Print

[Blank Bats]

Well said Sir Buzz, or fellow geek if you like.

[Blank Bats]

Just to confirm your post Buzz, in years gone by, i had quite a few bats go in the toe. that has significantly reduced since toe guards came into use.

from a manufacturers point of view, they would like to minimise returns/damaged bats. so i dont think what Tim says about pick up (although very true) comes into it.

[tushar sehgal]

Just out of curiosity has anyone tried pressure treating the willow? Lumber you buy for construction is pressure treated so it would stay good for a long time and not get water damaged...not sure if doing the same will affect the playability of the bat but might be worth thought atleast..

[Ryan]

Just out of curiosity has anyone tried pressure treating the willow? Lumber you buy for construction is pressure treated so it would stay good for a long time and not get water damaged...not sure if doing the same will affect the playability of the bat but might be worth thought atleast..

Do you mean tanalised treated timber? I dont know is that would affect the performance of the willow or not.

[tushar sehgal]

Do you mean tanalised treated timber? I dont know is that would affect the performance of the willow or not.

Don't know whats it called over there mate but its just called pressure treated wood here, they basically put it in vaccum/pressure chamber with some chemicals and wood absorbs them and pressure helps ensure it reached into the core of the wood...now for cricket bat purpose you don't really need it to penetrate deep so you could just soak the toe region in the chemical and it would work too without really adding a lot, if any, weight...chemical used now is alkaline copper quat or ACQ.. see the link below

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/question278.htm

[ajmw89]

Wouldn't putting the wood in a vacuum/pressure chamber act a bit like a press? Or am I just being stupid?  Obviously it wouldn't have the same amount of pressure anyway

[Kulli]

Would need to be a serious amount of pressure to get anywhere near the same effect a bat press has!!

[tushar sehgal]

Dont put the bat/cleft in pressure chamber but instead just use same chemicals on the toe. Essentially just dip the toe in the solution and thats it...

[Ryan]

Dont put the bat/cleft in pressure chamber but instead just use same chemicals on the toe. Essentially just dip the toe in the solution and thats it...

dont they already do that to the timber when its in its "rough" form?

[tushar sehgal]

dont they already do that to the timber when its in its "rough" form?

Yes, if understand correctly, its dipped in wax to ensure moisture is not lost through the end of the cleft so it won't split but in the bat making finishing process that wax probably wear off as it most likely does not penetrate the wood but just stays on the surface...the idea behind the chemical is to make the bat's toe water proof so you dont need a toeguard/shoe goo etc as it soaks in a little bit and not just on the surface..