Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Bat Care => Topic started by: Mattsky on November 02, 2018, 02:26:27 PM
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Afternoon folks,
So I acquired this cheeky little number from the bay.
It's a grainy GM Purist II that I intend to have refurbed - probably at GM themselves.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GUNN-AND-MOORE-PURIST-2-CRICKET-BAT-WITH-TOE-TEK-PROTECTOR-AND-BAT-CASE/302918666709?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GUNN-AND-MOORE-PURIST-2-CRICKET-BAT-WITH-TOE-TEK-PROTECTOR-AND-BAT-CASE/302918666709?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649)
Thing is, they have said they'll need to get rid of the stickers and replace them with some of my choice (Noir, as it goes.)
Or do I do my own refurb and retain the stickers?
Question is...
Should they stay or should they go now?
I imagine this will split the CBFers into purists (pun intended) and modernists.
I'm torn, frankly.
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I wish bat makers kept a stock of old stickers :(
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Personally I'd stick and try and refurb yourself.
I had an old Hero I sent away for a refurb and I regret it almost instantly.
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Personally I'd stick and try and refurb yourself.
I had an old Hero I sent away for a refurb and I regret it almost instantly.
Oh No! It does seem sacrilegious to get rid of original stickers if they're in decent nick. Did you send it to GM?
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Was never a fan of those stickers to be honest, i would get a new set put on. If it was the original Purist stickers however..
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Oh No! It does seem sacrilegious to get rid of original stickers if they're in decent nick. Did you send it to GM?
http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=35938.0 (http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=35938.0)
See here
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To be fair, it's a great refurb.
You seemed really happy with it. Or were you just trying to convince yourself it was a good idea...? ;)
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If it helps they do have some stock of old stickers so you Amy get lucky and get like for like?
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To be fair, it's a great refurb.
You seemed really happy with it. Or were you just trying to convince yourself it was a good idea...? ;)
I think with hindsight I was really happy with the quality of the refurb as a whole but I now realise that I've lost a classic bat with its retro stickers.
Ah well it got sold and is long gone. If I were to get it back I'd try to get GM's new Hero stickers put on it
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GM's refurbs are brilliant. If the bat is for display, then don't get it done, but if you plan to use it, then it's just labels.
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Do it yourself and keep the original stickers. It’s very easy to whip the old stickers, sand the whole blade with no obstructions then re-apply new stickers. That’s why they want to do that. It’s far more time consuming, but ultimately more satisfying, to retain the original stickers by sanding around them. To be honest a bit of sandpaper, very minimal skill, and an hour or two in the back garden will lead to a far more satisfactory conclusion.
If you wanted a bat with noir stickers you would buy one. You want an original purist and the bat deserves its original livery.
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Bit of an update on this, since there's a lot of GM love swirling around at the moment.
So after being swayed by the comments here by those who have gone before, and by the traditionalist retro bat fan in me, I opted to retain the old stickers and set to work. It was the right decision.
I saw the potential in it (link below - look at the grains under that yellow....thing) but it had obviously been neglected for a while and needed a healthy dollop of time and TLC. An Academy size and weight (pretty much dead on 2lb 8oz) appealed, as I'm officially a Small Man size at 5'8 ish in m'studs.
Structurally, it was actually in pretty good nick - no major dents, stud marks or delamination, and a ping test with the ball proved that there's a lot of life left in this one. I don't think it had been used in anger that much, really.
It was very dry above the original thick yellowed scuff sheet, and the damp had got to it a bit, with a few spots of mildew on the back.
I stripped off the scuff sheet and sanded all over, working up through the grades starting with 240 grit, then 320,400,800, and a final going over with 2000 grit. This all served to take off the top layer of wood, to achieve a pretty consistent shade of willow, but the moisture marking at the toe ran deeper into the wood but I was happy to leave that.
And with some serious application of bat wax and even furniture polish over a few days, a period-correct GM Control grip and a scuff sheet, and she's all ready to make her comeback in 2019.
I was even lucky enough to source an unused vintage GM bat cover to complete the restoration. As @Gurujames says, it was indeed very satisfying to bring an old classic back up to ramming speed.
https://imgur.com/a/nlh5Lff (https://imgur.com/a/nlh5Lff)
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Awesome. Keeping it real. Make sure you use it, that’s what it’s for.