Breaking in Your New Vinci Glove

escort1991

Active Member
Below is the break in process Vinci recommends. :D

Among the first things you will notice with your new Vinci glove is the sturdiness of its construction. Each glove is handcrafted using only the highest-grade leathers and materials. All baseball and softball gloves need to be “broken in” before use in order to provide a proper fit and to play a better game. Many companies use industrial machines to simulate the natural breaking in process. At Vinci, we find that this method often results in “floppy”, ill-fitting gloves with significantly shorter product lives. The individual nature of a player’s hand size and shape, catching style and glove preference lends itself better to a more customized break in process. The steps below will provide you with some basic tips on how to quickly and effectively incorporate your new Vinci glove into your game.

- Pete Vinci

The 2 basic goals of breaking in a glove are softening the leather and forming the pocket.

1) To properly soften the leather, Vinci includes a complimentary jar of exclusive Glove Conditioner with every new glove.** Using latex gloves, apply conditioner to all leather areas of glove including the pocket, laces, and rear. Too much conditioner can actually shorten the life of your glove by speeding up deterioration, so a good rule of thumb is to never apply more than a pea sized amount at a time. Usually 3 – 5 pea sized applications will
sufficiently treat each side of a new glove.

2) Let your glove sit for 24 hours allowing conditioner to fully absorb into leather. Wipe off any excess using a clean, dry cloth. Do not apply more conditioner for at least 2 weeks.

3) Move the heel of the glove firmly back and forth in a “shoe shining” motion(show below). Do the same with the fingers and where the bottom of the web meets the glove. This movement will help to loosen the fibers of the leather and interior linings.


Besides playing catch there are many ways to form a pocket into your baseball glove.

4) Get a baseball or softball depending on your needs for the glove (some players prefer using a hollow plastic ball like the one pictured in the Vinci Break In Kit). Place the ball firmly into the pocket area of the glove.

5) Using 2 Vinci Glove Bands (string, elastic bands, belts, or bungees will work as well), wrap the outside of the glove in an “X” pattern, closing the ball firmly into the pocket. Allow the glove to sit overnight.

6) Remove the bands and toss a ball firmly into the pocket area 50 – 100 times.* Taking time to press and twist the ball into the leather.

7) Repeat steps 3 through 6 until your glove is sufficiently broken in.

* You may also use a glove mallet like the one included in the Vinci Break In Kit to hammer into the pocket. The tapered handle of the mallet can be used to size the finger holes of the glove if they feel too tight on your hands. Place the tapered end of the mallet into the fingers of glove and rotate slowly to expand the size of the openings.
 
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jd10

Came to make a bang
Hey Escort, when you do step two and let the conditioner set in, do you not wrap it then? The first time to wrap it with bands is in step five?
 

LoveyPSU

Sorry, wrong trajectory
Hey Escort, when you do step two and let the conditioner set in, do you not wrap it then? The first time to wrap it with bands is in step five?

No, you don't wrap it when you condition it. Yes, step 5 is the first to use the wrap. I go 3, 4, 6, 5, and repeat.
 

jd10

Came to make a bang
Thanks PSU. I actually did wrap it after conditioning it...seems ok, hopefully i didn't do anything to screw it up. I know I asked the question after I already did it, but I'm planning on buying another vinci and was wondering about that step.
next question...how often do you guys follow the process?

I've been beating the hell out of mine with a ball mallet and that's working awesome...just not sure when to condition again. was planning on maybe doing it again at the end of the season.

I've taken such crap care of gloves in the past, i figure now that I've got something nice, I should take care of it right :)
 

LoveyPSU

Sorry, wrong trajectory
Thanks PSU. I actually did wrap it after conditioning it...seems ok, hopefully i didn't do anything to screw it up. I know I asked the question after I already did it, but I'm planning on buying another vinci and was wondering about that step.
next question...how often do you guys follow the process?

I've been beating the hell out of mine with a ball mallet and that's working awesome...just not sure when to condition again. was planning on maybe doing it again at the end of the season.

I've taken such crap care of gloves in the past, i figure now that I've got something nice, I should take care of it right :)

I don't think you're gonna "screw it up." I condition immediately, then go 3, 4, 6, 5 until it can be used in a game. If it's not "game ready" in 2-3 weeks, condition it again. I stop conditioning when about 50%+ didn't absorb into the leather. The first time I did my RV70, it absorbed all of it in 24 hours. The first time I did my TJ1952-L, it absorbed about 80% of it in 24 hours.
 

smarkley3

Certified Trap Hoe
Conditioner

Yea the glove will tell u how much it needs. Also the dryer the air is the more it will absorb the conditioner (quicker). I feel that u should clean and condition ur glove ever couple of weeks if not every week. But, I am a freak........
 

BizWhiz

Addicted to Softballfans
"Do the same with the fingers and where the bottom of the web meets the glove."

How do we do this part? I've done the "shoe shining" motion for the heel and it's loosened up a lot, but I don't understand how to do the same for the bottom of the web. Can anyone help? Thanks.
 

COBRARI

Addicted to Softballfans
One other process that I didn't do years ago with my first good glove was to apply conditioner in the inside palm and finger area. Why? I sweat and after two seasons, the glove really started to crack. I now use a little neatsfoot.
I just put it on my palm and fingers, insert my hand in the glove and it transfers to the leather. It works well to prevent the leather from cracking.
 

