Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Bat Care => Topic started by: jonpinson on December 22, 2010, 02:10:03 PM
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Well the snow let us have it last night, theres a good 10-12 inches now, so I have nothing to do. Nothing. Except raid the rather nice wine collection. So instead here is a topic for discussion: What are your thoughts on oiling?
I have been advised by respected bat makers to oil liberally (watch the screaming cat vid on youtube), to not at all (this was certainly the Salix party line a few years ago). I tend to give new bats one coat when they arrive, and old bats get a coat whenever I remember/see fit.
Does over oiling actually cause a drop in performance? Has anyone actually seen this happen or is it just a hand-me-down myth available at any club?
Will a bat destruct itself if it is not oiled?
If the purpose of oiling is to 'lock' the moisture level of a bat, are we better off adding a more permanent coating which would only need application once?
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well i have over oiled a bat and safe to say it will never score a boundry again!
If you don't oild a bat it6 will dry out as it a need a small amount of moisture in it and without oil it will just escape!
i don't tend to oil bats much as i never really have them that long but i oiled all the bats i have at the moment some old some new but i only applied one coat to the face and back
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I have been using the Salix Bat wax for the last two seasons and gotta say (having ruined a bat in the past with my oiling overzealousness) that I find it a lot better my only worry has been that the wax isnt getting the penetration into the wood that the oil would have?
Anyone else have experience of using the wax? any thoughts?
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well i have over oiled a bat and safe to say it will never score a boundry again!
If you don't oild a bat it6 will dry out as it a need a small amount of moisture in it and without oil it will just escape!
i don't tend to oil bats much as i never really have them that long but i oiled all the bats i have at the moment some old some new but i only applied one coat to the face and back
I guess that you could describe not oil as being akin to over-drying a cleft. You will get a very dry bat that will not have a long life, but may well perform.
Counter to that, if you over oil it, you effectively end up with the same thing as an under-dried bat. It tends to hit a ball and absorb the ball rather than rebound it.
I've always done the 2-3 coats of oil on the front of the new bat, one on the rear, then a new single coat once a year after that at the beginning of the season. Just trying to stop it drying out too much.
Likewise I store bats in a cool place to avoid over-drying.
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Use no more than a teaspoon a coat.
what i would recommend is oil once (a teaspoon full). wait a week or so and then apply anti scuff.
Then oil the back.
under oiling is better than over oiling.
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Oiling a bat is very much like making love to a beautiful woman....
Slap on the oil, get your hands in and stroke gently, leave for 24 hours and come back for a repeat performance....
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Fran i use salix bat wax on all my bats its great stuff im not a fan of oiling bats but i put a small smear on the face of all new bats and when i refurb a bat. I find it a lot lighter than oil so bats dont look like Dale Winton!!
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A bat doesn't look right without it's yearly spray tan ;)
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Didn't oil my Ayrtek, snapped.
Over oiled my Woodworm, dead.
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I guess that you could describe not oil as being akin to over-drying a cleft. You will get a very dry bat that will not have a long life, but may well perform.
Counter to that, if you over oil it, you effectively end up with the same thing as an under-dried bat. It tends to hit a ball and absorb the ball rather than rebound it.
I've always done the 2-3 coats of oil on the front of the new bat, one on the rear, then a new single coat once a year after that at the beginning of the season. Just trying to stop it drying out too much.
Likewise I store bats in a cool place to avoid over-drying.
With this type of winter and snow where do you store it and how is it (with or without cover etc) ?
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With this type of winter and snow where do you store it and how is it (with or without cover etc) ?
Our ground floor hallway has a cupboard under the stairs and no radiators. The temperature is around 14-15 celsius, but pretty much constantly throughout the winter. I tend to store the bats with the rest of the cricket kit, so they stay in the bat holder of the bag. Any that aren't in there may or may not be covered, dependent on whether I have a cover. Generally though, I try to cover the better bats to avoid them picking up knocks.
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Our ground floor hallway has a cupboard under the stairs and no radiators. The temperature is around 14-15 celsius, but pretty much constantly throughout the winter. I tend to store the bats with the rest of the cricket kit, so they stay in the bat holder of the bag. Any that aren't in there may or may not be covered, dependent on whether I have a cover. Generally though, I try to cover the better bats to avoid them picking up knocks.
Ah okay make sense.
Will it be okay to keep the bat in a 18-22 degrees room without covers ? (ignore dents, knocks etc factor).
Thanks a ton mate!
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Ah okay make sense.
