Last updated on June 21st, 2023 at 11:07 am
Professional baseball players spend a great time breaking in, maintaining, and perfecting their baseball gloves. Despite all the efforts you make to keep, protect and sustain your baseball glove, there will be a time when it will need repairing.
But any player can easily relace baseball gloves by following a good guide and ensuring that they give their glove what it needs. Every player develops an emotional attachment with their baseball glove and after all the breaking in and perfecting the glove according to your hand and playing style. And who even would want to start the whole process all over again with brand new baseball gloves?
If you have used your favorite baseball glove for a good time and now you are observing faults in the baseball glove lacing patterns, you don’t have to worry at all. With proper tools and baseball glove lacing instructions, you can efficiently fix your favorite glove in no time. Also, various companies offer baseball glove repairing and replacing services that might cost you a couple of dollars. Therefore, if you are unwilling to spend any money but want your beloved glove fixed, below is the complete guide to replacing a baseball glove. So, without wasting any time, let’s dig into all the essential information that you might need to know to get your glove fixed.
Baseball Glove Lacing Diagram
Below is the baseball glove lacing diagram that will help you locate all the distinct parts of your glove:
Required Tools to Relace a Baseball Glove
Before getting into our guide on fixing a baseball glove, let’s first gather all the tools you will need through the process. You don’t have to worry as most of the materials you need are pretty simple, and you might have them already with you.
The tools you will need while relacing your baseball glove are:
- New laces – these laces are usually 72-inches, and you usually would need around three to four laces to relace your glove. But in case you are dealing with a trapeze glove, a catcher’s mitt, or a first baseman’s mitt, you will need more laces, usually around six of them.
- A straight-lace grooved needle or a U-wire
- Leather conditioner is significant for the gloves as it helps increase their lifespan and protect the leather. In restringing a baseball glove, the conditioner enables the laces to slide easily into the holes.
- Knife or scissors – these are used to cut any of the excessive lace at the end of the process.
Relace Baseball Gloves Step-by-Step Instructions
It is vital that before starting the relacing procedure, you should plan the whole process. As you know that there are many baseball gloves lacing patterns, you will have to figure out for yourself which one you need. Also, it would be best to keep in mind that the preferable pattern should be the original lacing pattern of your baseball glove. For this, you can capture some pictures of your glove’s lacing pattern before making any cut or following the baseball glove lacing instructions. Make sure to study the lacing pattern of your glove carefully to avoid any inconvenience afterward.
Following are the step-by-step instructions on how to restring a baseball glove:
Draw the diagram or take pictures
As mentioned above, the first step of this process involves drawing the diagram or taking pictures of your baseball glove. It is crucial so that you don’t get lost during the process. Therefore, draw a diagram or take photos from every angle, covering all the sides of the lacing pattern.
Remove the laces
Now that you have an exemplary diagram or pictures of your baseball glove and you are content and are ensured that this will be enough to guide you through the process, it is time to unlace the glove. This is not a highly complex task, and you can get it done within a few minutes.
Apply the glove conditioner
After all the laces from your baseball glove are removed, it is time to apply the conditioner to the glove. Use it on the particular areas that are difficult to reach afterward, including fingers and other minimal regions. This will help you in the smooth lacing of your baseball glove. Also, apply the conditioner on each part of the glove, even on the inside. Take some conditioner on a clean cotton swab and gently apply it onto the glove. Then remove all the excess conditioner with the help of a clean cloth. Make sure to not over-apply the conditioner.
Apply conditioner onto the laces
Now, after you have your whole glove conditioner, apply some conditioner on the new laces as well. Rub a small amount of conditioner onto the laces to make sure that they go through the holes quickly. This will also be very convenient for your fingers.
Make a hole, stick the needle, and tie a knot
The fifth step is to make a hole at one end of the lace through your punch. Now, attach one of the sides of your u-wire needle into the spot while tying a knot at the other side of the lace. It would be best to consider starting to restrain a baseball glove from the palm as it is the most challenging area.
Start with the pinky finger hole
While relacing your baseball glove, make sure that the smooth side of your lace is exposed. Now, look for a hole that doesn’t fit at the backside of the pinky finger. This hole is usually located on a right-hand throw glove at the right side of the pinky finger. While in the case of a left-hand throw glove, this hole is the opposite of that. Now, put your needle through the hole move along the line to the palm. Undoubtedly, this first hole while restringing the gloves will be the most complicated one. You can also feel these holes from the underside of the glove while using your other hand. This will help you provide an accurate judgment about the lacing pattern.
Complete the rest of the lacing
Now, lace the rest of the glove by taking a guide from the previous lacing pattern of your glove. After you have reached the area where the web should be, use the closest hole to tie off a knot. Make sure to leave enough space for another knot in case you need to tie it up later. To finish the whole relacement process, you will have to restore the web first. Follow the below-mentioned instructions to restore a web.
Instructions on Relacing a Baseball Glove Web
If you wonder how to relace a baseball glove’s fingers, remember that you will have to reattach the webbing first. Also, relacement of fingers should be done afterward, or either it will complicate the task. Now, follow the below-mentioned steps to relace the web of your glove:
- Condition the webbing.
- Now, line up the web and start lacing. Make sure that your lace is straight and you are lacing it appropriately.
- Now, you will have to start from the thumb of the glove. Insert the lace into the hole present along the edge facing inward on the glove and towards the pocket. This will help your lace through the glove and outside the side of the bag. You will have to follow the pattern of the web that your glove possesses and lace accordingly. Follow this pattern to the top of the glove, funnel the lace through the very top of the pocket and go into the hole. From this hole, you will go through the whole web and into the hole again. Continue doing this until you have the net’s top from where the lace will go through the funnel.
- Now, repeat the process on the next side of the web. Make sure to follow your thumb side pattern.
- Ensure that your whole lacing in the web is tight.
FAQs
Q: How much does it cost to relace baseball gloves?
Q: How hard is it to relace a baseball glove?
Q: What can I use instead of a baseball glove?
Q: How do you replace a baseball glove pocket?
Conclusion
We are aware of how important a baseball glove is for the players. No matter how much you take care of it, you will have to relace the baseball glove from time to time to ensure your perfect performance in the field. Even though you can take your glove to any of the experts in the market and get it fixed, remember that restringing a baseball glove is not very complicated, and you can do it yourself. The guide mentioned above can help you through the process efficiently.
