Be an Artist with a Glove......
Feb 22 '01 (Updated Jan 02 '08)
The Bottom Line It is simple to break in a new glove. First soften it and second form it. I have done enough of these to be helpful to you.
This review may sound a little silly to many reviewers who come across it but I think it will be Very Helpful to those of you who really need to break in a glove. The season is fast approaching us if not already here in some states and it’s time to get that new glove you got for Christmas or the upcoming season broken in.
The truth of the matter is that breaking in gloves isn’t what it used to be. That is because baseball gloves aren’t what they used to be. For the most part, today's gloves are made from cheaper leather if not synthetic material. The cheap leather and the synthetic material is much softer and more pliable than good leather. Therefore, you really don't need to put much effort into breaking in a new glove unless it has some quality leather.
Regardless of those reasons I will tell you how to break one in anyway. When I was a youngster half the fun of getting a new glove or mitt was breaking it in. The other half was using it. I remember always having it in my hands when it was new and constantly bending it or throwing a ball into it. Everyone would ask, Hey, you got that mitt broken in yet?
Softeners:
The first step I do when I am breaking in a new glove is to soften the leather. This makes it easier to form it the way I like it. Forming it is an art in itself. Every kid forms there glove a little bit differently. If you don't believe me just watch a ballplayer of any caliber put on his glove or someone else's glove. He will bend it just the way he likes it every time.
I have used about a hundred different softeners on gloves over the years and I still haven't come to a conclusion on which one is the best. This is proof that they all pretty much work and will do the job. Some of my favorites have been, Saddle Soap, Vasoline, Shaving Cream, Mink Oil and Glove Oil.
Vasoline: This one works really well and quickly. I just dab some on my fingers and rub it into the mitt just a little bit at a time. Make sure you go all over the glove and really rub it in. You don't want to put too much on or it will transfer to the ball and it will slip out of your hands and be thrown off target. I rub it in an hour later, a day later, whenever it feels dry again.
Saddle Soap: This is an old timers remedy. Invented for saddles in the old west and transferred to any of our common needs, this stuff really works and does a nice job. It is yellowish white, and I apply it differently than I do the Vasoline. I rub it into the glove with a rag or paper towel. It seems to work better with a rag than just by hand because it is soap based.
Shaving Cream: This is a poor mans remedy for the last minute break in. I discovered this while on a road trip playing ball. My old mitt ripped out during a double header and I went to my backup. Balls were bouncing out left and right because it was not broken in. That night at the hotel I knew I had to do something fast. I had my shaving cream and gave it a try, it worked! Just spray it on the glove and rub it in. Apply a little water now and then just to really soak it into the leather and it will soften it in no time.
Oils: Mink oil and Glove oil are just a few of the oils out there specifically designed to soften leather. This stuff works but it is loaded with chemicals and gives off a chemical odder. I stay away from this stuff but it does work and some people don't mind the smell and chemicals. The mink oil is not made from chemicals like the glove oil, it is all natural and really gives off a stink. That stuff is really a good softener. It is taken from minks and transferred to bottles for softening leather.
Forming It:
There are many ways to form a glove. Some of my most successful ways have been by constantly beating it or throwing a ball into it. This takes a long time. To speed up the process I took a stick, actually the handle from an old shovel, cut it down to about 15 inches or a foot, drilled a hole through a baseball and bolted the ball to the end of the stick. Then instead of throwing a ball in there and taking it out, I could just beat the mitt with the stick. I could hit the mitt at least twice as hard with force behind it rather than just throwing the ball into it.
I like to put a couple balls or a softball into it as well and tie it up with rope for a day or two. This will help form it. If that does not work for you try parking a car on it with a ball inside for a night. The leather will come around after that.
Like I said before, everyone forms their glove differently. It is an art. I like mine to be stiff around the edges and soft in the pocket so the ball sticks in it. If the ball hits the edge it won't fold the glove over and keep going, it should be stiff enough to stop the ball.
Remember, wear the glove as much as you can and get used to it. Make it comfortable and keep bending it the way you want it formed.
New Things on the Market:
There are a couple new things on the market designed specifically for breaking in gloves. One is called the Gloveguard. It costs $15.95 and can be found in Baseball catalog's. It is a molding of the inside of a glove with elastic bands around the outside. You put it inside the glove and put the bands around the glove. Another one similar to this is made by Rawlings and it looks a little better than the Gloveguard. It comes with a snowman, basically my softball and baseball idea put together, and elastic band, my rope idea, and some Glovolium, a softener. This one sells for $11.95. One last thing on the market for shaping gloves is caled Hot Glove. It is a substance you rub into your glove and then you bake the glove for 10 minutes in the oven. I don't like this idea. I invest a lot of money into gloves and I have burned enough food in the oven to know not to trust it. No thanks on this one.
Other Baseball Reviews:
Wilson A2000 LT
Rawlings Official R100 Baseball
Rawlings Major League Ball
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