Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Companies => Off-the-shelf companies => Gunn & Moore => Topic started by: WalkingWicket37 on September 13, 2017, 06:28:51 PM
-
Evening all
As you may have seen in the bargain spots thread, Sports direct were selling their exclusive GM Chrome "players" bats for £45 each.
Add to that a 10% discount code I couldn't resist such cheap English Willow bats.
Working out £81 for the pair, these arrived today
(https://i.imgur.com/ug6quIel.jpg)
Initially I was slightly disappointed to see these were painted with a fake grain sheet, but all is not lost! I like the profiles and we've all seen those nice butterfly bats that are hiding underneath these in the past.
Here are the pair as they arrived. I'll post updates as and when I remove the grain sheets and paint from the back.
Fingers crossed for a couple of gems! :D
(https://i.imgur.com/7ncUMNgl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/DVgdrNHl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/iIDU1uQl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/AJnriMQl.jpg)
-
How do they tap up for a lower model?
-
Shape looks identical to the 2 Chrome Signatures I have and I must say thy have massive middles hopefully some bargains under those fake grain sheets
-
Out of all the 2017 GM I thought the Chrome had the best profile
-
They look nice It seems a shame to strip them back
-
They look nice It seems a shame to strip them back
They'll look much nicer not covered with white paint and a fake grain sheet though!
I prefer the look of ugly willow to gloss paint myself
-
They'll look much nicer not covered with white paint and a fake grain sheet though!
I prefer the look of ugly willow to gloss paint myself
I wonder what they look like under the sheet. Can't you see from the back how many grains do they have?
-
I wonder what they look like under the sheet. Can't you see from the back how many grains do they have?
The back and edges have been painted so no timber is exposed.
Hopefully I'll see some actual wood when I remove the grain sheet!
-
Set them free Cam!! Set them Freeeeeeeee!
-
The back and edges have been painted so no timber is exposed.
Hopefully I'll see some actual wood when I remove the grain sheet!
Can't tell if they have a toe guard or if painted, either way you could take that off first Cam, then you may get an idea of the grains before stripping the rest.
-
Okay so after a couple of days I've done one of the two bats.
I'll post the progress up to where I am now in stages.
Anyway, underneath the grain sheet it turned out there was... more paint!
(https://i.imgur.com/yYwQwTjl.jpg)
So I took a drawknife to the face and started scraping off the paint
(https://i.imgur.com/t0djw1Cl.jpg)
-
I decided to use a travisher to take the paint off the back.
I made a bit of a mess but nothing a bit of sanding won't sort.
Anyway, I counted 5 wonky uneven grains and there's a possible hint of heartwood on the right handers outside edge.
(https://i.imgur.com/IZeO3pjl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/8suaLB5l.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/tFCZ0Eol.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/cjHj8qil.jpg)
-
After this I decided to clean up the worse of the snicks I made with the drawknife and travisher.
I used 80 grit by hand all over the bat. I then used a generous amount of linseed oil to remove the sawdust
(https://i.imgur.com/gIVFk1zl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/yEhX2v7l.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/GLq9Klml.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/W7Zem0Zl.jpg)
-
And to where I am now.
I've sanded it all over, going up the grades to 240 on the orbital.
Once I sanded it all over I applied a coat of linseed oil.
Once the oil is dry I need to give the bat a fine sand by hand all over, then apply a scuff sheet and its ready to go.
For the record I still haven't tapped up or weighed the bat yet!
(https://i.imgur.com/75nd9Vgl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/qjjp08Rl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/njXpXPvl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/1q0noM7l.jpg)
-
I would say G3 from the looks of it. A good buy for £45.
-
A 'Guy Buy'. Snigger
-
CamDog, let us know the weight when you can.
I have to say, I really like the Chrome shape.
-
Excellent work, but you can see why they painted it.
-
One can only admire the amount of work and effort involved.
-
I would say G3 from the looks of it. A good buy for £45.
£41.50 with the 10% off, so even better!
As it has GM now it's apparently ready to play. Seeing as it now looks like a bat the plan is to apply a fibreglass scuff sheet and abuse it in the nets! At that price I'm not so fussed about people using bat breakers. :D
Excellent work, but you can see why they painted it.
Really? Surely ugly willow looks better than a coat of gloss paint? Or is it just me who thinks that... ???
One can only admire the amount of work and effort involved.
