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[Boondougal]

Well i love messing about with bats and have refurbished a few of my own over the last 18 months (nothing too heavy). A Team mate at nets sensed my enthusiasm for bats (well I did turn up with 5) and started quizzing me a bout the best way to sort his own out.

Usual few years of intermitted use, scuff sheet edges battered, a few face cracks, the usual toe feather and a decent inside edge toe split. He thought it was a bad one but I wasn't worried about it and when he started to ask about how to fix it I just offered to do it for him.

I didn't take a before pic but here is the current state of the bat...




The split looks worse on the pics but trust me the dark line is wood glue so its well and truly repaired.

The key question is... would fibre tape actually add anything?

I'm personally not a fan of tape and scuff sheets (just personal preference) but as its not my bat I thought I would ask of fibre tape would actually make any jot of difference tot he repair. If it will then I'll put some on but I really don't want too.

The bat needs a bit more sanding, bat wax and then I got some Spartan stickers off eBay to add to it (the bat was originally something called a Viper and the stickers were very Spartan esq in my mind)

When I removed the stickers I found a nasty shoulder crack that I glued and filled (I had dug into it to see if it would open up).... again, I'm sure some would tape this but I really do not see what difference the tape will actually make.



I have decided to put a scuff sheet on for him... there are quite a few edge cracks I have glued.. I reckon a scuff sheet must help just to keep it together.

All views welcome on the... to tape or not too tape position.

[sarg]

Good job on the refurb.

Look up the screaming cat updated maintenance video as it is perfect for your toe crack. Great there is undamaged wood behind the crack to support the bond.

Some would do a hard toe to secure the crack at the base. Shoe goo is fine.

Hard toe is just a handle rasped through the cane and rubber inserts to create that speckled look. The scrapings are then mixed with 40-50% epoxy, but I'm guessing E6000 glue would be better as it flexes rather than cracks.

[edge]

I'd always tape both edges and probably in this case one or two strips across the toe, but then I do that with all my bats anyway. Hard to say how much difference it makes stopping damage, but it has to be better than not doing it!

[tom line]

Clean splits like that don't tend to really need any reinforcement as they usually hold well by themselves where you can get plenty of glue in etc, a coat of waterproof wood glue on the toe or shoo goo would help though in my opinion as running the bat in hard pitches etc may start to feather the toe and pull at the crack a little which could open it back up over time

[Boondougal]

Cheers guys... all good input.

[Seniorplayer]

Bat repair  tape adds a bit more strength

[Boondougal]

Bat repair adds a bit more strength

Too be honest this was the base of my thinking.

Its a natural product after all so its never going to last for ever.

@tom line good tip on the toe glue. I already have a layer of wood glue on it (although the pic doesn't make that clear) and I have ordered so shoe glue esq product to also give it a bit extra. I take the toe guard off all my bats so this is probably a good thing to have in anyway

[Seniorplayer]

What I find works on the toe repels water and is less messy is Ronseal boat  vanish the stuff the vanish boat decks with.

[Alvaro]

They must have used that stuff on the Marie Celeste.

[FattusCattus]

Boom-boom tish!

[Seniorplayer]

They must have used that stuff on the Marie Celeste.

Are  but it repelled water and didn't sink ...

[Boondougal]

What I find works on the toe repels water and is less messy is Ronseal boat  vanish the stuff the vanish boat decks with.

I've also got some danish oil in the garage that I was thinking about trying... it would get soaked up but then dry hard.

[Mowglee123]

I have a very similar damage in one of my bats. I have glued it all applied shoe goo. I would prefer some reinforcement as I tend to crack bats in that area quite a lot. Should I bind twine or layer the bat tape twice around it?

[Boondougal]

I have a very similar damage in one of my bats. I have glued it all applied shoe goo. I would prefer some reinforcement as I tend to crack bats in that area quite a lot. Should I bind twine or layer the bat tape twice around it?

I think its like a few have said...the repair is actually likely to be stronger so a lot of the time the additional reinforcing is more about confidence than anything else. There is no way I would be adding twine to a bat, aesthetically it just looks rubbish but more importantly its adding weight to the bat right where you don't want it.. surely it will mess up the pick up and feel etc. If for my own confidence then if I needed to do something the most I would do is tape it.. after all Julien M used tape in his repair video so that would be good enough for me.

I guess like with all this stuff.. it boils down to personal preference.