Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Bat Care => Topic started by: WalkingWicket37 on September 03, 2017, 07:48:16 PM
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I recently tidied up a couple of bats for a teammate with the instruction "get them white again"
To me the bats looked fine, not brand new but they had that nice aged brown colour to them. I was then told "don't oil them, I want them to stay as white looking as possible".
I was a bit taken aback by the no oil request, but I did as I was asked. Speaking to a few other people they said that they don't bother with linseed oil any more as it's, in their words, "a waste of time and effort".
Not counting the use of bat wax here, I'm curious if anyone other than me actually bothers to oil their bats any more?
I love the smell of linseed oil, and the colour a bat goes that shows its been loved. However on this very forum I saw a comment about not oiling bats as they go the colour of a carrot! Is applying linseed oil to bats a dying art? If so I'll try to single handedly keep it alive...
Interested to hear others thoughts on this one :)
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I don't oil bat's.......
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Also prefer a clean white bat so no longer oil only seal the toe.
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I'm also a non oiler - as white as possible please.
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The reason most (nearly all) pros don't oil their bats is because they think it detracts from performance. Linseed oil is a preserving agent.
Club cricketers increasingly like to believe they are like the pros, I think.
People who worry about how white their bat is are a bit sad!
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The reason most (nearly all) pros don't oil their bats is because they think it detracts from performance. Linseed oil is a preserving agent.
Club cricketers increasingly like to believe they are like the pros, I think.
People who worry about how white their bat is are a bit sad, in my opinion!
You would just love my white bat grip and fastidious bag packing quirks then ;-)
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You would just love my white bat grip and fastidious bag packing quirks then ;-)
Do you go in the showers?
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Do you go in the showers?
Careful, you are giving yourself away there champ!!!
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Careful, you are giving yourself away there champ!!!
I'm comfortable in my own skin, whatever. Well, at least as far as my sexuality is concerned.
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Do you go in the showers?
I think there's a thread about that somewhere on this forum...
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I've gone back to oiling my bats
Wax doesn't do it for me I'm afraid, and all white just looks naff
And I love the smell of linseed oil
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This thread got weird quick , but as Jerry and George would say : "not that there's anything wrong with that" . :D
Anyway , i give the face of new bats two coats of oil . I wax the remaining exposed wood . I then sleeve the bat . When i take the sleeve off to replace i don't bother oiling the face unless i am giving the face a sanding .
I think if you give an initial oil , apply a face , shoo goo/toe guard , wax , then the bat is pretty well sealed and protected from moisture variations (assuming they are stored well).
I love white clean wood , but a well oiled bat with prominent grains has its appeal too . I have stopped trying to keep bats looking like they just came out of the batmakers workshop , because it only takes a coupke net sessions for the look to go anyway .
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I think there's a thread about that somewhere on this forum...
Cleanliness being the common theme.
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I think light oiling is probably the sensible thing for a club cricketer to do.
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A couple of very light coats of oil to a new cricket bat, I feel is an important part of the whole preparation and knocking in process. Thereafter we suggest a top up coat every 6 months.
For those that don't like the "yellowy" look...try "Howzat" Oil which gives a more natural look and offers great protection to the blade too.
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I personally love the smell, and the light brown color. These days I think most bats need 1-2 light coats at most. Sometimes I will oil the bat, and then just re-oil the edges (if they threaten to crack/split while knocking in).. once all done, i apply just a tiny bit on the back (to get that perfect light brown color!)
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Let's not forget that you can always just open the bottle and have a sniff...
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I watched a video of Julian Millichamp where he said that he didn't oil the face if he was applying a scuff sheet... he also didn't knock it in as long which I thought was very interesting.
he did give the exposed areas of the bat an oil though.
I don't usually have a scuff sheet on do usually either a light coat of oil or more recently some linseed / beeswax wax.
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I was wondering what people use for those first coats before knocking in?
Does this have to be linseed oil - or will wax be ok?
To be oil seems like it is best for this job as it soaks in better than wax - would this be true?
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I think @WalkingWicket37 did that comparison and chopped up some bats in the name of science :)
ah ok sounds like fun! is there a link for this?
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raw linseed Oil sinks in better Bat wax has a shine to it both work well
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ah ok sounds like fun! is there a link for this?
Here you go http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=33585.msg528622#msg528622 (http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=33585.msg528622#msg528622)
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Here you go [url]http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=33585.msg528622#msg528622[/url] ([url]http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=33585.msg528622#msg528622[/url])
That thread was much better before photobucket decided to pull the plug! :(
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About 15 to 20 years back, bats were high in moisture content and the blades were thinner, so, a bat had a chance to dry out and lose moisture if left out in hot conditions, with no protection. The result would be a thinner bat with very less moisture, thereby making the wood very brittle and susceptible to break easily. Oiling was hence mandatory. Not just while knocking it in, but as regular maintenance, typically once every season.
Modern day bats are a whole lot different. They are dried more to make the cleft light so that the makers can have those big profiles on them. With pretty little moisture left in the willow, there is hardly any left in the bat to protect. That is not to say that there is no need to oil. It is all the more essential to ensure that whatever moisture is left, is protected. The wood may be brittle and there will be surface cracks, no doubt, but the bat itself may not break thanks to the thickness of the blade. This may be the reason why we get more of edge cracks these days compared to older bats. But despite the edge and toe cracks, the bats serve well as long as they are taken care of.
In a sense, it is essential to ensure a coat of oil on the bat, no matter whether is it is old or new. Having said that a modern day bat will get away without much damage if it is not oiled, thanks to those thicker profile blades, all other parameters kept similar. Finally, professional players have their kits looked after by a representative of a bat maker. They have multiple bats in their kits, which go through periodically maintenance or refresh. All of that is free for them, thanks to the logo that goes on the bat. So, they don't care much if it is oiled or not. For them, the balance, the comfort, the ping and purchase of their shots is what matters; unless someone is way to fussy.