My Woodworm Hardrive

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charlie_123

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My Woodworm Hardrive

I purchased a woodworm hardrive grade 1 for £135 today (knocked it in for 1hr 15mins so far) - im going to do 6hrs worth.
I dont know if i should oil it, because woodworm bats are known to be soft wood, so if i oil it, i ll just make the wood softer ?
I want to apply a clear anti scuff sheet but i really dont want to because i made a bit of a mess up on one of the edges (mentioned about this in aas anti scuff thread) @ aa - can you upload some pics in the anti scuff thread, it would help me alot ;)

Heres some pics of the bat:
 
Re: My Woodworm Hardrive

You need to decide whether or not you're going to apply the anti-scuff as this will determine whether or not you need to oil it.

If you're going to leave it natural, then give it a very light coat of oil, mainly around the toe (assuming no toe guard) and lower section of the face. A small amount of oil on a dry cloth will be more than enough.

If you do plan on putting a scuff sheet on, don't oil it, as the oil can stop the sheet sticking and leave it prone to peeling. After the sheet has been fitted you can apply a very small amount of oil to the toe, just to help seal it (again, assuming no toe guard is fitted).

As for the fitting, I'll try to put some pictures up but I'm a bit strapped for time until the end of this month. If I get time, then they will be posted!
 
Re: My Woodworm Hardrive

oo ok, i really dont know if i should put a anti scuff sheet on it, i would love to use it with no anti scuff sheet on but im worried that it will crack

i oiled another bat i had then had a anti scuff put on it and it stuck ok, it was about a week after i put the oil on.

if i do oil my bat, would it make the wood very soft, because woodworms are known to be soft wood anyway
 
Re: My Woodworm Hardrive

I would suggest only putting on a very light coat of oil - hold a cloth on top of the open bottle (so no oil can leak) and tip the bottle up and back down very quickly, maybe twice. This will be enough oil to do the toe and lower face.

Oiling is not a major thing but it does help to seal the bat from moisture and as you said soften the wood. In reality, to have any major effect on the wood fibres (and to soften them) you need to apply a fair bit of oil.

As for cracking, well, its something that no-one can give a guarantee on. It may crack, it may not, all you can do it prepare it properly, as per the normal instructions.

You must also remember that some surface cracking is normal and is too be expected. I'd personally worry more if a bat didn't crack in this manner, as it's a sign that the bat is crap.

It's only really the bad cracks right on the edges or toe that you normally need to worry about but even then most of those can be repaired or saved.
 
Re: My Woodworm Hardrive

if i oiled the bat would it form any barrier to stop it cracking even with 6hrs worth or if i decide not to oil it and knock it in for 6hrs will it not crack or should it not crack

EDIT: ive already done 1hr 15mins of knocking in
 
Re: My Woodworm Hardrive

Right, There is not way a bat won't crack, you could put sponges round it, it'd still crack.

Cracks are infact good, not deep and play affecting ones, but surface cracks. A_A has said that cracking is normal. So expect it and theres nothing you can do.
 
Re: My Woodworm Hardrive

so oiling the bat only prevents it from damage if it gets wet ?

and if i decide i want to oil it once its had its 6hrs knocking in, will it be ok to do it last ?
 
Re: My Woodworm Hardrive

You can oil it whenever you want, at the start, at the end or in between.

As for the actual purpose of oiling, then yes, in the modern day the main reason is to help seal the bat from damp. In the olden days (W.G.Grace era) bats were a lot different and tended to be very heavily pressed so were soaked in oil to help soften them - a player like Grace may have had 3 or 4 'paid' assistants who spent a season soaking and preparing bats for him to use the following season.
 
Re: My Woodworm Hardrive

oo ok, i just dont think i should oil it because woodworms are soft wood anyway, so if i oil it then im just going to make the wood softer which will make the bat more easy to crack ?

but if i knock the bat in for a lenghy time, i should prevent cracking and deep seam marks ? (i dont mean through the bats hole life)
 
Re: My Woodworm Hardrive

As I've said a few times a light coat of oil is going to do no damage to the bat, you have to actually soak the wood to do harm to it.

Just knocking a bat in is no guarentee of preventing cracking as wood is a natural product and not meant to face 5 and bit ounces of leather coming at it at speeds of up to 95mph.

If you knock the bat in properly then you will give it the best start to acheiving a long life and good performance.

If you don't believe me, take some time to have a read through some of the links posted above, not only do they show damage they also give detailed guides on how to look after your bat.
 
Re: My Woodworm Hardrive

i think you should oil it just a little. if you knock it in for a good time it should last long dont know if it will prevent seam marks. i used to get upset over seam marks but now it doesnt matter as long as the bat still gets me runs.
 
Re: My Woodworm Hardrive

The scuff sheet seems a good way to go, thats a nice bat and it deserves a little bit of protection.

What is the bat like when you pick it up? Is it nicely balanced?
 
Re: My Woodworm Hardrive

It really depends what standard you are and how many runs you are likely to get. If you want the bat to last a couple of seasons, light oil and cover once totally dry (2 weeks). If you are playing a good standard and use a bat a year, then light oil and compress edges against a hard surface (the bath is good) and use in nets with oldish balls during pre-season, this will knock it in and get you used to playing with it. Many Pro's use it straight out of the bag (so to speak) and they go well, but your budget usually stops this.

Phone/Surf for part-sponsorship deals with other companies like Fearnley, Surridge, CJI Cricket they are all looking to get their kit out there, so try them out. I haven't paid full price for a RRP 250 pound bat for years.
 
Re: My Woodworm Hardrive

@ StanTheMan - yeah it feels really light when you pick it up but got a great middle, i havnt used the bbat yet but have swung it about and hit a ball on it. :D

@ Murali Magic - fair enough lol,  asian bats have defently got more meat than english brand :p

@ leggeb4 - i usually get around mid 20s - 50 when i bat : - \  i only play club standard though.  ive knocked the bat in for 4hrs so far and have ordered a anti scuff sheet, so im gonna put that on the bat on monday when i recieve it. i didnt quite get what you ment by compress edges against a hard surface like a bath, can you tell me what you ment please lol :p ,    i would try to get sponsered but you have to write a letter to the company you want to get sponsered by saying why they should sponser you, so there isnt really much point of me trying to get sponsered, theyre only interested if you atleast county standard.  who are you sponsered by and who do you play for ?    can you add me on msn, wanna talk to you lol


aa - if posible can you upload some pics into your anti scuff thread. thanks :D
 
Re: My Woodworm Hardrive

Trust me C123, most companies will offer you something regardless of the standard you play - you just have to take the time to write the letter.

You may not get hundreds of pounds off but you may get 10-20% but it all depends on the company and how much kit you're looking at buying.

I think leggeb4 means you press the edges of the bat against a hard surface to toughen them up whilst leaving the middle un-worked and with it's natural spring. I think in your case it's better to go with the traditional method of bat prep.

As said I will try to post some pictures but I'm stupidly busy at the moment.
 
Re: My Woodworm Hardrive

charlie_123 said:
@ StanTheMan - yeah it feels really light when you pick it up but got a great middle, i havnt used the bbat yet but have swung it about and hit a ball on it. :D
Click to expand...

Whats the weight?

Almost_Austwick said:
Trust me C123, most companies will offer you something regardless of the standard you play - you just have to take the time to write the letter.
Click to expand...

What do you have to write though and aren't they more likely to favour younger players?
 
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