Care for Vintage Bats
 

Can anyone offer the best way to care for vintage bats suffering from some grain separation? I thought I've read somewhere that dipping or treating it with oil or similar product, would close the grain or at least protect it from further separation.
Thanks, John

Hi John,
Lemon oil or a similar product will prevent help future layering, but besides glueing the layering down, I don't know of any other way to close it.
Matt

Matt gave you good advice. How bad is the grain separation that you have in mind? Do you think part of the bat is about to break off? Or are you talking about something mild?

I agree completely with Mark. No amount of oil will undo checking and wood flaking. If it is a valuable bat, send it to Fred Lowman at Crackofthebat.com.
If you are handy or it is an inexpensive bat, you can try to glue it but DO NOT use regular wood glue as these do not accept stain or new finish. Rather use water activated polyurethane glue like gorilla glue and others. These can be sanded and take a finish like wood.

It's very mild. I took a piece of paper and could not insert it in the grain. Still it is visible and you can feel it.

grain seperation
 

john, leave it alone . that is minor checking.

Do not touch it. That is not a problem at all.

How do you define "checking"?

Never mind. Thank you, Google!