Review: Black Oxide Service (BOSgolf.com)
December 19, 2011
Today I review Black Oxide Service, provider of metal finishing services. bosgolf.com
BOS is well-known in the golf industry–particularly in the putter world–for their outstanding finishing of some of the best-looking clubs in the game. BOS is responsible for the finish of Scotty Cameron’s original Gun Blue Classics line of putters, the line that put Cameron on the map. BOS also has worked on Scratch clubs recently, providing some special finishes for their wedges.
After tinkering around with the idea of refinishing/reworking clubs myself, I got in touch with BOS to clean up some Cameron putters for me. Consistent readers will know that I restored a Cameron TeI3 putter (see https://thepowerfade.wordpress.com/2011/03/16/restoring-a-tei3-long-neck/) but was unhappy with the cold-blue finish, even after several tries to get it right. Although I learned a lot from the restoration process, I decided I wanted something unique, so I sent my putter to BOS for their “Aquamarine” finish, a green-blue hued finish.
Coincidentally, I was able to pick up a Cameron Newport Oil Can putter for a good price. Although the putter did not need much work to repair dings or dents, its finished had been stripped because–according to the prior owner–“it had been left in a garage and was all rusty, so some stuff was put on it to take the rust off.”
Below is what the Newport Oil Can looked like before sending to BOS. Look at the post on restoring the TeI3 (here: https://thepowerfade.wordpress.com/2011/03/16/restoring-a-tei3-long-neck/)for photos as to what that putter looked like before.
The result was utterly stunning:
Refinishes from BOS are not cheap (see http://www.bosgolf.com/finishes.html) However, if you can find an old Scotty Cameron putter for a good price, they can be a cost-effective alternative to the Cameron Custom Shop and can even allow you the ability to customize the finishes yourself–putting something like Aquamarine on a Cameron putter would never be allowed from the Custom Shop. Further, if you just wanted a nice putter that was basically new but didn’t want to spend the $300 for a new Cameron or much more for an old one in good shape, a refinish by BOS can be a great way to get that putter of your dreams for a fraction of the price.
BOS’s customer service was great as well. For the TeI3, some of the finish peeled off. BOS repaired the problem at no charge, and it looks good as new.
Downsides, the cost is pretty high. They refuse to ship anything other than UPS, so shipping is $17.50 for a single putter head (yikes!). But their customer service is fantastic, and although some have complained of long lead times, they got my putters back to me in just a few weeks.
Price: 4
Quality: 8
Turnaround: 7
Customization: 8
Customer Service: 9
Ovarall: 7
Filed in Other Reviews
Tags: alternative to cameron, aquamarine, bettinardi milled putters with BOS, black oxide service, BOS, BOS finishes on cameron, BOSGOLF, cameron custom shop, finishing golf clubs, gun blue, long neck tei3, oil can, oil can newport refinish, putter finishes, putter plating, putter refinsihing, refinishing metal, restoring a putter, restoring a scotty cameron, restoring an old cameron putter, restoring be BOS, scotty cameron putters
Club Repair: Restoring a Putter (Part 1)
December 12, 2011
Anyone who has read our blog over the last year or so understands the cycle: in the summer, LG and I do club reviews, course reviews, and other fun posts about golf. In the winter, there is no PGA (or, little, at least), and for the most part we’re sequestered indoors because of weather. As such, winter posts tend to focus around equipment modifications and customizations.
As such, even after a rough experience with my restoration of a TeI3 last year (see https://thepowerfade.wordpress.com/2011/03/16/restoring-a-tei3-long-neck/), I felt like it was time to get back at the restoration bug. I learned a great deal between then and now, and I have a few Spalding TP Mills putters to finish in various finishes. This should be a fun winter project.
Filed in Club Repair and Work
Tags: black oxide, blue gun, finishing, flaming a putter, flaming metal, grinding, gun blue, how to flame a putter, how to restore a putter, how to torch a putter, hues of metal, old master w802, perma blue, plum brown, polishing metal before flaming, restoring a putter, restoring a tp mills, sanding, torching a putter, torching metal, tp mills putters, wilson 8802