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

Things You'll Need:

• Alcohol
• Towels
• Towels
• Towels

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.

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.

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[teddyballgame]

on 2/19/2008 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.

on 3/11/2006 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.

on 12/15/2005 Do not bone bats with finishes! It will crack the finish. To bone a bat, your best bet is to use another bat. Always hit with the label facing you. You want a tight grain bat. It makes it stronger.

on 11/22/2005 Grain is bad wood, it is where the air pockets are. Get bats with widely spaced grains. Note that this does not apply with maple. For maple bats, the weak spots in the wood look like little knots on the surface. These knots are usually a little lighter in color than the rest of the wood. Back to grains on ash, there is a reason one of Griffey's bats had 3 grain lines!

on 11/22/2005 You want to hit with the label facing up so you will be hitting with the grain. It is the hardest part of the bat.