Method and apparatus for molding golf club heads

Apparatus for molding patterns for gold club heads and for molding golf club heads, wherein the golf club head has a body with a face on one side and a neck projecting from one side of said body at a selected angled relative to said face, said apparatus comprising:

• a first mold defining a first cavity having a shape that corresponds to the exterior of said body and having a first opening on the side corresponding to said one side of said body adjacent said neck;
• a second mold defining a second cavity having a shape that corresponds to the exterior of said neck and having a second opening that corresponds to the end portion of said neck adjacent said body;
• and
• means supporting said first and second molds with said first and second openings aligned and communicating between said first and second cavities, thereby to form a combined molding cavity for a club head and a neck, said means also supporting said first and second molds for relative angular movement to different positions in which said second cavity extends from said first cavity at different selected angles with said face, for molding of golf club heads with necks at different selected angles with said face.

Apparatus for molding patterns for golf clubs heads and for molding golf club heads, wherein the golf club head has a body and a tubular neck projecting from one side of said body at a selected angle relative to the body, said apparatus comprising:

• a first mold having a first cavity in the shape of a golf club body and having a first opening on one side adjacent the juncture with the neck;
• a second mold having a second cavity in the shape of the neck for the golf club body, said second mold having a core pin therein for forming the hollow interior of the tubular neck and having a second opening at one end of said second cavity;
• and means supporting said molds such that said one side and said one end are in an abutting relationship with said first and second openings aligned and communicating, said means also supporting said molds for relative angular movement about a pivotal axis to different positions relative to one another;
• said core pin extending to the juncture of said tubular neck with said body.

In an adjustable molding apparatus for directly producing a part or a pattern of the part, said part having first and second components that are joined together in a selected angular relationship, the combination of:

• a first mold defining a first cavity having the shape of the first component, and defining a first opening on one side of said first cavity;
• a second mold defining a second cavity having the shape of the second component, said defining a second opening on one side of said second cavity;
• and means supporting said molds with said first and second openings aligned and communicating between said first and second cavities, said means also supporting said molds for relative angular movement about a predetermined axis to position said cavities in different angular relationships;
• said molds having abutting arcuate surfaces around said openings that are coaxial with said predetermined axis for smooth meeting engagement between said molds in different relative angular positions.

Apparatus for molding patterns for golf club heads and for molding golf club heads, wherein the golf club head has a hollow body and a tubular neck projecting from one side of said body at a selected angle relative to the body, said apparatus comprising:

• a base;
• a first mold supported on said base and having a first cavity in the shape of a golf club body and having an opening on one side adjacent the juncture with the neck;
• a first core piece in said first mold defining a hollow interior for the golf club body;
• a set of interchangeable second mold inserts mountable in a preselected position on said base, and each having a second cavity in the shape of a neck for the golf club body, the second cavities of said inserts being disposed at different selected angles relative to said first mold thereby to define necks in different angular relations for said body;
• a core pin mountable in each of said interchangeable inserts to form the hollow interior of a tubular neck and to project into said first cavity through said opening and into abutting engagement with said core piece;
• said core pin and said core body having part-spherical complementary abutting surfaces, and said mold inserts supporting said core pin in different angular positions about the axis of said part-spherical abutting surfaces.

Apparatus for molding patterns for golf club heads and for molding a golf club head, wherein the golf club head has a bore for receiving a shaft, the apparatus comprising:

• a mold defining a mold cavity substantially in the shape of the body and having an opening into said cavity on one side thereof;
• a core pin projecting into said cavity through said opening to define said bore;
• and
• means supporting said core pin for pivotal movement relative to said mold into different angular positions, thereby to form said bore for reception of a shaft at different angles relative to the body of the golf club.

The method of molding patterns for golf club heads and for molding golf club heads, wherein the golf club head has a body and a tubular hosel projecting from the body at a selected and variable angle, comprising the steps of:

• providing first and second separate mold cavities for the body and for the tubular hosel, respectively, with openings adjacent the portions of the cavities corresponding to the juncture of the body and the hosel;
• supporting the second mold cavity alongside the first mold cavity with said openings aligned and communicating between said cavities;
• moving the second mold cavity relative to the first mold cavity about a pivotal axis corresponding generally to the juncture of the hosel with the body into different selected angular relationships;
• and molding at least one golf club head in each of at least two different angular relationships to produce golf club heads with the hosels projecting from the bodies at the different angles.