Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Topic started by: Matty59 on January 31, 2023, 07:56:29 PM
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Hi folks
Seen a few batmakers posting photos of how they create toe guards by pouring a liquid mixture onto the toe (which is taped around the edges to allow it to build up). I’ve used shoe goo in a similar way previously, but this looks a great approach and is something I’m keen to replicate.
Does anyone know what the combination of liquids might be please? According to one of the posts it’s not epoxy.
Thanks 🙏🏻
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It won’t be epoxy as that is too hard and if it breaks, it’ll take the bat with it. But in practice it’s like an expoxy hybrid.
Honestly, I’d personally just stick to shoe good. Easy to apply and can be reapplied when it starts to wear down and it’s cost efficient
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It's not epoxy (was probably my post you saw) and unless you're doing a lot, it's probably not worth it as its not cheap stuff to buy and takes a bit of faffing to get bang on. Especially if you're adding to a new bat which has a scuff/stickers etc
I've used it for a while and not had issues, but have managed to kept it under wraps a little as it was a tiny usp😆 However, you'll probably find out what it is easy enough, as people seem to be onto it now and will probably tell you.
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Thanks mate, ‘Tis a nice USP to have 👍🏻
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Not anymore its not after people got wind of it and shared widely! 🤦♂️😆
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Are there many places doing it? WCW, Keeley, Owen, and that dodgy lad up in Leeds?
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Seen a few refurbers doing it too now. This forum is a pain it's sometimes too much of a wealth of information i reckon! 😂
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Loads of guys do it now, has been around a number of years in South Africa (where I initially saw the product) Keeley's is just epoxy as far as I'm aware very different to the stuff Johnny and the rest use. Ours is a pourable polyurethane mixture - can't speak for the others.
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I'm talking from a position of total ignorance here, so bear that in mind!
My son seems to knock the rubber toe guards off his bat within 10 minutes. Well it feels like that anyway! And reaffixing them never seems to hold. I've tried Shoo Goo, but never got what felt like a nice finish.
In my younger days I used to build RC planes, and there is a water based polyurethane you can buy for covering them as an easy to use method of covering the plane in fibreglass. It's a simple paint on and let it dry process. I keep thinking it would be a great product for a toe guard. Stick on a few coats, let it dry and harden for a week. Can be simply repainted if needed, and virtually weightless.
Here's a link if anyone fancies a test. https://www.rcworld.co.uk/acatalog/Poly-C-Waterbased-Polyurethane-Covering-Resin.html (https://www.rcworld.co.uk/acatalog/Poly-C-Waterbased-Polyurethane-Covering-Resin.html)
The only downside I can see might be the use of a water based "paint" on the toe grains for the first coat (subsequent coats sit on top of the waterproof solid layer)
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I was just wondering if anybody had ever tried mouldable glue as toe guards. One example that I've used for other stuff is Sugru (https://sugru.com/), which is really easy and nice to use. You end up with a flexible silicone rubber, and after sticking and shaping, can either smooth off the surface with your finger or imprint a pattern if you want. It's not that cheap though.
My hunch is that it might have a problem sticking well to the bat, but I'm not sure.
If nobody has done it, then I guess I might have to try out a little experiment!