Pitch on Hickory Golf Club Shafts

[Todd Burch]

This sentence is from a Ben Hogan book on Golf, ("Secrects") and he is explaining the manufacturing process for the old hickory shaft golf clubs.

"Hickory was bought in sticks measuring 1" square by 40" to 48" long. The hickory was then planed and sanded into a perfectly round shaft, which was them tapered into a hosel (the upper part of the head) and secured with a rivet. Pitch was added to harden it and linseed oil to bring out the grain and season the wood, it was then ready to pass its final tests."

I've never heard of using pitch in any way, form or manner, and even where one would buy it, and how to apply it.

Can any old timers out there explain this to me (us?)

Thanks, Todd.

[Elmer Nahum]

Here's a response more than a decade after the initial question:

While I am not an old timer, I have made some 19th Century Long Nose golf club replicas.

The shaft is rubbed with boiled linseed oil. After drying, rub, then quickly wipe off some liquid asphaltum. The asphaltum will produce those black lines in the grain that one sees on hickory shafts as well as the amber hue. Pitch or asphaltum closes the pores to reduce water damage. One or two thin coats of shellac (thinned 50% with denatured alcohol and applied with a lint-free finely woven rag) finish off the shaft. Liquid asphaltum can be purchased from Dick Blick's Art supply online. Raw solid bitumen has also been described instead of asphaltum, but I have no idea where to purchase bitumen. I wear rubber gloves when applying asphaltum. Is this the same stuff that is used in Japanning metal planes?

http://bringbackthehandtools.blogspot.com/2015/05/some-additional-tips-on-long-nose-golf.html (http://bringbackthehandtools.blogspot.com/2015/05/some-additional-tips-on-long-nose-golf.html)