In all honesty it hasn't taken any longer than any other refurb! And being the sad Muppet I am, I enjoy doing them... :-[
-
Grains sheets aren't for me but I can see why there is a market for it, but I've never seen a bat so ugly I thought it would be better painted.
-
Also, these are possibly my favourite threads! Cheers @WalkingWicket37
-
Excellent work, but you can see why they painted it.
Really, I'd take the imperfections in the wood any day over painted/bleached wood. I love bats like this, always full of character.
Looks so much better Cam, great job.
-
And being the sad Muppet I am, I enjoy doing them... :-[
There's nothing better than having a bit of time in the garage with a refurb, it's quite therapeutic
-
Also, these are possibly my favourite threads! Cheers @WalkingWicket37
Agreed...great stuff Cam!
-
£41.50 with the 10% off, so even better!
As it has GM now it's apparently ready to play. Seeing as it now looks like a bat the plan is to apply a fibreglass scuff sheet and abuse it in the nets! At that price I'm not so fussed about people using bat breakers. :D
It is very tempting. I might just get one too now.
-
So I decided to make a start on the second bat tonight.
Instead of going in without weighing it and attacking the back with a travisher, I decided to do this one "properly".
I therefore weighed the bat straight out of the packet and have removed the paint entirely by hand sanding this time.
The weight when I started
(https://i.imgur.com/k8lEh4Rl.jpg)
After not long what appeared to be some grains started to appear. Along with grains some knots were also revealed, and possibly a butterfly stain?
(https://i.imgur.com/E3CU38Vl.jpg) (https://i.imgur.com/XnyHV6Il.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/D9AbeV0l.jpg)
It was looking rather promising, but revealing the back also revealed the reason it had been painted
(https://i.imgur.com/AHlSH7ll.jpg)
I took all of the paint off with 80 grit sand paper and only by hand sanding.
Once this was all removed, I gave the whole bat a light bit of oil. This both wiped the sawdust off and bought out the natural look of the willow.
(https://i.imgur.com/QtEFPnkl.jpg) (https://i.imgur.com/Q2bBG5Cl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/mHMD15bl.jpg) (https://i.imgur.com/6jZAqlMl.jpg)
I've got pretty mixed feelings about this one. When I took the paint off the face to reveal a butterfly stain I was pretty excited.
For a £45 bat the couple of knots don't bother me at all, they're well away from the "main hitting area" so won't have any impact on performance.
I was slightly disappointed by the filler in the back, but at the end of the day it's an entry level bat that had been painted. The majority of people who buy these will use them in blissful ignorance of what's beneath the grain sheet and paint. I plan to finish this off and see what the end result is, as chances are it could still turn out to be a gem. It still looks a good bit of willow for the price, but the wood filler has left me thinking, it could just have been a bit better.
I'll update this thread with more pictures and the final weight once I've finished cleaning the bat up.
-
More reasons to love this forum... really appreciate your hardwork.
I also got one but i am going to use it as is.
-
Nice looking bat from the front; the grains and butterfly stain.
What is the weight after the paint and stickers have been removed?
-
Face is lovely for a 45 quid bat, back not so much but better than the other way round. If it was easier to save the stickers I think there'd a market for snapping these up, stripping off all the junk and selling for a profit. Albeit it's a real lucky dip what you get.
-
The problem is that you can buy an MSR bat for the same money and save yourself the lottery of what is under the grain sheet. Furthermore, you can get a bat in the weight you want.
-
The problem is that you can buy an MSR bat for the same money and save yourself the lottery of what is under the grain sheet. Furthermore, you can get a bat in the weight you want.
Where's the suspense in that?
This is basically buying a 42 pound raffle ticket :)
-
@Gurujames I bought these not knowing they were painted, thinking for £45 they could be a steal.
As it turned out they've provided me with a little project to do in stripping them down, which I've rather enjoyed doing!
You're right that you could just buy an MSR for the same money, and many people would prefer that a option, but doing that wouldn't have given me anywhere near the same amount of enjoyment that these "raffle bats" have!
-
Sounds like quite a project!!! Very curious regarding how they tap up? In the end, all this hardwork would be wasted if they turned out to be a couple of planks, isnt it?
-
Sounds like quite a project!!! Very curious regarding how they tap up? In the end, all this hardwork would be wasted if they turned out to be a couple of planks, isnt it?
