Print

[SAF Bats]

Here let me give you a bit on pressing and knocking so you will see why a surface stain doesn't really matter and helps performance, in my view    [We know a stain is stiffer and stronger]

When a bat is pressed it creates a stiff surface layer on the face of the bat.  If you press it to hard the willow fibre's combine together to deeply into the wood and the blade has no real rebound [ping]  If it is to soft then lots and lots gentle knocking is required to stiffen up the blade and then more rigourous knocking.  At the end of the day we all hope that we don't get an over pressed bat and then the basic idea is stiffen the surface



On the left side is surface stiffness along the bottom is hours spent knocking in.

Look at the dot shape and 0hrs of knocking in and then at 4 hours.  The surface stiffness has doubled!!!!

So what has happened - The core of the bat is left unhardened resulting in a more elastic response of the bat.

Because the surface is stiffer less enery will be absorbed by the bat and so therefore it will be transfered to the ball

A blemish actually helps!!!!!

Also the reason why some bats play-in quickly, some take an age and some never get going at all!!

[Johnny]

So, giong forward will SAF bats be issued with a "knocked in to perfection" guarantee? 

[SAF Bats]

Here is the quote I use "We don't do a knocking service! If you knock the bat in youselves you will appreciate it as much as we do when we make it!"

Edit: By the way I'm impressed you know the name of my bats 

[SAF Bats]

BTW I should say the reason I posted this is so people can get an idea of what happens and why as part of the knocking in process.

I generally don't knock-in any of the bats I own I might roll an edge.  But they normally have nets sessions and get past around in nets but it is rare I would take mallet to it unless I'm overly concern about soft edges and toes'

[Johnny]

who hasn't heard of San Andreas Fault bats!? 

[SAF Bats]

I posted that and then realized the stickers we're on the side of a pic on here..... me is stupid 

[Buzz]

I thought I would put a link to this (relatively) intersting theses on Cricket bat knocking in...

http://www.core.materials.ac.uk/repository/sundry/document/cricketBat.pdf

[100 not out]

Buzz

Can you please provide a summary to that report. too technical for me im afraid...

what does it mean in english guvnor ??

[uknsaunders]

3 hours is enough to do the job.

[Buzz]

sorry - I gave up after the first page, the print was too small for me

Apparently it says something like - your bat will play better and last longer if it is knocked in with the right type of machine.

It also says that if the bat designed to be owned by an international Professional Cricketer it will also have a very special type of ping which isn't available to the general public.

[SkipperJ]

The knocking in graph in the OP and Fig 9 in the paper are identical ... the paper was published back in 2005, so chances are that the graph has been republished elsewhere ...

Anyway, two tips for reading a technical paper
a) read the abstract
b) head straight for the conclusions section 

Btw, their inference is interesting (in section just prior to Conclusions). The graph in Fig 9 clearly shows that surface hardness shoots up after the 3 hr mark, to  double the original at 4 hrs. Yet, they recommend 2-3 hours knocking would be sufficient as "Extending the knock-in time only increases the depth of increased hardness", rather than increasing surface stiffness. Would have been nice if they had also measured the thickness of the stiff surface at 0, 2, 4 hours...

[uknsaunders]

It also says that if the bat designed to be owned by an international Professional Cricketer it will also have a very special type of ping which isn't available to the general public.

I always thought that, these scientist types are amazing.

[norbs]

remember it needs to be taken with a pinch of salt as it doesn't take into account how individual bat makers press there bats and the differences in willow clefts, good article nonetheless