Bat Care, Repair and General Tips

[Almost_Austwick]

Seeing that there have a been quite a few threads asking for bat advice I thought that I’d take a bit of time to write some guides.

As this thread is evolving I'd thought I'd do some housekeeping and add links to topics and guides in this post so it's easier to navigate.

1. Buying a Bat
1.1 Buying a Bat - extras
1.2 Grading Willow

2. Performance vs Looks

3. Oiling and Knocking In A must read!
3.1 In between care

4. Gripping Cone Tutorial


I will add to this over the coming months, so if there is anything you'd like to see, just ask. Might also refurbish a bat from start to finish just to show what can be achieved (if anyone has one they'd like to donate, give me a shout).

 

[angryangy]

Also worth noting that if you're not a tall adult or late teen (and there would be plenty of people standing shorter than 5'9") and not interested in a big 3 pounder, the equivalent small mens versions of premium bats can work out quite a lot cheaper.

 

[Almost_Austwick]

One thing that I forgot to mention is the finish of the bat.

In most cases you'll get a choice of whether to leave the bat natural or to have some kind of sheet placed on the blade. It's largely down to personal choice if you have one fitted but it does offer the benefits of adding extra protection to your bat, whilst removing the need for oiling.

There is no performance reduction in having a sheet fitted and the only downside I can think of is purely aesthetic.

Toe guards - if it comes pre fitted then no worries, if not then I wouldn't bother getting one. They don't really do much except stop damp from entering the toe of the bat.

Pre knocked in - a gimmick more than anything else as the bat will still need some knocking in.

 

[Deleted member 11215]

wow... once again a useful post from planetcrickets best member i look forward to reading the rest of this

 

[manee]

wow... once again a useful post from planetcrickets best member i look forward to reading the rest of this

Saying that, (although true), is slanderous to my chances of getting best post contributor .

Anywhoo, I just got a Kookabbura Big Beast, sadly it has blemishes around the sweet spot but I don't see the harm in that. It also have indents around the entire bat quite close together throughout the whole bat, do you know what they are.

 

[Almost_Austwick]

Manee - blemishes aren't really a big issue unless it's a really big knot - then that could have an impact on performance as they are caused by the wood being denser. Indeed in times gone by it was desirable to have what is known as a 'butterfly' mark on bat.

As for the indents, without seeing a picture it's hard to say. They could be a feature of the bat, may be marks due to packing\shipment or the bat may have been pressed up against a pair of rubbers in your bag.

 

[manee]

I think the blemish is to do with the wood because I felt it and it was flat.

I have got a feeling the indents are a feature of the bat, hopefully it gives some sort of 'hidden power' to the shot.

You rule by the way!

 

[Simbazz]

Took me a while to read but it makes some good points, and about the oiling/sheeting arguement, im too lazy to oil so i put a sheet on but i still oil just above the sheet to keep that bit nice, as i tend to hit the ball high up on my bat with certain shots (not technically sound )

 

[Almost_Austwick]

Before I move on to how to care for your bat I thought I’d quickly drop in a note with regards to performance versus looks.

So far the advice I have given is based on what I would consider to be sound advice (I suppose you could say ‘best practice’) and if followed should point people in the right direction when choosing a bat. However, when doing so it is important to remember that due to the way bats are graded in the modern day, playability sometimes gets overlooked in the rush to have a clean and aesthically pleasing piece of willow.

This is not to say that you are being mis-sold in any way, as often the best looking blades will be the ones that play well, it’s more to make you aware that with a little bit of searching its often possible to find a gem of a bat for peanuts. Just because the bat you’ve been given is covered in knots, specks and false growths doesn’t mean that it won’t play well.

With this in mind it is vitally important that you ask to ‘tap up’ a bat when you go to buy it. Tapping up is simply as it sounds – bounce a ball on the blade or hit it with a mallet and get a feel for how the wood plays. I’m afraid to say that there is no magic formula and you will need to rely on experience, generally though a good bit of willow will rebound sharply and make a very distinct noise – get this and you’ll know that once it’s finally prepared the ball will be racing to the boundary like a rocket.

There is a nice little story from Julian Milichamp (formerly of Millichamp & Hall and well renowned for choosing playability over looks) who now produces the ‘Screaming Cat’ range of bats, that when asked why he chose this as a name for his company, replied that it was in memory of a mentor, who when in the process of tapping up and found the best piece of wood would excitedly scream “It’s a screaming cat boy, a screaming cat”. So, maybe that’s what we should all be looking for!

 

[Almost_Austwick]

So, you’ve bought new bat and now you’re wondering just what you need to do in order to get the best from it as well as making sure it has a long life. Below, I’ll go through the basics of oiling and knocking in as well as a few other little things you can do to help reduce damage.
It always helps if you have the right kit and for this it would be helpful to have the following:

1. RAW Linseed oil (must be RAW)
2. A soft cloth
3. Bat Mallet (or an old ball in a sock)
4. Time!

OILING

First thing to do is oil the bat as this will help to protect the bat from water damage (and soften really hard wood).

If you have any sort of cover on the face of the bat then you can skip this step and move onto the section about knocking in.

