Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Topic started by: the sauce on June 27, 2014, 07:50:15 AM
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I came across this site while off work crook earlier in the week - absolutely love your work fellas.
After reading 100s of posts, I'm intrigued by this concept of bats "opening up". I owned a Kookaburra Ice Mike Hussey Players Edition for over 5 years before it broke last summer. Its ping was amazing.
I've since purchased a GM Argon Original SH. As most all GM bats bought new in NZ, it has GM Now! I had a few nets with it and felt like it really struggled to "get going". I've since been knocking it in at any and every opportunity to try and get the best out of it.
Can you guys talk a little more about the concept of bats "opening up"? What do you mean by that?
Is it likely that this bat just needs more work and more nets to maximise its performance?
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Someone might correct me here as Ive never owned one but I believe off the shelf GMs are notorious for being slow to open up. Pressed for longevity not instant performance
Think the only answer is to keep using it!
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If I was you I'd just play the bat in first, by giving catches and having light throwdowns with a used good quality ball whilst playing defensive shots. I'd be weary of the GM now as my mate had an GM Epic LE and seam marks appeared on the face which suggests it needs more knocking in...so don't rely on the GM Now service - although generally most of the GM's seem prepared and don't show seam marks during the first stage of playing in.
Then when I've had throwdowns I normally go onto the bowling machine for a couple of hours playing half volleys, or you could set it up on a good length and challenge yourself. By now you should be seeing an improvement in the response from the bat...especially on of centre shots etc.
When I am happy with the bats performance against the machine and I am sure it is knocked in, I then take it to nets against live bowlers, and play normally instead of playing with a more defensive style...like you would with the throwdowns when checking if the bat is fully knocked in. If there is no seam marks appearing after this, I will then start bringing it into play during matches etc. By then the bat should be performing well but remember it will only get better, and with your bat being a GM they are generally quite hard so take a little longer to play in and get going
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Buzz?
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I must have been lucky with my GMs as they've all gone reasonably well from the start, but they do get better with more use.
I think that a bit of mallet loving would be a good idea, as extra knocking in can never hurt. I'd pay particular attention to the edges and the toe as these are weaker than the middle so are likely to benefit from more prep.
As far as getting the bat to "open up" I can only echo what's already been said. Knocking, catches, nets etc.
I will say confidently though, once it does start to open up it will be a cracker of a bat, I love my GMs!
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My Icon Original has taken a while, bought it in Feb, used it through out winter nets and every game this year and it's only recently felt more responsive and I've started to feel more confident in it. They are all good bats suppose you just have to be patient.
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'Opening up' is a very overused term on the forum, mostly it is used incorrectly to describe something else.
Some bats might feel a little hard/less responsive to start with, most bats will improve the more you use them, but this is not opening up.
The term 'opening up' specifically refers to the cracks that will form along the grain (and in time across the grain) - it can look as if the grains are 'bursting' apart, this damage is mostly cosmetic and is the sign of a bat performing at the peak of it's powers.
A statement i see used a lot is 'I have had this bat for a couple of weeks now, i've had a few nets with it and it is opening up really nicely' - most bats take a long time and thousands of balls hit before they start to open up.
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My Icon took a season and now it's really going. The one before that went straight from the off and the Six6 I've just bought feels good but not quite there yet.
Just give it time
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I think the handle freeing up has as much to do with the bats feeling better after a while.
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'Opening up' is a very overused term on the forum, mostly it is used incorrectly to describe something else.
Some bats might feel a little hard/less responsive to start with, most bats will improve the more you use them, but this is not opening up.
The term 'opening up' specifically refers to the cracks that will form along the grain (and in time across the grain) - it can look as if the grains are 'bursting' apart, this damage is mostly cosmetic and is the sign of a bat performing at the peak of it's powers.
A statement i see used a lot is 'I have had this bat for a couple of weeks now, i've had a few nets with it and it is opening up really nicely' - most bats take a long time and thousands of balls hit before they start to open up.
