tmk-nj Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 Okay fellow twobilldrive'ers... My son has a new baseball mit and it is on the stiff side. I need to know some tips/advice for breaking in a new mit. What is good? What is bad? As of right now he cannot use it. I heard that the methods of putting in the oven are not good. Of course the first can of oil I bought from Sports Authority say to do this, but since I've been told not to do that. Any experts out there? Any and all advice would be much appreciated. Tom tmk-nj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thailog80 Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 Put a ball in the pocket of the mitt, then fold the mitt around it and rubber band it tightly for a few days. Instant pocket. The oil will soften it up also....so use it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Campy Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 By no means an expert, but this always worked for us. -Oil it really well. Be generous with the oil. -Put a baseball in the pocket. -Wrap it loosely in an old towel. -Put the towel and glove on the ground. -Park your car tire on it and let it sit overnight. -Do it again the following night. I know it sounds crazy, but it makes a new glove feel old and comfortable. I still do it that way when I break-in my gloves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramius Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 oil it, and do the rubber band and ball as mentioned above...and honestly, the only tried and true to really get it broken in is to go out and play a lot of catch... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 Go to an uncrowded parking lot, pop off a hub cap, get some flexible wire and strap the glove onto the tire tread and go straight back and forth a couple of dozen times. Do NOT turn the steering wheel. It won't be pretty, but it will be softened up. j/k... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fake-Fat Sunny Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 In the old days before we all bought computers and use them as $2500 paper-weights, one used to be able to get a substance called Neat's Foot Oil which I used to break in the two basebal gloves I used. I have seen it in traditional hardware stores though these have long since been overhelmed by the Home Depots and Wal-Marts of the world so I no longer no if you can get it. I also got it at the old sporting goods store, but they to have been replaced by the chains like Dick's which can get cheaper prices but don't carry these useful items that a store only sells three or four times a year. Neat's Foot oil is a yellowish oil which I believe is derived from cattle hooves. It is used as an leather dressing and tanning substance and was quite helpful for me in breaking in gloves. I would apply the oil to the leather and rub it in to make it more pliable. I put two balls into the glove and then tied it down and let it sit for a few days with a bathrobe. This gave me enough of a start to play with it, but I truly broke it in by playing catch and games with it thousands of times. I never used an oven. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slothrop Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 You can buy this "foamy stuff" that you rub into the mit and then place it in the oven. Worked like a charm on my softball mit. However, I was a bit disturbed. I remember getting excited as a kid about breaking-in a new mit. It was like an art to make that glove turly yours. It fits your hand so that it becomes an extension. Everything about that glove was about your work, sweat, and effort. Now, its like TV dinners. The poetry has been taken out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thailog80 Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 In the old days before we all bought computers and use them as $2500 paper-weights, one used to be able to get a substance called Neat's Foot Oil which I used to break in the two basebal gloves I used. I have seen it in traditional hardware stores though these have long since been overhelmed by the Home Depots and Wal-Marts of the world so I no longer no if you can get it. I also got it at the old sporting goods store, but they to have been replaced by the chains like Dick's which can get cheaper prices but don't carry these useful items that a store only sells three or four times a year. Neat's Foot oil is a yellowish oil which I believe is derived from cattle hooves. It is used as an leather dressing and tanning substance and was quite helpful for me in breaking in gloves. I would apply the oil to the leather and rub it in to make it more pliable. I put two balls into the glove and then tied it down and let it sit for a few days with a bathrobe. This gave me enough of a start to play with it, but I truly broke it in by playing catch and games with it thousands of times. I never used an oven. 319247[/snapback] Cliffnotes...the kid will be 45 before he finishes with one of your posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Campy Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 I don't like the rubber band method because it doesn't break the glove in evenly. Trust me, park your car on it, it'll be broken in as well as leaving it banded for a few days after just the first night. Repeat the process a second night, and the glove will feel like it's a couple of years old. I've tried the rubber bands, but IMO they just didn't truly break the glove in when compared to the parking method. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramius Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 I don't like the rubber band method because it doesn't break the glove in evenly. Trust me, park your car on it, it'll be broken in as well as leaving it banded for a few days after just the first night. Repeat the process a second night, and the glove will feel like it's a couple of years old. I've tried the rubber bands, but IMO they just didn't truly break the glove in when compared to the parking method. 