Update

Just a quick update on what has been happening since my last blog post.
I received a job interview at one of the largest cricket manufactures in the world Gunn & Moore at the end of February, The position was for an apprentice batmaker.
In the interview I was given a factory tour and given the opportunity to show my skills to the Master Batmaker and I hope I impressed him. Within a week I had a phone call offering me a job, which was a dream for me and i duly snapped off his arm for the job.
So since March when I started I have learnt so much and gained so much, I have implemented this into my batmaking and repairs. I have since had many repairs threw word of mouth due to the job and I have had some great feedback on my work, which included dowling, Grafting and major crack repairs.
I will be doing a few posts over the coming weeks (hopefully) on Grading and Pressing so I hope to see some interesting comments to these topics.


James
Gunn & Moore Apprentice Batmaker  

Toe Guard do I really need one?

I see toe guards as being very important, the way I see it why would companies spend a large amount of money on applying them if they are not important. I apply them to all my bats and the ones I make as they keep out the moisture from the ground, Yorker damage and tapping at the crease.
Here is a step by step tutorial on how to apply a toe guard:

Things you will need :
1) Toe Guard or a toe guard set
2) A Standing Knife (Needs to be very sharp other wise it will not work)
3) Sand Paper / Sander (Fine sand paper is the best thing)
4) Glue (Gorilla Glue, Glue from the toe guard set, shoo glue)

First thing that you will need to do is to sand the toe guard slightly along with the bottom of the toe guard then you will need to apply a small amount to the apposing sides and leave for 10 - 15 minutes.

Then you will need to apply a second layer and then stick together and press them together and tape them down to a rough shape of the toe of the bat then when it is secured allow for the toe guard to stick which can take up to 6-7 hours my advice is to leave it over night.

When the two parts have stuck together remove the tape and make sure it is tightly stuck on, then take the knife and proceed in cutting out the rough shape (try not to cut to close to the bat).

Now you have cut off the excess you can use your sander to round of the edges to get it to the perfect shape of the toe. This will only take a few minutes if you are using a sander but if you are using sand paper then it may take longer.

James

Knocking in and oiling your bat

This is how I knock in and oil bats and so far I have had no complaints or any bats becoming "dead"

1. RAW Linseed oil (must be RAW this is available from B&Q or any cricket shop)
2. A soft cloth
3. Bat Mallet (or an old ball in a sock)
4. Time!


OILING

First thing to do is oil the bat as this will help to protect the bat from water damage (and soften really hard wood).

If you have any sort of cover on the face of the bat then you can skip this step and move onto the section about knocking in.

Take the soft cloth and pour a small amount of the Linseed oil on to it about the lid full or if it is from B&Q a quarter to a half of the lid (you really only need a small amount oil if anything it is better to UNDER OIL the bat rather than OVER OIL as you deaden the wood and although it can be saved it take a lot of drying out).

Wipe the cloth on the face, toe, edges and the bottom of the back of the bat. You really only a need a thin film of oil and there should be no drips or running oil on the bat. Do not oil the splice (the 'V' shape where the handle fits in) as it can weaken the glue. Once this is done leave the bat to dry overnight or for a couple of days.

Some people suggest that you apply a second coat but I really see no need for this and one application per season should be more than enough. However, if you want to do so I'd say use the same cloth as before but without adding any more oil to make sure that you're not over oiling.

KNOCKING IN

You can knock the bat in with or with out the Anti-scuff on i would recomend that you apply the anti-scuff sheet first.

It is important to remember that every bat is different and because of this the amount of time spent knocking in will vary from bat to bat. At the very least you will need to spend about 3 hours on a preknocked bat and 4 hours for all others. Generally, it's recommended that you spend 6 hours on the task but not all it needs to be done with a mallet (or a ball in a sock). I must also point out that the batmaker knows his bats best so ask him or look on the company website on how long they advise as I know some say 6 hours and the supplier to many companies says 15 minutes will do but don't take that as gospel ! Ask you batmaker !

Another to note is the virtue of patience - do not try to knock your bat in, in one 6 hour block. The whole point of knocking in is too help compress (or harden and knit if you like) the wood fibres and if done quickly these fibres will simply spring back, leaving you right back where you started. Try to spend about 45 minutes per block on the task (or somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes) as this will properly compress the wood and make sure that it stays that way. The whole task can take a few days so be prepared for this!

Moving on, for the couple of hours you only need to apply a gentle force to the bat, concentrating on the middle but making sure that all areas are covered (face up to the front sticker and edges). One tip is to cover the mallet with a cloth to soften the blows. Over time increase the force of your blows so that by the 4/5 hour mark you are giving it a fair whack.

With the edges of the bat you will want to glance the mallet off the face of the bat to allow for to act as if it where edging the ball. DO NOT HIT THE THE EDGE DIRECTLY YOU ARE TRYING TO ROUND THE EDGES NOT FLATTEN THEM!

You will want to run your hand down the bat where you have knocked it in and it should be flat.

You may now want to go outside and tap a ball up or hit a few catches with the bat (using a very old ball (120 overs plus) to begin with) in order to see if the face is being marked. If the marks are very visible, I'm afraid that it's back indoors for another hour with the mallet. However, if the face is reasonably un-marked you can move on to hitting a few (slightly harder) balls in the net. Try to keep your strokes mainly defensive (although a few drives here and there etc are ok). After an hour of this move on newer balls (20 overs plus old) and if the bat comes through this then try it against some new balls. All in all it's a gradual procedure of increasing the force whilst checking the face for any undue markings. If you see any (normally seam impressions), take a step back or go and knock in for a bit longer with the mallet.

