by wjr953 » June 26th, 2008, 11:31 am
ww,
I have three almost brand new gloves that I use alternately. One is a Walnut grain Nokona AM650CW, one is an Oxblood Rawlings HoH Trap-Eze, and one is a Black Rawlings Gold Glove Trap-Eze. After each use, I clean the whole glove thoroughly with Lexol-PH, warm water and a clean sponge. The critical areas are the pocket, webbing and especially the inner palm area. Having worked on gloves for a couple of years now, I'm starting to understand a lot more about how they can get after people neglect them. Water (in the form of rain, or catching a wet ball, or dampness from a basement/garage), sweat, saliva and dirt are some of the main enemies of baseball gloves. Sweat is a real killer, especially in the inner palm, where you put your hand into the glove. A good example is the older Wilson A-2000's. So I pay particular attention to cleaning the most susceptible areas with Lexol-Ph, and washing that off with clean, damp sponges and warm water. After letting the glove dry completely (usually in front of a box fan), I apply several light applications of Lexol-NF with an applicator cloth, and let that dry overnight. Next day, I buff the glove with a shoe shine brush which I keep strictly for that purpose. The glove comes out looking like brand new again. I have also decided to order a batting glove to wear on my glove hand. Replacing a batting glove is a heck of a lot cheaper than replacing the inner lining of my Nokona or Rawlings HoH. Also, about once a month during baseball season, I will put on a very, very, very light coating of Vaseline Petroleum Jelly. Just enough so that you know that you have some on your fingers, and then really work it into the glove leather with your bare hands. The next day, all the VPJ is absorbed and the glove is ready to go again. I look at it this way, if I'm going to spend upwards of $150-$200 for a baseball glove, than it's certainly well worth my time to treat it properly. With any luck, someone else will be looking at it this glove 40-50-60+ years from today and commenting on how great the glove looks "after all these years", just like we do everyday on this forum with those great gloves of the past.
Vbr, br