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