Do you have to use a special oil made specifically for a baseball glove or can you use some other kind? How do you go about doing the actual oiling: rub it on with a cloth or some other applicator?

tia

I found my old glove the other day that I had forgotten about and the leather is flaking off in a few places. It might be too late to save it, but I wanted to add that tidbit if it may change the answer to my original question.

Try using and unscented moisturizing shaving cream. Something like Edge Gel. Apply liberally, message it in well and let it dry. While it is drying, place a ball in the web, and put rubber bands around the glove to close it around the ball.

KRT is spot on in his technique. You can use glove oil that you can pick up at a sporting goods store.

Go with shaving cream over oil, I used to use the non gel type.

Oil is heavier and absorbs more dirt into the glove, weighs it down.

Before using the shaving cream, I know some that will place a softball into it, wrap it with a bungie chord and dunk into ice water. Let dry, then apply shaving cream a few times.

I had a guy who reconditioned gloves tell me to use mink oil.

I use Nokona glove conditioner that I will put on once or twice a year. Depends on how much you use it but if you are going to tuck it away for awhile (winter) then lube her up.

Nokona recommends using good old petroleum jelly ... I've never done it, but their rationale seems sound.

quote:

---

7. How do I treat and care for my Nokona glove?
Nokona gloves and mitts are made from leather tanned to our specifications. Proper care will provide you longer use. With the exception of Nokona "Buckskin" gloves, our gloves are pre-oiled at the factory. Although many sophisticated leather care products are prevalent today, we still use the plain old petroleum jelly and have for over half a century. We swear by it, and we've seen the results of many touted oils. Recently, a warehouse find of 300, forty-year old unused gloves was discovered and many of these were Nokonas. Upon viewing and testing of all of the gloves, the Nokonas proved to be in far better shape than those of other companies, and we attribute this to our petrolatum or "NLT", the long tested Nokona pretreatment.

To best apply petroleum jelly, rub it into the leather with your bare hands. Work it into every area including the laces and inside the glove where cracking takes place. Unlike liquefied oils, petroleum jelly won't soak through to the padding. You can also clean your glove with a clean wiping cloth and petroleum jelly. Rub the surface vigorously and the petroleum jelly will actually cause the dirt within the grain to rise up to the top where it will be picked up by the cloth.

Just as you would treat your skin when dry, retreat your glove as needed. It's a continuous process and do so with a liberal coat when you put your glove away for the season.
8. Is there anything that I should avoid doing to my Nokona glove?
Here is a short list of recommended DON'Ts:
• Do not soak in water! This negatively affects the interior padding and accelerates wear of the leather fibers.
• Do not use any type of oil or silicone that clogs the leather pores, sealing them and allowing dry rot to set into your ball glove.
• Do not apply heat to the leather. Leather is not intended to be cooked.

Above all else - DO NOT PLACE YOUR NOKONA GLOVE OR MITT IN A MICROWAVE OVEN! We've seen the results too many times and it's not a pretty sight!

---

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.