One tip is to check the blade with your fingernail gently press it into the wood and as time goes on it should be harder and harder to make a mark. This is a good sign that the bat is ready to be moved on to the net stage.


Hopefully you've made it through all of this and your bat is ready to go!

OTHER TIPS

There isn't much else to say on this topic except for the usual:

Surface cracks do and will appear. This is perfectly natural and signifies a good bat that's been properly prepared.

Don't store your bat next to radiators or in the boot of your car - it will cause the wood to go brittle!
Ideal places are Garages or bedrooms

Scuff Sheets How What and ?

This entry is to show how to apply a scuff sheet and which ones to buy and which ones not to buy

There are many different types of anti-scuff sheets some are very flimsy and will not protect your bat and some will do it very easily. They are relatively inexpensive ranging from anywhere between £2-£6, if you by one which is around £6 you will be buying the top of the rang model and it will not only protect your bat it will improve the proformance such as the Newbery Hammer-edge sheet which is the best on the market and the one that I recommend. The one that I will warn you off is the BatArmour which is like tracing paper it may look like a good deal but it is a waste of money. Most of the anti-scuff sheets you get from cricket shops are very good. The other I would recommend is the Gray Nicolls' EXTRATEC sheet which is great value for money.

1. Make sure the bat is dry, clean and free from any debris. Some people like to give the bat a quick sand down with fine paper just to make sure, but it's down to personal choice.


2. Get your scuff sheet and lay it (with the backing on) on the face of bat, just overlapping the lower end of any face sticker. Cut it at the toe, so you have about a cm or so more than you need.

3. Peel off the backing off and stick it down at the top of the face, on or just below the bottom of any face sticker and then onto the rest of the face. Stick it down from the centre first, applying pressure with your thumbs out to the edges. You need to have it centred so that it overlaps the edges equally.


4. Work your way down the bat following the same technique. Work from the centre out, using your thumbs to smooth creases and stick the sheet down.



5. Once you've reached the toe you will need to make a little knick at each corner in order to get the sheet to fold onto the edges correctly. Think wrapping a present and you'll get the idea. Once you have this sorted you'll know be ready to tidy it up.


6. Using a craft blade or sharp scissors and the toe of the bat as a guide cut any excess sheet so that it finishes flush with the bat or you can place the anti-scuff sheet higher to allow for it to be able to fit on without any cutting.

7. Give the sheet a final smooth down and then you should be all set.

Tips: Scuff sheets are unforgiving on willow and you normally only get one or two chances to get it right so if in any doubt get a pro to do it for you. The sheets with fibre glass strands are particularly sticky and you will only have one chance to get it right.

If you fell the need to or the edges have gone a bit funny you can apply some Fibre glass tape to the edges and bottom of the by pulling away the tape from the roll and allow for the tape to reach the end of where you want to apply it and cut the you will need to smothen it out by rolling your hand over it to the edges.

You need a sharp blade to cut the sheets with but take care, remember to cut away from you

'Is a cheap bat better than a top of the range'

I am a member of a few forums and this one crops up a lot and the simple answer is they can be if you buy right.

By this I mean if you go into your local large sports store and they have say a Gray Nicolls Nitro Powerbalde and you pick it up and it's light and really big and you think great but it will cost about £300 no currently they retail at around £40. Why is this ? Well because they have been bleached and had a scuff sheet applied with grains drawn on them to look "nice" which is my opinion makes them look cheap and nasty but alas they can be stonkers of bats, there is a how to on making these types of bats into beautiful looking bats on Cricketinsight.co.uk/forum.

Another example of this type of bat would be the Kookaburra Kahuna 150 it is painted on the back and edges and the face is left natural and if you come across a few you will see many with heartwood and lots of grains and some with lovely grains good enough for there 600 range.

Ultimately I would say these are a great alternative if you are a bit strapped for cash and in need of a new bat as long as you don't mind the painted look otherwise you could put some time and effort in and clean it up but I must warn you that there is a reason these bats are painted or bleached it's because there will 9/10 be a blemish or two on the bat which do not look nice but in the most case do not affect the performance.

In addition if you are looking for a cheap bat and around £100-£150 then look in to the big brands middle range as you can find some great bats in there such as the 4* and 5* with GN and the 606 and 707 with GM as they are usually downgraded due to blemishes and i have found that they are usually on the back of the bat and occasionally the bat has a large amount of heartwood on it which many players like including pros.

But I stress to you if you want to buy a cheap bat that will be a good bat then go to a shop with a large variety of bats and don't just buy one because its there ask the owner/sales assistant if he has anymore in the back and if not then go to another shop until you find a bat that is right for you

Come back for more info on bats

James

A bit of an introduction

This is my first post of my series of breaking myths and explaining everything that you may want to know about cricket bats.

A bit of an introduction to me, My name is James Perkins and I am 18 and have been making bats for around 2-3 years and repairing and refurbing them for 4 or so years and had very good feedback from a lot of very happy customers, through this I have met many people in the industry and spoken to them in depth about the industry. Through my ever growing knowledge I have gone about starting up my own business selling cricket bats,bespoke bats along with a T2o range for players by a player.

There will be a selection of info that I will post such as 'Is a cheap bat better than a top of the range', 'Can a refurbishment really make my bat better' and 'What is the difference between grade 1 and grade 3'. There will be many more to come so watch this space.

Thanks for looking and I hope you come back for some cricket insight

James