Will it be okay to keep the bat in a 18-22 degrees room without covers ? (ignore dents, knocks etc factor).
Thanks a ton mate!
Should be alright at 18-22. Covers don't really make that much difference. They are really best for maintaining aesthetics. I suppose you could shrink wrap/vacuum pack in an effort to reduce moisture loss, but I can't see it really being worth it.
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Fran i use salix bat wax on all my bats its great stuff im not a fan of oiling bats but i put a small smear on the face of all new bats and when i refurb a bat. I find it a lot lighter than oil so bats dont look like Dale Winton!!
Yeah to be honest I do prefer the satin type finish you get with the wax without the Katie Price Alabaster shade afterwards..
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once over oiled a bat, never again. I'm paranoid about oiling now. I don't see why 3 coats is really needed, it's overkill in my opinion and you just end up with more knackered bats.
I stick one light coat on, leave 24 hours and stick anti-scuff on. Repeat approx 6-12 months depending on use.
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Personally think over oiling is worse. Sounds strange but I smell the bat, it has a distinctive smell (or not as the case may be) when it's dry. Each bat is unique, my last bat drank linseed oil by the pint and my current bat has been oiled once in 18 months (oh dear I should probably do that or it might go the same way as Colesy's Arytek).
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i do not oil a bat i wack a scuff sheet and hey presto.
I expect a bat to last a season no more no less except my trusty which is in 3 bit and glued together
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i do not oil a bat i wack a scuff sheet and hey presto.
I expect a bat to last a season no more no less except my trusty which is in 3 bit and glued together
The Pro approach...
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No mate i hate the stuff bud after i killed a kookaburra from Intersports(not many will remember) when i was 11 with oil i will not touch the stuff.
Oil only makes the wood less responsive if you ask me but gives you longer life
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Sounds strange but I smell the bat, it has a distinctive smell (or not as the case may be) when it's dry.
I love the smell of Linseed in the Morning!
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No mate i hate the stuff bud after i killed a kookaburra from Intersports(not many will remember) when i was 11 with oil i will not touch the stuff.
Oil only makes the wood less responsive if you ask me but gives you longer life
I got a pair of gary lineker quaser football boots from Intersports... this was back before he was orange, mind you.
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I do a very light coat, But wont oil the bat that much
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i do not oil a bat i wack a scuff sheet and hey presto.
The death of my Ayrtek :(
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The death of my Ayrtek :(
Did it snap horizontally across the middle? Seen a few bats go like that this season, mainly from CA.
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No mate shoulder snapped off courtesy of 1s opening bowler, taped that back on then the toe went.
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Sounds strange but I smell the bat, it has a distinctive smell (or not as the case may be) when it's dry. Each bat is unique, my last bat drank linseed oil by the pint and my current bat has been oiled once in 18 months
I also go for the sniff test, usually I think it is relatively obvious if a bat needs some oil. For me, this is the answer some bats need more oil than others - having said that these days I will put a cover on the bat (Usually a Romida one). I will oil a new bat (other than where I have put the cover on) to seal it, but not a massive amount. I would typically put on about a 2p size dribble of oil on the back and rub that in then a little more around the toe area. At the start of a season I will oil the toe of the bat, but not the rest of it, unless I think it is a bit dry.
I tend to think that Asian bats need a bit more oil that UK bats - this may be a sweeping statement, I appreciate not everyone will agree with me on this - but this is because they are typically drier than a uk bat and as the climate is different here to Asia they need to be protected from the moisture more.
On a slightly differnet note I will also always change the grip after preseason nets and before the start of the season.
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Agree with you Buzz, Asian bats I've had have been dryer.
I normally run my hand across the face to feel how dry it is then smell it, love the smell of linseed oil :D
I change a grip whenever lol
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I normally run my hand across the face to feel how dry it is then smell it, love the smell of linseed oil :D
That's my technique as well. you can feel whether the bat is dryer than it should be.
On the ones that I've seen snap this season, 3 were Asian, 1 was English. All four were a couple of seasons old.
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This has probably been asked before, but how do you tell that a bat has been over-oiled?
I usually go by the color of the blade. If it looks too white, that usually indicates dryness. If it looks yellowish or moist, I figure it's been oiled enough. Of course, have to do this relative to the original color of the blade. Also run my fingers along the blade, a well oiled one feels a bit different (smoother? slicker?) than a dry blade.
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I know what you mean about the feel. An overly dry blade has almost a particulate texture to the wood, as though you might get splinters from it.
Can't say I know what an overly oiled blade feels like as I tend towards less oil rather than more.