Shot Blast Finishing

A special high-impact finishing has been added to improve the look and feel. Significantly better than just painting. In fact, the surface finish doesn't just look good, it makes the shaft stronger and more resistant to impact.

Just like old west blacksmiths, and sword makers, we take a special machine and repeatedly hit the surface of the shaft with steel. When the steel shot hits the surface of the shaft it hammers down a microscopic layer of the metal matrix composite. This helps the metal molecules to align and form a stronger, tighter matrix. This tighter matrix makes it more resistant to impact failure and fracture initiation. In other words, since the metal is microscopically hammered down on the surface, it keeps a fracture from starting on the surface and tearing into the metal and acts like millions of tiny shields keeping the fracture wedge from splitting the molecules apart and causing a fracture from tearing the metal.

This impact resistant surface doesn't just make it stronger, it also gives the shaft a slight grip surface and a sturdy post-industrial look.

Process:

• Shaft is cut, drilled and then blasted with millions of hardened steel shot. It is like blasting the lacrosse shaft with a shotgun blast.
• This acts like a old western blacksmith hammering the horseshoe repeatedly to make the metal more durable and more resistant to stress fractures and impact damage.
• In addition to increasing the surface strength, it also gives the shaft a slight grip texture.

<-----This is a detail of the surface finishing.