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[gramw]

i wouldnt intend on doing it on a good bat  anyway mate, i just ment an old knackered one, would be intresting to see what happens

[PunterPonting]

Yeah it was interesting what he said about the bat on the radiator. When he said it I was kind of shocked as it was one of the things I tried NOT to do with my bats, but then again this is coming from the king of bat making who trained James Laver and Bradbury so...I think he even said he might have done it with Gillys..I guess it is also what happens in India to their bats, although they drain the moisture from the face as well.

The mallet norbair is a white plastic one rather than a wooden one, and he says that the sound he tries to hear from a good bat is the same sound as a Screaming Cat (hence the name). This apparently has long been the sound that a good bat makes and is something that he suggested was part of cricket bat making folklore..

[Tom]

In India from the factories I've been in they don't take moisture from the clefts before shaping, in fact they often add moisture to the bats because of the warm climate.

With regard to the mallet I recall it being sold by Julian at one point.

[SAF Bats]

The mallet norbair is a white plastic one rather than a wooden one, and he says that the sound he tries to hear from a good bat is the same sound as a Screaming Cat (hence the name). This apparently has long been the sound that a good bat makes and is something that he suggested was part of cricket bat making folklore..

You see Talisman I told you there was a method to my madness.....

"Screaming Cat" is an old John Newbery saying, Julian has mentioned - he used to whack 'em and say something like "It's a screaming cat boy, a screaming cat!"

[tugga]

So did you give him any particular specs or a bat shape to copy off? Or just let him make something up?

[Johnny]

hmmm... never heard my cats scream and thought it sounded like a cricket bat

[Tom]

After the week I've had it now seems strange to me to see a batmaker standing up whilst making bats!

[Talisman]

Have you seen the 2 man plane?

[Tom]

Yep, not used very often if I'm honest. The guys here though are very skilled, I'm tempted to say as (if not more so) than some of the English batmakers although maybe that is unfair as their styles of making are very different. But to make so many different shapes with only a couple of tools is amazing. I have huge respect for them after spending a few days with them.

[PunterPonting]

So did you give him any particular specs or a bat shape to copy off? Or just let him make something up?

I just went with the bat that combined a light pick-up and good profile, rather than opting for one more than the other. Julian basically has 4 'Series' or profiles of bats and when I went in he showed me them all and suggested the Series 1 would be most similiar to my laver