Reshaping baseball gloves benefits the player in many ways. It helps the glove to muffle, enhancing its flexibility. It further helps you in bettering your field performance. It also helps to remove the toughness and hardness of the glove, which may be the reason behind the uneasiness while playing.
So, it becomes very important to learn how to reshape baseball gloves properly.
Because, reshaping the baseball glove without following appropriate guidelines may impair its configuration. Let’s look at some simple and easy methods to help you reshape your baseball gloves.
How to Reshape Baseball Gloves? (6 Methods)
Reshaping baseball gloves is pretty simple, and you can do it yourself. Avoid reshaping a newly purchased baseball glove having no issues with bending. You may destroy the form of the gloves and lose a hell lot of time working over it.
Reshape only the pieces that get distorted in transit or warehouse process. You can also try to exchange the deformed glove for a new one from the seller. Here are a few ways to reshape your baseball glove.
Softening the glove with oil
Use baseball oils to soften the gloves. Use the oils especially recommended for the gloves by the manufacturer. The wrong type of oil may damage your gloves permanently. They may turn dark or greasy.
Spray the oil on a soft and clean cloth. Rub the palm and thumb area with the cloth dampened with oil, and ensure you cover the glove area well with oil. Do not spray the oil directly on the gloves. It may leave you with greasy gloves.
Set the baseball in the pocket of the glove
Place a baseball into the glove pocket that is now soft due to the oil. You can also use a small-sized softball to achieve the same result.
Tighten the glove using rubber bands
It’s essential to wrap the glove around the ball for a substantial time, say about 24 hours, to have the desired shape. Tightening the glove wrapped around the ball with rubber bands will suffice your purpose. 3 to 4 rubber bands will solve the purpose. Tie the glove with these rubber bands without applying any extra force.
Let the gloves dry
Let the gloves dry naturally or by placing them under the fan. Do not dry them by placing them in sunlight, the fireplace, or the oven, as it may damage the gloves permanently.
It will perfectly reshape without losing the quality only after drying naturally. Once dried, remove the rubber bands to unbind the gloves and shake them.
You can use other materials in place of oil to reshape the gloves:
Shaving Cream
Use shaving cream to repair gloves that have gone wrong with the breaking process and become stiff over time. Do not use them if your gloves are not of good quality, suede leather, or made up of vinyl material. Shaving cream is suitable for stiff leather. But it will damage other soft leather layers.
Vaseline
Use vaseline in place of baseball oil for reshaping the gloves. You can use vaseline for all types of leather. There’s no adverse effect of it on the leather, but the efficiency may vary. It does not match the quality when compared with oil.
How should I shape my glove?
Newly purchased baseball gloves may not fit correctly on any player. Therefore, you need to customize the shape of the gloves to fit them appropriately on your hands. It helps you to improve your performance on the field. Herewith are a few steps to shape your gloves.
Dampen the Leather
Spill a small quantity of hot water not exceeding 170 degrees over the desired glove area to make it soft. Avoid placing the glove in the microwave or using detergents to the gloves to muffle. It may ruin the leather.
Applying a small quantity of glove oil will also be helpful. Remember not to use the oil on the glove directly. It may leave the glove area saturated and heavy.
Breaking stiff areas of the gloves
Start bending the pinky and thumb towards each other and away. Doing this will break the stiffness in the areas of the glove. Squash the pinky and thumb together. Shove down the back fingers and squash the palm liner. Drag the web top and stretch it to a small extent. Redo the same process 6 to 8 times till they dry completely.
Gloves softening
With regular usage, leather products get softer eventually. Your gloves are no exception. But to speed up the softening process, you can use a wooden mace or rubber dumbbell of 5 lb weight. Punch the area where you will grab the ball.
Punching the web will create a bend where you intend to break the glove. It will create a hollow shape, which will help you to catch the ball effortlessly. In addition, it will get rid of any wrinkles to give a smooth finished pocket.
What if you don’t have a mace or dumbbell? No worries. You can shape the gloves by throwing the baseball more than 30 times into the pocket area. This process will help you to adapt the gloves appropriately to your hands’ shape.
Shaping
Insert the baseball in the glove pocket, and wrap it with three rubber bands. Ensure you don’t tighten the bands and wrap them crossing each other to form an “X” shape. Leave the glove for about 4 to 5 hours. It will help the glove to shape as per your intention and won’t restore to its original shape.
You may punch in the pocket again once you untie the gloves and remove the ball. It will help to have a bit deeper pocket to catch the ball effortlessly.
Practise catching
Practice catching a baseball with this glove daily. It will eventually begin to conform more to your hands. In addition, the leather may become softer with daily usage.
Protip: Take care of the glove regularly
Ensure to store your glove in a good place and not in the boot space of your car or garage. It will help in the long life of your gloves with good quality.
Regularly apply glove oil or conditioning cream to your gloves frequently. Treating your gloves to keep them soft before storing them during the offseason is highly recommended.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What does vaseline do to a baseball glove?
Vaseline help soften the leather as it comprises moisturizers and several mineral oils. Moreover, it protects the gloves from hot weather from drying. It also protects the gloves from dust and dirt.
Is Vaseline illegal in baseball?
It’s illegal to use vaseline on baseballs during matches. But you can use vaseline to reshape the baseball gloves.
Is shaving cream good for baseball gloves?
Shaving cream is good for a limited type of leathered baseball gloves. Avoid using it on gloves made with suede leather, vinyl, or low-quality leather.
Conclusion
Reshaping is essential to restore the original form of the baseball glove. Eventually, the glove tends to develop an undesirable shape and hamper your performance on the field. The glove with a wrong bend adds discomfort while catching the ball.
When you feel the stiffness of the glove and discomfort while wearing it, it’s essential to reshape the glove. But, frequent reshaping of the gloves may damage the quality as it reduces the glove’s durability over time.
Regular conditioning the baseball gloves will increase its longevity with quality.
