Louisville Slugger Vault Side Writting....
 

I have a bat that has very faint grease pencil side-writting, that I just can not make out...any suggestions?

Someone suggested a black light??????

Thanks,

Mark
mrios@hotmail.com

Mark,
Using an Infared camera is supposed to help show it.
Matt

I have an infrared camera and see how it works with grease pen tomorrow, assuming I can locate a grease pen.

Couldn't find a grease pencil, so will take bit longer.

If you look for the scratched part of the bat, that is where the side writing is located.
Matt

I went out and bought 3 grease pencil and wrote on stuff. The infrared saw a bit better the black one-- not a lot better--, and saw worse with the blue andd orange. So, at this point, the infrared may or may not be an aid in reading.

For the CSI investigations, where they're trying to pick up and photograph all subtle clues, they have a powerful forensic light machine. The light machine goes through many small gradations between UV and IR, and the investigator runs through all gradations until he picks up stuff. He looks for the the light wavelength that creates the starkest contrast between the item (hard to read writing, eyelash, blood, fingerprint) and the background. This contrast makes the item easier to see (read if it's writing), identify and photograph for evidence. I plan on upgrading my equipment in the near future, and maybe then we can CSI that bat. Other than there's no crime involved, reading and photographing your vault writing is exactly the type of thing a big city CSI forensic specialist is paid to do do.

You can try black light if you wish. I wrote in the three colors of grease pencil I had and looked at it with black light. The black light didn't help on the black or blue pencil, but the orange did fluoresce a bit making it a bit easier to read.

Infrared cameras are expensive, but black lights can be found cheap ($10-$15). Also, black lights have a wide variety of uses, including with collectibles and memorabilia. If it doesn't help with the vault writing, you'll find other good uses for your black light.

Maybe it's an unfortunate fact of life that the people who have bats with vintage side writing don't have infrared cameras, and the people with infrared cameras don't have bats with vintage sidewriting. I have tried to read some sidewriting with my inexpensive black light, but I'm not sure that there was any floressence at all.

But David, there's an easy solution: I think that you are associated with Game Used Universe. So, next time you go into your office at the Game Used Universe building, go down the hall to Jim Caravello or Mike Specht's office and ask him to loan you a vintage side written bat!

Mark VL