Cleaning and Conditioning Old Bats

[Bill Rayburn]

I agree with Matt, I wouldn't use alcohol at all and certainly not on the decal. My experience with linseed oil is that it will never dry, it will remain tacky to the touch and attract dust and dirt. I am sure it is fine for keeping game bats over the winter but not bats for display. I am not really promoting business but if this bat is an early 1900's decal bat and you do not have prior experience restoring bats I would recommend seeking out the services of an experienced restorer. There are many products that can be used but not all are safe in any one application. You don't want to be making mistakes on a potentially valuable bat.

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by Bill Rayburn

I agree with Matt, I wouldn't use alcohol at all and certainly not on the decal. My experience with linseed oil is that it will never dry, it will remain tacky to the touch and attract dust and dirt. I am sure it is fine for keeping game bats over the winter but not bats for display. I am not really promoting business but if this bat is an early 1900's decal bat and you do not have prior experience restoring bats I would recommend seeking out the services of an experienced restorer. There are many products that can be used but not all are safe in any one application. You don't want to be making mistakes on a potentially valuable bat.

It depends on the type of wood, the type of oil and the humidity at the time you apply it. I've found this out the hard way when refinishing old pool cues. If anyone wants to discuss, PM your phone number. I have a buddy with a cue-building shop who specializes in oil finishes (as opposed to spray).

I have a 1910's Ty Cobb decal bat that is in pretty horrible shape, with no trace of decal remaining. When I start the restoration project, I'll keep careful 'before and after' pics. My main concern is how to repair the wood separation in the barrel.

[Bill Rayburn]

Originally Posted by Runscott

It depends on the type of wood, the type of oil and the humidity at the time you apply it. I've found this out the hard way when refinishing old pool cues. If anyone wants to discuss, PM your phone number. I have a buddy with a cue-building shop who specializes in oil finishes (as opposed to spray).

I have a 1910's Ty Cobb decal bat that is in pretty horrible shape, with no trace of decal remaining. When I start the restoration project, I'll keep careful 'before and after' pics. My main concern is how to repair the wood separation in the barrel.

Scott--Press on the grain separation with your fingers, if the separation goes back together you can carefully glue back together with a thin viscosity super glue. Let it wick into the wood and hold for a few seconds. Be sure an wipe off any excess before it drys. If the grain won't close you can lightly sand the sharp edges and smooth it a little. Wood filler gets mixed results, mostly bad but can work on occasions.

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by Bill Rayburn

Scott--Press on the grain separation with your fingers, if the separation goes back together you can carefully glue back together with a thin viscosity super glue. Let it wick into the wood and hold for a few seconds. Be sure an wipe off any excess before it drys. If the grain won't close you can lightly sand the sharp edges and smooth it a little. Wood filler gets mixed results, mostly bad but can work on occasions.

Thanks, Bill. The separation is kind of disastrous, which is why I'm even willing to mess with it - can't really hurt its value or appearance.

I have to take some old cues over to my friend's shop, so I will probably let him have a look at this bat as well.

[John V]

If you are trying to repair some severe separation, you may want to try this:

Obtain a piece of flexible, sturdy material big enough to not quite wrap around the barrel of the bat. I used a flexible plastic 3-ring notebook cover.

Obtain about 6 screw-down radiator hose clamps.

Smear Elmer's wood glue between the grains. Don't overdo the glue.

After inserting glue, wrap with rigid material and clamps. Each clamp can be about an inch or so apart. Tighten clamps evenly and immediately wipe the excess glue away that squishes out. Don't overtighten. A word of caution, the wrap must be rigid enough to apply even pressure along the length of the barrel. Clamping too tight or using clamps without the rigid material could leave you with clamp marks or indentations in the wood. Be patient. Keep the clamps on for 24 hours.

To avoid dealing with removal of hardened glue, wipe the bat grain with a moist sponge after clamping. Be careful here or you'll have residue that may need more work or require sanding! Don't glue in an area under the wrap, since you can't wipe away the excess.

If you are really patient, glue just a couple grains at a time. Position your wrap so you can easily wipe away the excess glue. Again, the more glue you wipe away, the more trouble-free the finished product will be.

I've used this technique on a few bats. Results varied based on my patience and the amount of glue I failed to wipe away.

[Runscott]

Thanks John. Unfortunately, mine is much more severe. Other than some dryness, the rest of the bat is very nice.

[ruth-gehrig]

So is restoring bats acceptable to most bat collectors. I like things original myself but admit cleaned up they do look really nice. I can see both sides. Do restored or even cleaned bats sell for comparable prices to original untouched ones??

[MGHPro]

Originally Posted by Runscott

Thanks John. Unfortunately, mine is much more severe. Other than some dryness, the rest of the bat is very nice.

Scott- that looks like maybe a little fire damage too. You probably won't have much luck gluing the gaps. I would sand it down, stain it and then try to color patch some wood filler.
Matt