GLOVESMITH Gloves made in China

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Postby space50 » July 24th, 2007, 2:58 am

I guess if there is going to be a future to glove collecting you have to consider the Asian made gloves since the era of American made gloves is pretty well over. Almost certainly some of the early Muzuno or Japanese Wilson A2000's will be considered collectable ten or twenty years from now. As far as I know all the major makers still design and engineer the gloves in the USA. I guess the rest is just a matter of quality control of material and construction which is certainly doable in Asia. Still, something is lost.
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Interesting stuff off the Glovesmith site...

Postby Vindoggie » July 31st, 2007, 10:39 pm

Baseball Glove Leather Glossary
Alum Tanned: Leather produced by alum, used in combination with salt, egg yolk, and other substances. Before the invention of chrome tanning this was the principle method of tanning with mineral agents. Note: This process is still used in lace leather for quality gloves today.
Bend Leather: Superior grade of leather. Upper backbone area of a hide away from shoulders, neck, and belly. Note: Our Custom Elite & Elite baseball gloves our cut from the bend area.
Belly: Is the part of a hide from the under side of an animal, usually less valuable than other parts of a hide because of its drawn grain.
Chrome Tannage: Leather tanned in chromium salts, primarily basic chromium sulfate resulting in soft, mellow hides receptive to excellent color variety. Currently the most widely used tannage in the USA. Note: Chrome tanned leather is currently the most widely used leather for baseball gloves.
Crocking: Color matter that sometimes rubs off leather.
Currying: Process of incorporating oils and greases into the leather after tanning and otherwise preparing it for the specific purpose for which it may be intended.
Drawn Grain: Shrunken, shriveled, or wrinkled grain surface of leather.
Grain: A word used to describe the natural characteristics of the surface of leather, such as its pores, wrinkles, markings, and texture.
Hand: A word used to describe the feel (i.e. softness or fullness) of leather.
Kip: A skin from an animal between the size of a calf and a mature cow. Note: In today’s cattle industry many hides fall into this category.
Milled Leather: Technique of breaking down leather by putting it into a large drum and letting it tumble until it becomes softer and obtains a pebbled appearance. Note: Often used in conjunction with oil tanning in order to produce softer baseball glove leather.
Mineral Tanned: Leather that has been tanned by any of several mineral substances, notably the salts of chromium, aluminum, and zirconium.
Nap: Describes the soft, "fuzzy" effect achieved in leather by buffing or brushing.
Nubuck: Leather whose surface has been buffed and brushed to create a soft, velvety effect. Differs from suede in that while suede is created from the split side of a hide, Nubuck is created using the grain (outer) side, giving it added strength and durability.
Oil Tanned: Leather that is tanned using oils to create a very soft, pliable finish.
Ounce: The term used to identify the weight and substance of a hide. An ounce is equivalent to 1/64th of an inch in thickness.
Patina: The aura or luster that develops in a quality piece of leather with age.
Pull-up: Describes the behavior of leather that has been treated with oils, waxes, and dyes in such a way that when the leather is pulled or stretched, the finish becomes lighter in the stretched areas.
Razorback: Supple lightweight leather tanned from pigs and hogs, it is not as thick as cowhide or steerhide. Note: Glovesmith’s G-Pro gloves are constructed from razorback leather.
Retan: Leathers tanned with more than one tanning agent, such as a vegetable tannage applied over chrome tannage, resulting in both softness and body in the hides.
Side: Half a hide cut along the backbone.
Split Leather: Leather made from the inner layers of a hide that have been split away from the upper, or top grain. Split leather is more fragile than top grain or full grain leather.
Splitting: The thinning or slicing of leather into two or more layers. Note: Used to get the leather into a workable thickness.
Steerhide: Leather from the hides of steers, usually heavier leather.
Top Grain: Leather that has the grain side left intact, in contrast to split leather. The top grain of the hide is where the strength of the leather comes from. Note: All Glovesmith gloves are made from top grain leather.
Vegetable Tanning: A method of tanning that utilizes materials from organic materials such as bark instead of the traditional chemicals. Note: Vegetable tanned leather has greater body and firmness than traditionally chromium tanning.
Weight: A term that describes the heaviness or thickness of leather. Typically given in ounces.
Welting leather: The leather used as the uniting material between each of the finger pieces on the back of the glove. Also is used to attach the palm of the glove to the back of the glove.
This glossary was compiled with help from the Dictionary of Leather Terminology.
To hell with the expression "You don't really know a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes" How about- "... until you've caught nine innings using his mitt!" A bit more accurate, don't you think?
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Where made?

Postby softball66 » August 1st, 2007, 7:06 am

I suspect Brett is right about most buyers caring where the gloves are made. We glove connoisseur do have a preference about it. And yes it's good to get a glove from the country where all this baseball began. Most however are very price conscious in this purchasing aspect.
You've all probably noticed the labor chase of baseball gloves from 1950 forward: Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, Maylaysa, China. These countries businessmen set up plants and the labor is for pennies and they do a very reasonable job on a labor intensive product. Jim Storey, at one time, told me that Nocona couldn't make a better glove than the Koreans were turning out. Korea is noted as a country of artisans and they seem to take a special pride. The rest of the foreign lands production just seem like dollar chases to me. And The A2K is made in Japan another country
with pride in workmanship.
Regarding Glovesmith, the founder and owner, was with Rawings for several years and that company was not happy when he left I understand, especially when he set up a glove company under their noses and there was talk that he had taken some trade secrets with him.
So don't be surprised when he drops the USA made and goes to the orient. Everyone's there now including Nocona. Nocona still makes more ballglove than anyone here in the states by far. Rawlings is running several thousand units in Washington MO now since shutting down Ava (thanks for Kenny Jenkins Rawlings!) . Token shops like Mizuno exist and Earl Malone, I think, still cusomizes some pro gloves for Wilson.
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Thanks Vindoggie

Postby softball66 » August 1st, 2007, 7:16 am

Thank you Vindoggie for some nice, informative posts. Good info on the leather breakdowns. Bob Storey at Nocona has some old fashioned (by now) and descriptive terms he used, and I'm sure they're from the old days of the tanneries here in the states (not so many around now). "Crunch Leather" used to make baseball gloves. Also he stated "Bullhide" as used to make the catchers mitts. "Strap Leather" for the old leather football helmets.
We've run some articles in our glove newsletter from time to time about the various leathers used. Back in the 19th century, Buckskin (deer) was used, also elk, reindeer (that's right). Horsehide was utilized up until the 1940s when the draft horses (wagon pullers, farm & plow horses) were eliminated by the trucks and tractors. And yes friends, buckles went away in 1941 when they were swept away into the military.
When we were doing the Babe Ruth replicas and importing horsehide from France, one lady just raised cane because we were using hide from the noble horse.
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