LoveyPSU

Sorry, wrong trajectory
Oh, and catching 130 60mph fastpitch softballs from the machine to break in my glove = not such a fun idea.
Although not "fun," it worked pretty well. I'm going to have my latest TJ game-ready in 4-5 weeks time (though really 3-4 since I was on vacation for a week at the end of July).
 

ballbuster

Addicted to Softballfans
Yea the glove will tell u how much it needs. Also the dryer the air is the more it will absorb the conditioner (quicker). I feel that u should clean and condition ur glove ever couple of weeks if not every week. But, I am a freak........

What do you recommend to clean and condition? I used the Nokona glove wipes in the past. Thanks
 

jstn8887

Addicted to Softballfans
"Do the same with the fingers and where the bottom of the web meets the glove."

How do we do this part? I've done the "shoe shining" motion for the heel and it's loosened up a lot, but I don't understand how to do the same for the bottom of the web. Can anyone help? Thanks.

I don't really understand the shoe-shining motion at all. Is it saying that I should take two of my fingers and rub them in a circle around the glove? Any info to help me would be appreciated.

Yes, I realize this may seem to be a dumb question, but I just want to make sure I break in my new glove right.
 

MaverickAH

Well-Known Member
It's not the polish application motion, it the buffing motion that's being referred to.

For the heel of the glove just grap both sides of the heel & roll the heel inbetween your hands in an back & forth motion.

Do the same for the top of the web & the bottom of the web. You really want to concentrate on the bottom of the web because that's the area with the most layers of leather (Web, Back, Palm, Palm Pad). It's the most difficult area to work on but it really is the key to how quickly you can break in the glove. Concentrating on this area will cut a week or two off of the time it takes to break in the glove.

Why the rolling (shoeshine) motion?

Simply put, it prevents creasing. Creasing (aka "folding") is the enemy of any glove. It weakens the leather, causes a glove to lay flat, leads to floppiness & shortens glove life.

If you break your glove in properly & religiously keep a ball in the pocket, it'll never be flat for many, many years.

One other point I'd like to make is to never use the process detailed in the OP to completely break in your glove. You want to get it to about 80% to 85%. The rest should be accomplished through catch & in-game use.
 

jstn8887

Addicted to Softballfans
Ok, thanks. I understand what is meant by the shoe shining motion now. How is it accomplished with the top and bottom of the web? (The one I have the hardest time figuring out is the bottom of the web; I think I have some clue about the top of the web.)
 

escort1991

Active Member
I've never have broke in the top of the web. The bottom of the web, I figure out a way to put my fingers through the lacing/web. 1 hand on the index finger and 1 on the thumb towards the bottom of the web.
 

jstn8887

Addicted to Softballfans
Thanks Escort, that makes sense. Is there a way to tell when the glove is sufficiently broken in and I don't need to do the shoe-shining motion anymore?
 

escort1991

Active Member
Each person is different. I like a more stiff glove over a floppy glove. I usually do it enough to be able to close it somewhat easily. Then I start playing catch.
 

escort1991

Active Member
The Vinci conditioner will darken it slightly(very slightly) at first, but will lighten back up. I use the Vinci conditioner because it doesn't affect the color after it soaks in.
 

CaptNapalm

Addicted to Softballfans
It's not the polish application motion, it the buffing motion that's being referred to.

For the heel of the glove just grap both sides of the heel & roll the heel inbetween your hands in an back & forth motion.

Do the same for the top of the web & the bottom of the web. You really want to concentrate on the bottom of the web because that's the area with the most layers of leather (Web, Back, Palm, Palm Pad). It's the most difficult area to work on but it really is the key to how quickly you can break in the glove. Concentrating on this area will cut a week or two off of the time it takes to break in the glove.

Why the rolling (shoeshine) motion?

Simply put, it prevents creasing. Creasing (aka "folding") is the enemy of any glove. It weakens the leather, causes a glove to lay flat, leads to floppiness & shortens glove life.

If you break your glove in properly & religiously keep a ball in the pocket, it'll never be flat for many, many years.

One other point I'd like to make is to never use the process detailed in the OP to completely break in your glove. You want to get it to about 80% to 85%. The rest should be accomplished through catch & in-game use.

Could someone post a video of this? I'm not 100% sure I'm doing it right! :)

I want to make sure I break my new Vinci in correctly!
 

mr.augie

Head Ball Coach
I just got my new Vinci, but I think I'm going to just use my tried-and-true Harold Reynolds method to break it in, which I've used on every glove I've ever owned regardless of make, cost etc. ..results have always been great;

1. submerge glove in warm water for 1 minute

2. tie softball in pocket in desired shape and allow glove to fully dry

3. untie & condition entire glove with Lexol

4. place ball back in pocket and place glove under mattress for 1 week

Presto! ..a perfectly broken in glove.

Is it possible that this particular process might shorten a given glove's life span from 20yrs to 19? Yes, but I'm fine with that tradeoff
 

mr.augie

Head Ball Coach
No luck necessary ..it'll work great like it always has.. It's a piece of leather, not fine china..
 

Puttersea

Addicted to Softballfans
I personally would never submerge my glove in water. I even use a lower end glove when it is raining hard outside. I think this is why I am very hesitant to buy a used glove. Never know what process someone did to break in a glove instead of the good old "condition and use" method.

I agree with the original steps outlined in this post.

One thing that I do is use one of the weighted rubber balls the size of a softball. Find me a nice cement wall and just go out and play catch with a weighted rubber ball.
 
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