How to Cork a Bat
From spit balls to loaded bats, baseball players have cooked up ingenious ways to get an edge. But does corking your bat turn you into Babe Ruth? Physicists say no, yet that hasn't stopped players from trying it. Read on to discover how pros and amateurs cut corners while playing America's favorite pastime.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Wood bat
- Power drill
- Cork
- Wood plug
- Pine tar
- Sand paper
- Wood glue
- Table vise
- Tennis or racquet balls
- Super glue
- Plastic bat cap
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Wood bats
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1
Begin by drilling a hole in the top of your bat. It should be 1 inch in diameter and 6 to 10 inches deep.
-
2
Fill the hole with cork until it reaches about 2 to 3 inches from the top. You can also fill the hole with super balls. Cork and super balls are said to increase a bats "flex," making baseballs travel further.
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3
Plug the top section with a matching piece of wood gluing it into place.
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4
Hide the plug by sanding it down and painting over it with pine tar. For black bats, sand the piece than mask it with black marker.
Metal Bats
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1
Pry the top off your bat by placing the exposed part of the cap in a table vise. Place the cap in the vise to where it meets the metal of your bat. Begin to tighten the vise until the cap is destroyed. If your bat is pressure sensitive, prying off the cap may ruin its integrity.
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2
Pack the inside of the bat with racquet, tennis or super balls. Keep shoving them in until they reach the top making sure you leave enough room for the cap.
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3
Replace the top by gluing a new cap onto your bat.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Corking or loading your bat is illegal in every organized baseball league throughout the world.