E.g
(http://i1206.photobucket.com/albums/bb450/CPye061194/913B6F36-0AE5-40B2-B35A-DDC679BA35EC_zpscgtrwcqv.jpg) (http://s1206.photobucket.com/user/CPye061194/media/913B6F36-0AE5-40B2-B35A-DDC679BA35EC_zpscgtrwcqv.jpg.html)
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Wood only "opens up" if damaged or gets wet. Compression can not be reversed.
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I have never see a GM that has 'opened up'..not sure why...I have seen other UK made bats open up and show the vertical cracks along the grains but not GM...they go really well after being used for some time...but thehy never open up...would be great if someone can share a pic of a GM (the newer lot) that have opened up..
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Wood only "opens up" if damaged or gets wet. Compression can not be reversed.
Absolute rubbish.
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'Opening up' is a very overused term on the forum, mostly it is used incorrectly to describe something else.
Some bats might feel a little hard/less responsive to start with, most bats will improve the more you use them, but this is not opening up.
The term 'opening up' specifically refers to the cracks that will form along the grain (and in time across the grain) - it can look as if the grains are 'bursting' apart, this damage is mostly cosmetic and is the sign of a bat performing at the peak of it's powers.
A statement i see used a lot is 'I have had this bat for a couple of weeks now, i've had a few nets with it and it is opening up really nicely' - most bats take a long time and thousands of balls hit before they start to open up.
Good stuff. The bat in the picture in the subsequent does not look like an opened up bat to me; it looks like a newish bat with a surface crack.
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Good stuff. The bat in the picture in the subsequent does not look like an opened up bat to me; it looks like a newish bat with a surface crack.
2nd grain in from the left had "opened up" lol
The other crack was indeed a surface crack though
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Absolute rubbish.
Please explain your bold and incorrect statement to me. We saw Green Oak beams, we saw Ash, Beech, Oak and many more for furniture makers, no one complains about any monement in the wood apart from moisture. I don't see how compressed willow can decompress?
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Please explain your bold and incorrect statement to me. We saw Green Oak beams, we saw Ash, Beech, Oak and many more for furniture makers, no one complains about any monement in the wood apart from moisture. I don't see how compressed willow can decompress?
I don't know enough about wood to properly intervene here, and obviously don't know the reason for the 'absolute rubbish' statement, but as a very small and specific answer to the compression point, i have removed/reduced dents in willow by running a jet of steam over them.
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All quality bats should open up and as already stated eventually crack over time if they do not they are to hard.
Clefts do get pressed harder to maintain warranties therefore can take longer to open up.
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Vitas, I see your point about steam and that confirms mine about moisture, look at all the steamed wood we import in this country.
Does open up mean cracks open up on the face? I was always told by my old man that bats fully harden and then are at their best, but they continue to harden and then go past their best and become planks eventually?
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Thinking about it I'm going to ask tomorrow to see if steaming willow might work, does anyone know if this is done already?
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Vitas, I see your point about steam and that confirms mine about moisture, look at all the steamed wood we import in this country.
Does open up mean cracks open up on the face? I was always told by my old man that bats fully harden and then are at their best, but they continue to harden and then go past their best and become planks eventually?
That is my definition yes, it generally takes quite a while to get to this point, occasionally a bat will open up early in it's life and this is generally a bat that performs very well indeed. The term opening up is overused and incorrectly used on the forum in my opinion, as explained previously.
As for the other point you made, i think what your old man said is probably true. Modern bats in my view generally get better the more they are used, up until the point where they break. As we know from the knocking in process, the more you hit a bat, the harder the 'crust' on the surface layer becomes via means of compression.
In your Dads case (assuming he is referring to a bygone era of at least ten years ago) i would guess bats back then simply lasted longer as they were naturally air dried and probably carried more moisture. Modern bats are generally kiln dried and i suspect have less moisture content, hence larger sized profiles at similar weights. As a consequence, some longevity can be lost.
So in short, a bat from the past may improve and improve (in simple terms getting harder and harder) over time and at some point will reach its peak and open up. After this point it may start to decline, a modern era bat is likely to break before this point so we never get to the situation where it is 'too hard.'