That's what teammates or fake new balance stickers, and a dodgy listing that claims it's a pro bat on eBay are for! ;)
-
@WalkingWicket37 this is a great write up :) You could be making a rod for your own back though, it's really cool the whole reveal of what's underneath the layers of 'cover up'... Detectove like in your approach, top effort!!!
-
Walking Wicket Investigates - New to BBC1 this autumn!
I'd watch it.
-
So after a few days of doing nothing (my excuse is I was letting the oil dry...) I have got this to a stage that I think it could be used.
To recap, I removed the grain sheet then hand sanded with 80 grit to remove the layer of paint.
I then worked my way through the grades of paper, 120, 180 and 240 before applying a coat of oil.
Once the oil was dry I gave it a final hand sand all over with 320 and 400 grit to get it nice and smooth.
So here it is!
(https://i.imgur.com/kgB0XQth.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/5ZkWnzQh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/vVIpAv3h.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/qvQX1TIh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/GmqaF2Th.jpg)
It now weighs 2lb11 & 5/8 with the original grip and toe guard still applied.
I plan to change the grip setup to 1.5 chevrons and apply a scuff sheet.
I'm pretty pleased with how well it's turned out, filler aside. It's got a couple of beautiful butterfly stains and the grains are pretty tasty for the price.
For a £45 bat it's pretty good looking (from the face, at least) and is in a usable weight.
I may also apply some stickers of some description to the back. If the filler is out of sight then it becomes a much better buy ;)
-
So after a few days of doing nothing (my excuse is I was letting the oil dry...) I have got this to a stage that I think it could be used.
To recap, I removed the grain sheet then hand sanded with 80 grit to remove the layer of paint.
I then worked my way through the grades of paper, 120, 180 and 240 before applying a coat of oil.
Once the oil was dry I gave it a final hand sand all over with 320 and 400 grit to get it nice and smooth.
So here it is!
(https://i.imgur.com/kgB0XQth.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/5ZkWnzQh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/vVIpAv3h.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/qvQX1TIh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/GmqaF2Th.jpg)
It now weighs 2lb11 & 5/8 with the original grip and toe guard still applied.
I plan to change the grip setup to 1.5 chevrons and apply a scuff sheet.
I'm pretty pleased with how well it's turned out, filler aside. It's got a couple of beautiful butterfly stains and the grains are pretty tasty for the price.
For a £45 bat it's pretty good looking (from the face, at least) and is in a usable weight.
I may also apply some stickers of some description to the back. If the filler is out of sight then it becomes a much better buy ;)
And a big disapointment for the buyer when under the sticker they find filler !
-
And a big disapointment for the buyer when under the sticker they find filler !
How would I be disappointed to find filler I knew was there under stickers I applied to hide the filler? ???
-
How would I be disappointed to find filler I knew was there under stickers I applied to hide the filler? ???
You wouldn't be disappionted the buyer would
-
I'm pretty pleased with how well it's turned out, filler aside. It's got a couple of beautiful butterfly stains and the grains are pretty tasty for the price.
For a £45 bat it's pretty good looking (from the face, at least) and is in a usable weight.
Nice work!
How much time did you spend on it? I'd add that towards the cost as well.
-
You wouldn't be disappionted the buyer would
What are you on about?
By the fact I purchased it and intend to use it myself am I not "the buyer"?
-
This was an interesting little thread,thanks for sharing!
-
Good work Cam. the second bat looks ok. Have you tapped them up yet?
-
That's what teammates or fake new balance stickers, and a dodgy listing that claims it's a pro bat on eBay are for! ;)
This
-
This
2+2=7...
Way to take a joke out of context, champ!
-
2+2=7...
Way to take a joke out of context, champ!
We will see
-
...well that went downhill fast.
Good job, Cam. Incidentally, where do you get your sandpaper in those grades?
-
...well that went downhill fast.
Good job, Cam. Incidentally, where do you get your sandpaper in those grades?
Was going to ask the same question and also anyone know the best place to get fine sanding sheets for electric sanders? The ones that stick on like Velcro the sander in Grade finner than 240??
-
Was going to ask the same question and also anyone know the best place to get fine sanding sheets for electric sanders? The ones that stick on like Velcro the sander in Grade finner than 240??
What sander are you using bud?
-
Oh oh!! I sense a 'What Sander' thread starting up! It will be unintelligible, like the vaping thread!!!
-
Was going to ask the same question and also anyone know the best place to get fine sanding sheets for electric sanders? The ones that stick on like Velcro the sander in Grade finner than 240??
