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Glove Care Instructions

Special care must be taken to insure maximum performance, durability and life of your glove. The Glove Doctor recommends Lexol to condition and clean your gloves. The following instructions are designed to help you attain maximum life from your ball glove.

WARNING! EXCESSIVE GLOVE OIL WILL DAMAGE AND SHORTEN THE LIFE OF YOUR NEW GLOVE. Neatsfoot oil and Mink oil are not recommended as they tend to make the glove heavy and cause dirt to stick to surface of the glove.

  1. Apply a small amount of Lexol 2 All Leather Conditioner to a cloth or applicator pad and apply the conditioner to the areas of the glove that are currently stiff and firm that need to be more flexible, such as the pocket, the break, and the base of the web. Work the conditioner into the leather evenly. Do not apply it directly to the glove as it will be too concentrated at the point of application. Allow the conditioner to absorb into the leather for 24 hours before using.
  2. Play catch daily until the glove is ready for game play (75 – 100 throws per day for 1 to 2 weeks) if after 2 weeks the glove is still too firm, re-apply the conditioner to those area to soften the leather and continue to play catch.
  3. Apply conditioner to your glove very lightly at the end of each season prior to storage. Apply conditioner to the finger tips and the inside lining to keep the leather from becoming brittle be sure to clean the excess dirt from your glove before any application or conditioner.
  4. Store your glove in a dry place with a ball in the pocket to maintain shape. Do not store it in a plastic bag, as it will draw moisture and mildew.
  5. Keep the leather lacing in your glove pulled tight, as the laces will stretch with use. Note the degree of lace tension when the glove is new and try to maintain this tension. Always keep knots tied. If a lace comes unstrung or breaks, be sure to restring it through the proper holes to avoid damage to the glove.
  6. The above instructions have been developed to maximize the life of your ball glove. There are always a number of off-the-wall techniques that are suggested to help break in ball gloves. They are generally short cuts that reduce the life of the glove. You have to be aware of the frame of reference of the individual(s) making these suggestions. Their objective may not be to maximize the life of the glove.

 

Below are some techniques that you want to AVOID.

NEVER soak your glove in water. The water causes the laces to become brittle and it detans the glove leather and soaks the padding causing dry rot.

NEVER put your glove in an oven or microwave. The heat can damage the fibers of the leather. A microwave can concentrate heat to such a degree that the leather will actually burn. Heat and water causes the leather fibers to re-crosslink creating shrinkage making the leather stiffer and can cause the leather to crack.

We do not recommend steaming.  Even though it will soften the leather initially, after a period of time it may stiffen up again, or some gloves may become too soft, depending how they were tanned.   The laces being tanned differently tend to become brittle and break.

In my opinion there is nothing like breaking a glove in the old fashion way of playing catch every day.  It may take a little longer, but the end result is worth it.

Glove Information

The Glove Doctor, LLC represents five major manufacturers and is able to obtain the glove you want, if not already in stock. Links to the web sites of these manufacturers are provided below for your convenience. However, remember to contact The Glove Doctor directly to purchase your new glove!

Mike began selling ball gloves in 1995 after buying an American-made glove made by Glovesmith, Inc. He became their first retail sales business without a store front. After several years of continued growth in sales largely due to his “break-in” service offered (no additional cost) on every glove he sells, he was contacted by manufacturers, Nokona, Rawlings, Mizuno and Wilson to sell their gloves.

The Glove Doctor specializes in breaking in only gloves that he sells, taking the pain out of buying a new glove. Each new glove is given his personal touch. Mike’s work ethic and honesty has helped the business grow steadily since 1995.

The break-in process used is very similar to that used by Wilson's Master Craftsman Shigeaki Aso. Mike has met with Aso on numerous occasions and learned much about glove design and break-in from him. It must be noted that when a glove is broken in it may not necessarily be game ready especially higher end gloves. Every effort is made to get the glove or mitt as close to being game ready by making it flexible enough for the player to be able to open and close the glove to catch the ball. To be truly game ready, the player must be comfortable using the glove in game situations. This usually requires additional break in by the player. Depending on the quality of the glove this may take several weeks of continuous use by the player. The glove needs to form to the players hand. This is why no one other than the player should use the glove. Catchers mitts can be especially challenging. One method to getting a catcher's mitt ready is to put on your catcher's gear and sit in front of a pitching machine and take a couple of hundred pitches at a time. 

There is no need to soak the mitt or glove with "oil" as this will only make it heavy and oily. There is no product that will make the leather soft by itself. Mike has been using a leather conditioning product called LEXOL 2 All Leather Conditioner since he started working on gloves. This product moisturizes the leather keeping it from drying out. LEXOL has been an industry standard since 1933. It can actually be used everyday (a small amount) and it won't may your glove oily or heavy or change color. 

Steaming and heating in oven or microwave can damage a glove. My philosophy is "if you are not going to eat your glove don't heat it". These processes generally will cause the manufacture's warranty to be voided.

He recommends that if you purchase a glove and are having a hard time breaking it in contact the manufacturer and ask what process they recommend for breaking in their gloves.

   
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