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[Vic Nicholas]

Right - as mentioned elsewhere, unless you massively over oil the bat there will be no impact on bat performance. In my view there is a load of tosh being spouted here

Oil will protect against rot, not cause it. That is what it does!!

Linseed Oil is designed to make the bat HARD and avoid little Johnny's mum returning it to the shop if it breaks.

Oiled bat = hard, but will last years and little Johnny's mum not angry.
Natural bat = pings more but may break.

[IQ]

Depends a lot on how much you oil it as well.

I have always found that oiling a lot in one go generally makes the willow a bit weird once it dries.

Best way is to oil a tiny little bit - half a spoon on front and edges ...let it dry and then re-oil it again in another small dose. Creates a thin coating .... Even makes bat a bit softer. Knocking in with a mallet is much easier afterwards as well.

[Over Gully]

If you don't oil a bat, it will dry out and won't last. The whole point of linseed oil, as Julian Millichamp says, is not to add moisture to the bat, but to keep existing moisture in. Obviously over oiling is no good, in fact there is an old guy at our club who sits his bats in a bin toe down in a mix of linseed oil and kerosene!! Turns nice bats into 3lb+ railway sleepers...

[Overdrive]

If you cant afford the cost of a new bat every couple of months....oil your bat. Better still use wax.
Any other suggestion for a normal club player is wrong...unless you can afford to break bats.

[ajmw89]

I tend to use oil mixed in with wax on ones I've made or ones I knock in.  A very light coat of oil, followed by the oil/wax mix leaves the willow sealed against moisture gain/loss and makes it nice and supple for knocking in

[Overdrive]

I tend to use oil mixed in with wax on ones I've made or ones I knock in.  A very light coat of oil, followed by the oil/wax mix leaves the willow sealed against moisture gain/loss and makes it nice and supple for knocking in

I just go straight to the wax. On a new bat, a few light coats of wax and polished to a shiny finish. Lightly topped up after every game. Served me fine this process.
You can buy the bat wax on ebay for a few quid.

[skip1973]

Linseed Oil is designed to make the bat HARD and avoid little Johnny's mum returning it to the shop if it breaks.

Oiled bat = hard, but will last years and little Johnny's mum not angry.
Natural bat = pings more but may break.

Why do you seem to try and force rubbish across as fact Vic?
How does oil make a bat hard out of interest?

[Cedrictoad]

Plus you have just got to love the smell of linseed oil... it just isn't cricket if your gear bag doesn't have that weird smell!

[Buzz]

How does oil make a bat hard out of interest?

the answer to this is that Linseed oil is a drying oil, meaning it can polymerize (change state) into a solid form if you put too much on.
but this is required seal the bat. In other words, you need a little but not too much.

with a soft, over dried bat you may be better off with more on than if you have a mass produced uk made bat.

personally I always oil my bats unless I go for a helicopter scuff sheet.

the only time, touch wood, I have had issues is with a cheap ball.

[Number4]

Why do you seem to try and force rubbish across as fact Vic?
How does oil make a bat hard out of interest?

Which is exactly what Healey said tonight during the ODI when talking about Warner's bat and how he oils it still

[Cedrictoad]

Warner seems to still get a fair amount of ping from his oiled bat.

I always thought that the oil just sealed the bat and keep the moisture content the same (like when you oil your deck).  I never thought it effected the cellular structure of the wood.

I am hardly an expert in material engineering though...

[Overdrive]

Warner seems to still get a fair amount of ping from his oiled bat.

I always thought that the oil just sealed the bat and keep the moisture content the same (like when you oil your deck).  I never thought it effected the cellular structure of the wood.

I am hardly an expert in material engineering though...

There is a video on youtube..cant remember which one...where the bat maker saws a bat in half to show how far the oil penetrates. It is literally a surface coating, about 2mm.
All this talk of the end is complete nonsense and the gullible amongst us will end up paying for this.

Get on the bat wax...its the way forward.

[brokenbat]

Which is exactly what Healey said tonight during the ODI when talking about Warner's bat and how he oils it still

is there a link to this clip?

[WalkingWicket37]

is there a link to this clip?

Julian Millichamp - Updated maintenance video

Fast forward to about 4.15 if you don't want to watch it all.

[brokenbat]

is there a link to this clip?

i was referring to the one where Ian Healey talks about David Warner oiling his bat