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I actually bought a girl I'm dating her first baseball glove this weekend and I pulled out a book I have on baseball gloves (mainly the history of gloves, but it has a chapter on breaking in and maintaining gloves). I hadn't broken in a glove since about the 8th grade, so I couldn't really even remember how to do it.

Here is a brief synopsis of what it said:

Not good:

Petroleum jelly - it's actually a wax and doesn't penetrate the leather

Mink oil - due to the fact that it is a paste at room temp, it doesn't penetrate the leather either

linseed oil - it will eventually make your glove stiff

any household oil - heavy, nasty and permanent

microwave - this will heat up one side of your glove, the inside. if you wouldn't do it to your cat, don't do it to your glove

So-so:

a conventional oven - not much to say

shaving cream - while lots of people swear by it due to the lanolin in it. Execs at Rawlings and Wilson both say that it doesn't do the glove any good. an exec at Gilette says "there's never been lanolin in [our shaving cream].

water - water causes the fibers to seperate and relink as they dry. "some major leaguers use a little water, but remember they get their gloves for free"

spit - not bad but it'll stiffen up the glvoe ultimately

Better

neat's foot oil - it penetrates the leather and lubricates well. but use sparingly. it's heavy and if overapplied it will make your glove floppy. and if your glvoe is unused for a long time it will make it petrified

Best

Lanolin - it penetrates well, doesn't stain much and lubricates nicely. They reccomend Lexol and Glove Loogie

I bought some glove loogie and was happy with it.

Ultimately, the best way to break in a glove is with hours of catch.

there was more to the chapter as to where to really work the glove, but I don't want to type that all out.

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