Bat Repair

[shoremen44]

Guys,
Not sure if anyone else does their own repairs, but I have included 2 pictures of repairs I have done recently using Gorilla glue... The excess flakes off with your fingernail very easily.

I know it isnt a professional repair, but I like seeing the cracks on a cracked bat... it doesn't fill it in, but it holds very nicely with no exterior residue

[yanks12025]

Re: Bat Repair

May i ask why people like repairing there game used bats. To me it hurts the bat and also hurts the value more than it being cracked. That player cracked that bat so why would you not want it the way it was when he last used it. Next thing people are going to do is add seam/ball marks, cleat marks and more pine tar.

[mariner_gamers]

Re: Bat Repair

I only make repairs when I am unable to display because the break resulted in multiple pieces or the bat is about to come apart. I use a light amount of Crazy Glue gel so no residue is visible in the cracks.......

My 2 cents......

Davis

[Rob L]

Re: Bat Repair

I'm not afraid to let people hold and swing the bats after they have been repaired. I do like the crack to show but I want the bat to be able to be handled without worrying about the crack.

[MUSEOVEN]

Re: Bat Repair

Guys,
Not sure if anyone else does their own repairs, but I have included 2 pictures of repairs I have done recently using Gorilla glue... The excess flakes off with your fingernail very easily.

I know it isnt a professional repair, but I like seeing the cracks on a cracked bat... it doesn't fill it in, but it holds very nicely with no exterior residue

HELLO: WHAT IS A GORILLA GLUE?.. THANKS

[shoremen44]

Re: Bat Repair

yanks... the two I had were completely cracked in half... and I stuck the two pieces together... if that hurts the value so be it... Their in my collection, I'm not getting rid of them..

I have about 20 other in my collection that have cracks but are still in one peice... I dont touch those



Gorilla glue is a name brand... you can get it at Home Depot or Lowes

[BaseballGM]

Re: Bat Repair

I think each person may have his/her own preference about cracked bats. I have used Elmers wood glue in the past and it worked fine with a couple of ring vises. Whether to repair or not is up to the collector.

[Vintagedeputy]

Re: Bat Repair

I prefer bats that are slightly cracked and I leave them that way. A slight crack shows me that the player used it but didnt destroy it. Just my preference though....

[yanks12025]

Re: Bat Repair

Bert,
I did not see that they were split into 2 pieces. So i agree with repair them when their into 2 pieces. Sorry

[shoremen44]

Re: Bat Repair

No problem... I didnt provide the before pics... on during and after

[Andrew16v]

Re: Bat Repair

This guy knows what he's doing, it is a local trading shop that deals in all kinds of game used equipment. Check out all the repairs they show, you can't even tell they were ever damaged!

http://www.gameusedbats.com/game-used-repairs.cfm

http://www.gameusedbats.com/bat-restoration-repairs.cfm

[godwulf]

Re: Bat Repair

I've repaired (Elmer's wood glue) cracks in a number of my bats, the past couple of years - many of them in preparataion for getting them signed. I have no desire to make them look uncracked, as some folks do - I just don't get that - but I like to be able to handle them and show them to other people occasionally, and unless a crack is just impossible to easily repair, I'll do it in order to prevent further splitting, splinters, pieces coming off, etc.

By far the strangest and most time-consuming repair job was when I had one of those black Louisville Sluggers that was made back when they were having problems with their paint-drying process - some of you may remember that thread, and BMH's explanation of how it happened. The paint on the last six inches or so of the barrel was "bubbling" up and flaking off, and I ended up superglueing down each individual "blister" of paint, then covering the barrel end with about ten coats of polyeurethane varnish. On a bat that cost me $1.04.

[bigtruck260]

Re: Bat Repair

I do all of my own repairs - and have been getting better over time.

I use strong wood glue and 'trigger' vice grips that have thick rubber pads on them. I'll try to get some photos up later. Using ultra-fine sandpaper on a blonde unfinished bat can make the crack almost invisible if the repair is done well. I just make sure to use plenty of glue and as much pressure as possible with the grips (at least 2).

[bigtruck260]

Re: Bat Repair

This guy knows what he's doing, it is a local trading shop that deals in all kinds of game used equipment. Check out all the repairs they show, you can't even tell they were ever damaged!

http://www.gameusedbats.com/game-used-repairs.cfm

http://www.gameusedbats.com/bat-restoration-repairs.cfm

And I agree GodWulf - the repairs on JT's bats seem like overkill to me. Unless the repair is going to enhance the value significantly, I woulnd't do too much to it. Especially the replaced foil stamping...

It looks almost like he replaced the whole handle on the knob repair...I have to admit, it looks terrific, just not something I would consider.

[bigtruck260]

Re: Bat Repair

...and looking again at the repairs, it appears that they might use Fred Lowman:

http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Lounge/9158/batrepair.html

Not sure though.