You can get rolls of velcro backed sandpaper on eBay up to 400grit
-
Oh oh!! I sense a 'What Sander' thread starting up! It will be unintelligible, like the vaping thread!!!
Why sand when you can just buy new willow?
-
Good job, Cam. Incidentally, where do you get your sandpaper in those grades?
The 80 was on a roll I found in the garage, it made short work of the paint and didn't scratch up the willow underneath too much! No idea where that came from though!
The 120, 180 and 240 I did on the orbital sander, so they're the velcro discs you buy for sanders. I got them whatever hardware storr I happened to be near when I needed them.
The 320 and 400 I did by hand. That sandpaper came in a multipack of wet 'n' dry from (I think) toolstation. I've got some 600 and 800 in there too, but that would just be silly (and fibreglass sheets don't stick when you sand it that fine!)
Why sand when you can just buy new willow?
You sand your old willow so it looks nicer when you sell it, which gives you more money towards the new willow!
-
Quick update on these two.
Since I last weighed them I've added an extra half grip and scuff sheets.
That means they currently look like this:
(https://i.imgur.com/9UbakFAh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/nrbS1KHh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/lIjJL9ih.jpg)
Obviously extra grips and scuff sheets add weight, so they're now up to:
The "cleaner" bat on the right is now 2b10 & 1/4
(https://i.imgur.com/B291NDOm.jpg)
The butterfly bat with filler in is up to 2lb13 & 7/8
(https://i.imgur.com/OceRWLNm.jpg)
-
I took mine straight to nets and it performed well above my expectations. Toe survived a lot of yorkers but edge suffered minor damage. Overall a good buy.
-
@WalkingWicket37 , they look great! How do they play? Ping?
-
Having used the lighter of the two a fair bit I can now comment on the performance.
There isn't any!
Facing the softer Bola machine balls and the plastic balls used in our indoor league it seems fine. Hitting actual cricket balls is a horrendous experience however. There is a lot of vibration wherever you hit it and the ping isn't much above a fence post! I think @tom line would agree with me.
As such I intend to use this bat for indoor nets this year! It will either start to play better or break, either of which would be getting my money's worth! :D
-
Have they had all the life pressed out of them then Cam?
Or are they just made from oak?
Just wondering why they're lifeless. (Because as we know, just because it's fugly, doesn't mean it isn't a go-er!)
-
Good Thread @WalkingWicket37 .
Basically a SD GM 303. I understand the lucky dip concept, but it doesn't beat 3-4 years ago with the 70 pound Slazenger V100 TAS and V1200 Hex bargains.
What you should have done is show one and switch over to a cleanskin Original LE in the next shot after the partial sanding, then sit back and watch everyone complain that theirs were duds. ;)
-
Have they had all the life pressed out of them then Cam?
Or are they just made from oak?
Just wondering why they're lifeless. (Because as we know, just because it's fugly, doesn't mean it isn't a go-er!)
I don't think they've had the life pressed out of them by the fact there are some pretty hefty areas of compression on there (mainly the inside edge, admittedly).
It was sold as English willow so I'm still hoping, with a proper knocking and playing in, it could come good. I may give it some abuse with a lignum vitae mallet before my clubs winter nets start on 19th January.
If I do I'll post what impact (or lack of) this has on the performance and vibration.
-
I took mine straight to nets and it performed well above my expectations. Toe survived a lot of yorkers but edge suffered minor damage. Overall a good buy.
this season?
-
I don't think they've had the life pressed out of them by the fact there are some pretty hefty areas of compression on there (mainly the inside edge, admittedly).
It was sold as English willow so I'm still hoping, with a proper knocking and playing in, it could come good. I may give it some abuse with a lignum vitae mallet before my clubs winter nets start on 19th January.
If I do I'll post what impact (or lack of) this has on the performance and vibration.
How did these end up? I see there’s on on eBay for £35 ono
-
The lighter one of the two was a bit of a plank when I last used it against a hard ball.
Since then I've used it for indoor cricket against those plastic balls and have given it a few wacks with a mallet. I'll have to have another hit against proper balls to see if it's come to life at all.
I'm yet to use the other yet since I cut the shoulders off but I had some fun modifying it!
-
These threads of people removing grain sheets and sanding back painted bats might be my favourite ever.
See the one on eBay has just sold, if it was a forumer they better do a thread about it!