Comments on: How to Break In a Leather Baseball Glove

on 1/26/2006 What you do is wrap the glove in a rubberband and put it in the freezer. After a few days take it out and play a lot of catch.

on 12/20/2005 The newer oils and foams have lanolin, and are actually made to help with protecting the leather and help with break in. Don't over-oil, but apply it to the entire glove and let it dry on its own. With the glove still damp, play catch and put the glove up with a ball in the pocket. Always leave a ball in it, this helps with the form.

on 11/22/2005 Put the glove under a seat on the couch. Leave it there for 1 week and it will be done. Occasionally oil the glove.

on 11/22/2005 do not run you glove over with a car!alos don't soak it in water...this will weigh the glove down alot.Use a little glove oil or shaving cream,and play alot of catch.Occationally rub a small amount of petrolium jelly on it to preserve the good condition.If you follow these rules you will have a ...dare i say "crazy" glove.

on 11/22/2005 Get a softball and a baseball, put the softball at the top and the baseball at the bottom. A belt is a very good help. Put the belt on very tight. Over night put it under the mattress so in the morning it's good for a game.

on 11/22/2005 I read the ingredients on a jar of Bag Balm and read that it has a lanolin base. I rubbed some in my glove, stuck a ball in the pocket, put it under my mattress, and the next morning it worked like a charm.

on 11/22/2005 I use Hubbard's shoe grease on my gloves and it works great. It's designed to condition heavy leather work boots and it provides some protection from moisture should your glove get wet. It can be found just about anywhere work boots are sold or repaired.

on 11/22/2005 Put a ball in your glove, put it in a position you like, wrap the glove in 2-4 rubber bands, put the glove and ball under your mattress and sleep on it. If you do it enough your glove will be in good shape for playing.

on 2/12/2007 Put a ball in your glove and wrap elastics, string, a sock, or whatever around the glove to form the ball to the pocket. Put the glove in the freezer overnight. This will form the pocket perfectly!!

on 11/22/2005 Use Hot Glove. It feels like shaving cream. Rub it in your glove until you have a nice white layer. Rub it all over, including the seams, inside, everywhere. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Lay a clean towel on a cooking sheet. Put the glove in the oven for 4 minutes. After this is done, move and flex the glove. Do this 2 or 3 times. For a catchers mitt, you may need more than 3 times.

on 11/22/2005 You can use oil, but don't use too much. Put a little bit on a towel and rub it around (both inside and out) the glove. The ball and rubber band trick doesn't work! It may create a bigger pocket, but you may not like it when you start using it to catch and the top of your palm starts hurting. Play catch and you will decide where you want to catch the ball. Don't let anyone else use your glove. The glove has to form to your hand and your finger positioning. Do about 40-60 minutes of catching every day and your glove should be good to go in about 2 weeks.

on 11/22/2005 Do not use water at all. Water weighs down your glove. Instead, oil your glove and let it try outside on a hot day.

on 11/22/2005 The best way to break in a glove is to play catch. If you sit on it, or sleep on it, or drive over it, it will become flat and not in the shape of a ball. Be patient and play lots of catch.

on 11/22/2005 Soak the glove in hot water. Place 2 softballs in the mitt. Wrap a towel or 2 around the love and tie it up. Leave it to dry by itself (no additional heat sources), it may take some time. When dry, play catch with the glove for a while. Use a glove conditioner (sparingly) on the palm of the glove only. You can also use shaving gel with aloe or lanolin. This takes a while to get done, most high caliper players have 2 gloves in their bag, this will give you the time in season. Always wrap the glove with a couple of balls in the palm when it is not in use. This helps the glove keep its shape. After the initial soaking, you should try to keep the glove dry.

on 11/22/2005 For decades we as a family have played baseball or softball and when we would break in a new mitt, it would not require any specialized oils or conditioners. Simply rub some Vaseline in the pocket, the webbing and all areas where your mitt will crease. Place a ball deep in the pocket and wrap the glove tight for a day or two and - play ball!