Bat Care, Repair and General Tips

[Almost_Austwick]

How old is the bat? If its less than 3 months it may well be a return to the shop job.

Cracks on the handle or around the splice can be very hard to fix (or to even stabilise).

If possible could you post a picture? A close up of the crack and one a little further back as it would really help in determining how bad it is.

 

[Wildwil]

You could take it to some one to let it be fixed.

 

[hassan]

sure AA nah bat is nearly a year old now.. but i have hardly used it only about in 4 nets sessions.... i will get the pic soon so to show how big it is.

 

[Almost_Austwick]

With that sort of damage they may still do something for you. However, it all depends on where the crack is and how bad. It may require a re-handle if its the handle itself but if its the splice then there's not a great deal to be done.

Will be able to tell you more when you get a picture though, might not be as bad as it sounds.

 

[King Pietersen]

Considering selling my Gray-Nicolls Powerbow Force so that i can buy a proper Woodworm Torch. I paid £80 for my Powerbow but it just isnt the right bat for me, little too heavy and just doesnt really suit my game tbh. Therefore i am considering upgrading my Woodworm Torch Pioneer which is a harrow bat made from Kashmir Willow. It is starting to crack quite badly now, i'll edit with some pics showing the cracks on the edges and on the toe, and i love using it. So, i was just wondering. What sort of price would i get for my Powerbow, considering that it is now knocked in and has a new grip on it ? I was thinking about £70, any more any less ? Also, would This be a suitable replacement ?. Would it be like my current Woodworm, quite light, nice pickup and overall a good bat ? as i dont really want to pay much more for a new bat, its English Willow. It also says "ready to play", is that the same as pre-knocked in, so it would need much extra knocking in ?

Cheers

edit: Pictures of my current Woodworm- the editing was done by yours truely :P:
Toe:

Edge of the Bow:

Edge of the bat:

 

[Almost_Austwick]

Prices for second hand bats are very difficult to judge. You may get lucky and get a reasonable price for it (£50?) but I can't really say as you don't see too many. Where are you thinking of selling it?

Judging by the photos your bat has just had a good life. Most of the cracks are what you would expect to see, including the missing chunk at the toe. You could spend a little bit of time and effort cleaning it up but if you're thinking of getting a new bat I'd be tempted to leave it and just use it until it breaks. If you would like to do something with let me know and I can sort out a quick guide or recommend a bat maker\repairer in your area.

As for the new bat, well it's not something I can really advise on as every bat is unique. It should share the same basic qualities as your current Wordworm (although it's dependent on the cleft and the shaping) but I strongly suggest going along to somewhere that will allow you to choose from a couple of bats, especially if this is the first time you're stepping up to a full size bat.

If I had to advise and based on what you're looking for I'd go for a bat weighing about 2lb 8oz with minimum of 4 straight grain (based on it being grade 3 willow). The pick up can always be slightly adjusted by adding a 2nd grip (or part grip) (bear in mind that each grip adds about an oz to the overall weight) if needed. However, there is nothing like actually going along and trying a few bats out.

The pre-knocking in means that it has been run through a press a few times and it will require some manual work by yourself. On pre-knocked in bats I always suggest 3 hours to start off (mixture of mallet and net time (2/1)). The guide is on the first page, along with tips on oiling.

 

[King Pietersen]

OK, i do have an adult bat. Its an SH Powerbow Force, but i dont really like it. If i'm not gonna get £70 for it i'm not gonna bother selling it. I'll just keep using my Woodworm for the rest of the season, if it survives, and then consider getting a new bat for next season, I'll be able to afford a better bat aswell, the performance Torch maybe, only £20 extra. I will look to mend my current bat, so any tips would be awesome, guessing i'll need some carbon fibre bat tape ?

 

[Almost_Austwick]

To be honest, unless the performance is being affected I'd leave the bat as it is.

However if you want to minimise any further damage then I'll post some tips later - have been caught up in all the flooding over the past few days so am a bit behind with things.

 

[hassan]

OMG to my shock the crack seemed to have become bigger after i seen it first time... havnt used it since... here are some pics...

 

[Almost_Austwick]

Hassan, I'm sorry to say that your bat has pretty much had it, the one place you don't want to have a crack is on or right next to the splice. I'd put good money on the crack shooting a fair way under the sticker as well.

The problem is that there just isn't enough wood in that area of the bat to repair in order for it to have the strength to hold the handle in place and it's not really worth trying.

However, saying that the only thing that may work in your favour (especially as your handle isn't quite centred) is that the crack appears to be running along the edge of the splice, so there could be a very small chance that the handle could be cut out and replaced but it's doubtful and once they get the handle out more damage may become apparent.

You said that the bat is about a year old? If so its worthwhile contacting the supplier to see what they have to say as a bat shouldn't really break there in that time scale. I can't promise as to what they will do about it but you may get offered a slight discount (10 or 20% maybe)on a new bat.

 

[hassan]

forget the suppliers man... i bought it from a shop back from Pakistan... i would just keep playing with it then till it breaks properly lol

 

[Almost_Austwick]

Not much good in sending it back then!

The only thing I can think of doing is to fill the crack with some wood glue (slowly dribble it in there to fill the crack as much as possible (I'm writing filth now lol)), let it dry for 48 hours and then apply some fibre glass tape to try to add some strength.

Its not an ideal solution but it may get you through a couple more games before it goes completely (though to be honest I don't think it'll last very long regardless of what you do to it).

Let me know how you get on with it.

 

[hassan]

lol yeah ... i got a match tommorow.. i will see what i can do with it.. might use my old bat for tommorow instead

 

[Animator!]

A question;
I have a Salix vantage at the moment. Which having seen a good year and a half of action at a good level is obviously wearing. I have a couple of cracks near the top, nothing massive, but they'll get bigger and bigger each use until they eventually split. I have already bought my replacement after a lot of searching, A Salix Pod, if your interested . But nevertheless, because the Vantage isn't going to be un-useable by the time I'm looking to change over, I'm going to keep it around as a second bat, as a precaution. It has a fair few surface cracks and things so I'll be looking to try and sort these out. They aren't very large or exceptional evident, so would you reccomend sanding down the face or trying to glue it? I feel that the cracks are a bit small for glueing, but I just wanted to hear what you'd have to say first. If you need a picture, Just say so.

 

[Almost_Austwick]

A picture would be a great help if you could provide one!

Without seeing the bat I'd say that the cracks are likely to be mainly surface cracks and nothing to unduly worry about. A sand down with some medium paper and then some fine paper will improve the appearance no end. It may also be worthwhile considering a full face scuff sheet to help protect the bat a little more, especially if its only going to be used occasionally.

A well used bat showing the sort of cracks you'd expect after reasonable use. Nothing at all to worry about if your bat looks similar to this.

If the cracks are near the toe or edge then they may need a little more attention paid to them but probably nothing too drastic.