Hi all, just wondering if it is 'safe' to use the hot water method to break in a fully meshed back glove like a pros205-6cm? I just feel like the mesh would absorb and retain the water a lot longer than a regular leather glove would. sorry if this is a silly question. I have a number of mesh backed gloves I'd like to 'aso'. and not just 'play catch, it's the best way'. i probably would but don't have someone to catch with and since I moved I don't even have the old handball court to play catch with. any help is appreciated!
mesh glove break in
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etnstudios
Addicted to Softballfans
i'd try a warm wet towel first if i was worried about a full dunk. you could control where the moisture goes a bit better that way.
Rous
Addicted to Softballfans
The mesh wont be harmed by water, but more water will get through it and to the padding. I have seen gloves (generally those stored in damp basements for years) with mold issues. I doubt soaking the padding once and then letting it dry thoroughly would lead to mold, but no need to do something that won't help the break-in. The leather is the only thing you can break in, so try to limit the water to the leather, just to be safe.
ANNASDAD
The Veteran
Yep, or how about just hand shaping it and rolling it around on the carpet while watching all the great TV that's on right now
or.......since you have no one to throw with, do you have any batting cages close to your location? If so find one, set the selector switch on high and spent a couple of dollars while looking like the strange guy there! I've don't that with a catchers mitt before, yeah people look at you! *Edit* Jchap has a great idea, put the glove in the trunk or on the dash before hand......on the way to the hitting cages!
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ANNASDAD
The Veteran
Yep, good point!
Rous
Addicted to Softballfans
Alum tanned lace (the old school tan lace) starts to break down and get brittle at about 115 degrees. Other color laces are chrome tanned (like the rest of a glove) and they can handle more heat. Auburn has started making a hybrid tan lace that does better with heat, but most tan laces are still alum tanned. And i guess I should mention that if you get tan lace wet enough long enough the alum salts will leach out and you'r be left with rawhide. Another reason I guess to be judicious with water.
jmdub
New Member
I will condition the glove (usually pecards), wrap with a ball or two in the pocket, take a thick shopping bag (think Menards if you have them) and a few "spritzes" of water in the bag (maybe two water bottle capfulls), shake the bag up, put the glove in and then put on the dash of the car. Usually will go out at lunch and work the glove for 5 minutes or so and then repeat for the afternoon. For whatever reason, this process works really really well. Just enough moisture that keeps the glove from drying and works it almost like a greenhouse with being on the dash.
etnstudios
Addicted to Softballfans
i've just used a grocery store bag, always careful to not use one with lots of graphics on it.
Yep, or how about just hand shaping it and rolling it around on the carpet while watching all the great TV that's on right now
*Edit* Jchap has a great idea, put the glove in the trunk or on the dash before hand......on the way to the hitting cages!
I've thought about that but don't batting cages use those big yellow dimpled balls? don't want a palm (especially blonde with red stamping) full of pock marks
edit: the only batting cage I remember was in midtown or upper manhattan somewhere. you had to make an appointment and choose what speed you wanted. before that I think I was 10 the last time I went to a batting cage. if anyone is familiar with astoria in queens, I believe 37th ave they used to have a 2 building site for batting cages. as far as the trunk/steamy weather thing, won't the leather just revert back to it's natural state after the weather has 'cooled' down? again thanks so much for the tips! I might try this on a few other mesh gloves but the pros205-6cm is just too darned nice, id have major guilt and anxiety putting her through any painful process
jmdub
New Member
ahh of course, a plain black bag. Sometimes the obvious stuff is the stuff you don't think of.
MaverickAH
Well-Known Member
I just have to wonder..........
If anyone had come on here & said that they condition their new glove, put it in a bag with a few drops of water & stick it into a hot oven for a few hours, what would the reaction be?
Yes, heat & moisture can be good for breaking in a glove, but do you know what else it's good for? Bacterial growth. Cars are not the most sanitary environment as it is & trunks are even less so! I prefer a much more controlled method when adding heat & moisture.
I'm distinctly old school when it comes to break-in. Conditioner ---> Mallet work---> Elbow grease---> Field work. I am pretty meticulous & deliberate with what I do. If I do add heat & moisture, it's usually early in the process during mallet work & elbow grease. I live in the NE so breaking in a glove is usually a winter process for me. Breaking in a glove is not a rushed process for me & it's normally a minimum 6 month process before I will even use a new glove in a meaningful game. Now don't get me wrong. I can get just about any glove game ready in less than a month but I choose not to do so. I like to get a glove about 80% to 85% of the way there on the bench & then the rest of the way with field use. I'm more in the Ozzie Smith camp of things so most would not think of my glove as "broken in" at the point I am ready to game them at. I'm also very regimented & meticulous about glove care:
In NYC, the Clincher is king for the majority of play so needing a higher end glove is often overkill. A mid tier glove is often good enough & will last for years if taken care of. Only with the more serious leagues & players do you see better gloves. What I learned to do was to keep my better gloves for more serious play on natural & turf fields. My older gloves were relegated to asphalt/concrete play.
