soft plastics that can be molded with moderately hot temperatures and a bit of consistent pressure from the weight of the water.

I heated water to boiling in the microwave and then poured that water into the disc (outside the microwave) and let it cool, rather than putting the disc in the microwave. Discs in the microwave = trouble looking for a place to happen.

 

[thirtydirtybirds]

You could always just practice with new putters until they are the way you like.

 

[Streets]

You could always just practice with new putters until they are the way you like.

That's way to logical for some of these yahoos

 

[Grippenripp]

Practice microwaving them to perfection.

 

[thirtydirtybirds]

Wouldn't want to actually putt with them. Might get a little ding in the rim or something.

 

[Casey 1988]

I heated water to boiling in the microwave and then poured that water into the disc (outside the microwave) and let it cool, rather than putting the disc in the microwave. Discs in the microwave = trouble looking for a place to happen.

That method should not be used with most Pro or Star/G Star plastic like discs, even regular X ESP discs as the plastic has the thin outer layer can get bubbly and peel off. Unless it is not boiling water boiling water I was told does this to some disc plastics that have the thin outer layer to them Pro and X plastic being the most notable.

 

[GripEnemy]

That method should not be used with most Pro or Star/G Star plastic like discs, even regular X ESP discs as the plastic has the thin outer layer can get bubbly and peel off. Unless it is not boiling water boiling water I was told does this to some disc plastics that have the thin outer layer to them Pro and X plastic being the most notable.

I've flattened over 100 discs of all companies and plastics this way. Not true one bit.

 

[Three Putt]

You could always just practice with new putters until they are the way you like.

That's way to logical for some of these yahoos

The only "shortcut to beat" disc I have is a glow Wizard I used for an event in a mine. The mine walls just chewed up the plastic, so the disc got beat before its time. I really don't like the result. The damage is really harsh and rough, not like when you get little spots of damage over time and they smooth over a bit as you continue to use the disc. I don't think you can shortcut that process.

Before the Internet was around to spread microwave nonsense, the only method I saw somebody use to try to speed up beating in a disc was throwing it against a brick wall. FWIW, that's a really good way to bend the rim on a DX disc. :| Just throw it until you love it.

 

[Jay Dub]

The best way I've personally found for breaking in a putter is a one disc round (or ten) with that putter. It not just breaks it in faster it helps you learn the disc better.

My apologies if this has already been suggested.