319251[/snapback] the rubber band and ball is to form the pocket, not to break it in...as FFS/slothrop said, the only true way to break it in is to play about 1000 games of catch with it...then the mitt becomes a part of you...its what i have done with all of mine, and hasnt failed me yet... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PIZ Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 I need to do the same thing for my son. Where do you fold the glove? Do you line the thumb up with the little finger? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USMCBillsFan Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 oil it, and do the rubber band and ball as mentioned above...and honestly, the only tried and true to really get it broken in is to go out and play a lot of catch... 319226[/snapback] This is the best advise out there. Having broken in several softball gloves and a few for my son. In addition to the above just place it between the matress and box spring of the bed at night while it's tied up. Playing catch is a must to truly form a good pocket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tux of Borg Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 Buy the kid a pitchback and let him break it in naturally. Or you could be lazy like me and put your bed on top of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Campy Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 I need to do the same thing for my son. Where do you fold the glove? Do you line the thumb up with the little finger? 319255[/snapback] My bro liked to keep the thumb and little finger even. I always preferred the thumb being a bit behind it. I'm not sure if there's a right way or wrong way on that, I believe it's personal preference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USMCBillsFan Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 I need to do the same thing for my son. Where do you fold the glove? Do you line the thumb up with the little finger? 319255[/snapback] Depends on the size of the pocket needed. If it's for softball then yes. If it's for baseball then it's not as important. The most important thing is to have the right size glove. Infielder's gloves need to be smaller so the ball can be "gotten out quickly" to make a throw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 In the old days before we all bought computers and use them as $2500 paper-weights, one used to be able to get a substance called Neat's Foot Oil which I used to break in the two basebal gloves I used. I have seen it in traditional hardware stores though these have long since been overhelmed by the Home Depots and Wal-Marts of the world so I no longer no if you can get it. I also got it at the old sporting goods store, but they to have been replaced by the chains like Dick's which can get cheaper prices but don't carry these useful items that a store only sells three or four times a year. Neat's Foot oil is a yellowish oil which I believe is derived from cattle hooves. It is used as an leather dressing and tanning substance and was quite helpful for me in breaking in gloves. I would apply the oil to the leather and rub it in to make it more pliable. I put two balls into the glove and then tied it down and let it sit for a few days with a bathrobe. This gave me enough of a start to play with it, but I truly broke it in by playing catch and games with it thousands of times. I never used an oven. 319247[/snapback] You can still buy neat's foot oil. It's a combination of fat extracts from animal shins. http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/don/dt/dt1274.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyT Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 For an infielder glove, I prefer to line up the tip of the pinky finger with the tip of the thumb and put a ball closer to the palm so that the pocket is created there instead of in the web. Having a deep pocket in the web didn't work for me as an infielder because it can make it difficult to get the ball out of there quickly enough. For an outfielder, I just folded it where it felt the most natural with my hand in it and placed a ball in the deepest part of the webbing. The goal is to create a pocket that locks the ball in there. My best outfield gloves were one's where I could put a ball in the pocket, hold it face down (without my hand in it), and the ball stays in there on its own. For both, rub in some oil, tie it up tight, and apply constant pressure. I used to put the glove between my mattress and box spring. It's not as much about purely flattening the glove as it is to get the glove to permanently wrap around the ball. Have fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 Cliffnotes...the kid will be 45 before he finishes with one of your posts. 319250[/snapback] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 Tell him to pee on his hands. That will toughen up the skin and he won't even need a glove. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millbank Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 A very good product for breaking in baseball gloves is called "Dubbin" which you can find at a harness shop near you. Dubbin does a great job in softening leather products as well as protecting them from moisture. Catchers in baseball and hockey goalies use this product. Remember being able to get it from Sam Kenesky , he made the goalie pads for goalies all over Norrth America for many years, from Plante, Sawchuk,Bower, Lumly, Broada, Cheevers, his sons make pads for goalies today. Dubbin is used ot soften and workin the pads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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