If anyone had come on here & said that they condition their new glove, put it in a bag with a few drops of water & stick it into a hot oven for a few hours, what would the reaction be?
Yes, heat & moisture can be good for breaking in a glove, but do you know what else it's good for? Bacterial growth. Cars are not the most sanitary environment as it is & trunks are even less so! I prefer a much more controlled method when adding heat & moisture.
I'm distinctly old school when it comes to break-in. Conditioner ---> Mallet work---> Elbow grease---> Field work. I am pretty meticulous & deliberate with what I do. If I do add heat & moisture, it's usually early in the process during mallet work & elbow grease. I live in the NE so breaking in a glove is usually a winter process for me. Breaking in a glove is not a rushed process for me & it's normally a minimum 6 month process before I will even use a new glove in a meaningful game. Now don't get me wrong. I can get just about any glove game ready in less than a month but I choose not to do so. I like to get a glove about 80% to 85% of the way there on the bench & then the rest of the way with field use. I'm more in the Ozzie Smith camp of things so most would not think of my glove as "broken in" at the point I am ready to game them at. I'm also very regimented & meticulous about glove care:
- Ball always in pocket when not in use
- NEVER leaving a glove in a car or equipment bag longer than necessary
- Always air dry after games in hot weather
- Clean & condition when needed
In NYC, the Clincher is king for the majority of play so needing a higher end glove is often overkill. A mid tier glove is often good enough & will last for years if taken care of. Only with the more serious leagues & players do you see better gloves. What I learned to do was to keep my better gloves for more serious play on natural & turf fields. My older gloves were relegated to asphalt/concrete play.
Committed
Well-Known Member
What he said
jmdub
New Member
well, the problem with this is the oven even on it's lowest setting is still too hot. 105-115 is where you want to be to get the leather more workable without causing damage.
Rous
Addicted to Softballfans
I'm in Dallas, the inside of a hot car can hit 160 in the summer!
MaverickAH
Well-Known Member
I believe that I said, "........longer than necessary."
If you play in hot, humid weather where you're sweating & your glove is wet or damp, I can almost guarantee you that there's some bacterial growth whether you see it or not even after just a few hours in a hot trunk. What environment do you think that bacterial growth occurs in? Whether or not it's enough to cause any lasting damage is a separate question whose answer can depend on other factors like sanitary conditions & length of time left in a harmful environment.
No, the real problem with using the oven is that, under normal circumstances, it's dry heat & you'd actually be drying the leather out. Putting a pan of water in there to add moisture would help to alleviate the issue. I would also make the argument that using your oven is a much more controlled & sanitary environment than your car or car trunk.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not advocating the use of ovens to help break in your glove. I'm really not. It's just another stupid idea. My preferred method of adding heat & moisture to a glove is wet bar rags heated in the microwave & strategically placed in & on the glove exactly where I want them for how long i want them. i then work in the glove & let it air dry. It's a very sterile procedure.
Jchap
Active Member
No, you didn’t say “longer than necessary.” And that is besides the point: I said a few hours.
Having two degrees in biology, I think I can answer your question about bacterial growth environment.
How many gloves have been stored in equipment bags in cars, hot garages, etc? How many issues with unsanitary gloves have been reported?
MaverickAH
Well-Known Member
I absolutely did say that. Look at my bullet points......
I've I've witnessed plenty of gloves in poor shape for various reasons. A primary one is improper storage. Ever put wet clothes in the drier, get distracted & forget to turn it on? Come back a day or two later & what has happened? And those as clothes that were just washed.
You want to put you glove away wet or damp in a closed, warm environment? Go right ahead! The effect may not happen at the same rate but it is still happening nevertheless. The human body normally contains thousands of different microbes. How many of them get transferred to you glove every time you use it? Now, should you maintain your glove in an environment that allows them to continue to exist or one that doesn't? What's better?
I'll tell you what....... Take two glove of the exact same model. Use both. Store & treat one in the manner that you suggest has no effect. Store & treat the other as I suggest. Let me know which one is holding up better after a few years.
Jchap
Active Member
So you agree that putting a glove in a car trunk for a few hours, one time, will have no discernible effects?
Dan Schneider
The 50's Club
I have a Vinci BMB-M model & the process I took for the break-in consisted of applying conditioner followed by working the glove over with a mallet & bending the leather of the glove every which way.
beeblebobble
Starting Player
I second this.
OP, to answer your question, your mesh will be fine if a bit of water gets in there while trying the aso method. If it feels a little wet give it a few hours to dry out at room temp.
clementeunknown
Addicted to Softballfans
Catch balls somebody throws at you. The mesh back gloves break in quick
David the Gnome
The Veteran
My experience has also been that mesh gloves break in really quick. A little mallet work to set your break points and you should be good to go, no water necessary.