How to Care for a Wooden Baseball Bat
A little special attention will keep that sweet spot smooth and clean so you can continue swinging for the fences.
- Difficulty:
- Easy
Instructions
-
-
1
Wipe your bat with alcohol every day, especially if the handle is immersed in pine tar. Alcohol cleans the bat and prevents tar and dirt buildup.
-
2
Keep the bat away from damp areas. Try not to expose it to wet substances and/or surfaces. If the bat does get wet, dry it immediately with a soft cloth and rub it with linseed oil.
-
3
Rub the bat with a smooth piece of bone or another wooden bat. Use hard strokes, as if you were using sandpaper, and keep rubbing for about 5 minutes or until the bat's surface appears to be smooth.
-
4
Store your bat vertically in a dry place, keeping the handle side up.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Choose a wooden bat that you can swing comfortably with control and speed.
Major League Baseball bats are single pieces of solid wood no more than 2-3/4 inches in diameter and 42 inches long.
Bats made of ash are more durable than those made from other woods. Choose a bat with a wide grain on its surface; these are more resistant to chipping or splintering.
Related Searches
Comments
-
Cricket bats are made from willow wood, could that be used for baseball bats as well?
-
switchhitter
May 09, 2010
More important than grain spacing, although wider is better, is slope of the grain in the handle. The straighter the grain is in the handle and neck of the bat the stronger it is. The more angled the handle grain slope is the bat weakens exponentially. Also up and coming are birch bats. As strong as maple and as flexible as ash. -
teddyballgame
Jan 26, 2008
Wider grain counts are better. Tony Gwynn said one of his favorite bats that lasted for a very long time had a 7 grain count...but then again, Ted Williams said he favored a medium grain count. Don't worry about boning a bat with a finish, your goal is to close up the pores in the bat and compact the wood to be harder and less likely to chip and flake. Use a bottle or another bat, press hard as you rub with the grain. Hit with the label up or down, it doesn' t matter one iota which, but it must be up or down. Maple bats cost more, but will last longer as they are a harder wood than is ash. Make sure you get ROCK or SUGAR maple as other maple is softer and why bother with the price increase? Hickory is also coming out and is supposed to be hard like maple. Talking to reps at Louisville Slugger, Maple and Ash wood hit the same as far as distance goes.
-
teddyballgame
Jan 26, 2008
Wider grain counts are better. Tony Gwynn said one of his favorite bats that lasted for a very long time had a 7 grain count...but then again, Ted Williams said he favored a medium grain count. Don't worry about boning a bat with a finish, your goal is to close up the pores in the bat and compact the wood to be harder and less likely to chip and flake. Use a bottle or another bat, press hard as you rub with the grain. Hit with the label up or down, it doesn' t matter one iota which, but it must be up or down. Maple bats cost more, but will last longer as they are a harder wood than is ash. Make sure you get ROCK or SUGAR maple as other maple is softer and why bother with the price increase? Hickory is also coming out and is supposed to be hard like maple. Talking to reps at Louisville Slugger, Maple and Ash wood hit the same as far as distance goes.
-
Mar 11, 2006
The less grain the better! A good grain count is about 14. Professionals use about 8-14. Look at the top of the bat, where the cup is, and count that way. Tighter grains chip more.