Take the soft cloth and pour a small amount of the Linseed oil on to it (you really only need a small amount – if anything it is better to NOT OIL the bat rather than OVER OIL as you deaden the wood and although it can be saved it take a lot of drying out).

Wipe the cloth on the face, toe, edges and the bottom of the back of the bat. You really only a need a thin film of oil and there should be no drips or running oil on the bat. Do not oil the splice (the ‘V’ shape where the handle fits in) as it can weaken the glue. Once this is done leave the bat to dry overnight or for a couple of days.

Some people suggest that you apply a second coat but I really see no need for this and one application per season should be more than enough. However, if you want to do so I’d say use the same cloth as before but without adding any more oil to make sure that you’re not over oiling.

KNOCKING IN

It is important to remember that every bat is different and because of this the amount of time spent knocking in will vary from bat to bat. At the very least you will need to spend about 3 hours on a ‘pre-knocked’ bat and 4 hours for all others. Generally, it’s recommended that you spend 6 hours on the task but not all it needs to be done with a mallet (or a ball in a sock).

Another to note is the virtue of patience – do not try to knock your bat in, in one 6 hour block. The whole point of knocking in is too help compress (or harden and knit if you like) the wood fibres and if done quickly these fibres will simply spring back, leaving you right back where you started. Try to spend about 45 minutes per block on the task (or somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes) as this will properly compress the wood and make sure that it stays that way. The whole task can take a few days so be prepared for this!

Moving on, for the couple of hours you only need to apply a gentle force to the bat, concentrating on the middle but making sure that all areas are covered (face up to the front sticker and edges). One tip is to cover the mallet with a cloth to soften the blows. Over time increase the force of your blows so that by the 4/5 hour mark you are giving it a fair whack.

You may now want to go outside and tap a ball up or hit a few catches with the bat (using a very old ball (120 over’s plus) to begin with) in order to see if the face is being marked. If the marks are very visible, I’m afraid that it’s back indoors for another hour with the mallet. However, if the face is reasonably un-marked you can move on to hitting a few (slightly harder) balls in the net. Try to keep your strokes mainly defensive (although a few drives here and there etc are ok). After an hour of this move on newer balls (20 over’s plus old) and if the bat comes through this then try it against some new balls. All in all it’s a gradual procedure of increasing the force whilst checking the face for any undue markings. If you see any (normally seam impressions), take a step back or go and knock in for a bit longer with the mallet.

One tip is to check the blade with your fingernail – gently press it into the wood and as time goes on it should be harder and harder to make a mark. This is a good sign that the bat is ready to be moved on to the net stage.

When knocking in the edges try to replicate the move of a ball catching the edge (glancing blows) – don’t hit the edges directly with the mallet. You are aiming to round them not flatten.

Hopefully you’ve made it through all of this and your bat is ready to go!

OTHER TIPS

There isn’t much else to say on this topic except for the usual:

Surface cracks do and will appear. This is perfectly natural and signifies a good bat that’s been properly prepared.

Don’t store your bat next to radiators or in the boot of your car - it will cause the wood to go brittle!
Ideal places are dry sheds or garages.

Tape – have some scuff tape handy to help protect the edges if needed. You’d be surprised at how much protection this stuff can offer.

Next up..... Start and end of season care!

 

[barmyarmy]

Just a question about seam impressions. I knocked my bat in for about 7-8 hours but there are still seam impressions on it. Does this mean I haven't knocked it in properly?

 

[Simbazz]

Just a question about seam impressions. I knocked my bat in for about 7-8 hours but there are still seam impressions on it. Does this mean I haven't knocked it in properly?

Depends, obviously A_A will be able to tell you more, but you're always going to get some seam marks, depends what they look like, if there really quite visible and sort of deep, then maybe so, but then again it could just be the wood which is a little softer in those areas. Does it mark every time you hit the ball's seam? Or is it just on different and totally random occasions?

 

[Almost_Austwick]

Simbazz is pretty much right. You'll always get a few light seam marks on the bat (unless the bat is really, really hard) and they're nothing to worry about.

If you're getting a lot of marks and they're fairly deep then the bat would benefit from a little more work. However, it could be that you're using a hard batch of balls (league balls can sometimes be of below average quality due to the numbers produced) or the bat you have is just very soft (I seem to remember that you have a Kookaburra?) in any case an hour or so of extra knocking in will do no harm - in most cases a lot of bats benefit from the extra attention.

 

[Almost_Austwick]

Should just mention that if anyone wants any bat advice (or general kit) just post the question in here and I'll see what I can do.

If you have crack or other mark a picture would be a great help (although not essential) along with a brief outline of how it occurred (if you know). Also the age of the bat is handy to have as well.

I'll be having a tidy up in here over the next few days (work permitting as I've just picked up a big contract) as well posting a few tutorials such as fitting a grip\anti-scuff and whatever else comes to mind. If there is anything you'd like to see post it and if I can I will!

 

[Deleted member 11215]

Ashamefully my bat is made out of kashmir willow i had to buy it at the last minute cause my other one was too small and i didnt know. Any chance of it ever getting a middle?