My opinion/theory of course. I only sell the bloody things, i don't make 'em! I am forever gleaning knowledge though, i will talk to Tony at Hunts about this topic next time i see him. :)
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Thinking about it I'm going to ask tomorrow to see if steaming willow might work, does anyone know if this is done already?
Steaming willow certainly works as a 'repair' for small localised dents. I suspect you are referring to an industrial process though, how does it work in your industry? And why is it used? Got my curiosity hat on now :)
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How much knocking is too much knocking? I have a team mate who just bought a SS Reserve Edition and he has been knocking his bat for 12+ hrs...it pings REALLY good, but he wants to do it more. Is there such thing as too much knocking?
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How much knocking is too much knocking? I have a team mate who just bought a SS Reserve Edition and he has been knocking his bat for 12+ hrs...it pings REALLY good, but he wants to do it more. Is there such thing as too much knocking?
Probably. Each bat is different of course but i would say if someone has been knocking in a bat for 12 hours and feels like it needs more work, they probably aren't doing it right.
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Probably. Each bat is different of course but i would say if someone has been knocking in a bat for 12 hours and feels like it needs more work, they probably aren't doing it right.
It's not so much that we feel it "needs more work" after 12 hours - to the contrary, it's probably ready for a match. The question is whether you can increase a bats performance by continuing to knock it in beyond that 12 hour point (say 20-25)? Will there by anything to be gained from that?
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It's not so much that we feel it "needs more work" after 12 hours - to the contrary, it's probably ready for a match. The question is whether you can increase a bats performance by continuing to knock it in beyond that 12 hour point (say 20-25)? Will there by anything to be gained from that?
I don't know as i have never done it. I prefer to feel my bats improve by actually using them, be that in matches or at training/nets.
I do refer back to technique though, if you are knocking in a bat 'properly' for 25 hours, i wouldn't expect the at risk areas like the edges to be in great shape. A mallet, especially a good one, is a very different animal to a cricket ball which of course will get softer over time.
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Steaming willow certainly works as a 'repair' for small localised dents. I suspect you are referring to an industrial process though, how does it work in your industry? And why is it used? Got my curiosity hat on now :)
We don't do it ourselves but your right as in its a big industry method. Mainly Beech, they steam it to get the moisture levels down and make them even through the board, also it makes the colour better and removes stains. You'd only see furniture people taking it as when the tree gets splits you see loads of grey wood come out, steaming takes that away and makes the red colour stand out a little more. But the biggy is moisture, air dried Beech is 16%, maybe down as low as 14% sometimes, but no good for kitchens so kiln levels will be 8% and no case hardening with steaming.
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As we are aware bats are knocked in by hand to give the blades a final hardening and to extract the best possible performance.
Any bat knocked in for a minimum of 6 hours will suffice and extend the blades lifespan.
Bats made from the best willow generally open up and crack sooner because because they are mostly softer pressed.
Also there used to be a school of thought that when the bat starts to crack (open up ) the blade will give you maximum performance.
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Please explain your bold and incorrect statement to me. We saw Green Oak beams, we saw Ash, Beech, Oak and many more for furniture makers, no one complains about any monement in the wood apart from moisture. I don't see how compressed willow can decompress?
You said wood only 'opens up' if damaged. I do not consider an 'opened up' cricket bat to be damaged; rather something to be cherished.
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Also there used to be a school of thought that when the bat starts to crack (open up ) the blade will give you maximum performance.
Used to be?
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Vitas, I see your point about steam and that confirms mine about moisture, look at all the steamed wood we import in this country.
Does open up mean cracks open up on the face? I was always told by my old man that bats fully harden and then are at their best, but they continue to harden and then go past their best and become planks eventually?
The hardness goes through the bat in time. That's why they become planks - there is no spring left. Optimum performance occurs when the surface is hard and the underbelly soft.
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I would presume that a series of cracks appearing in the face is due to the face hardening and then breaking rather than further compression happening so the bat doesn't become a hardened plank?
But decompression of wood cannot happen unless moisture is introduced.
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Used to be ?
I guess what I meant was many bats are unnecessary discarded when the blade begins to crack