A glove is the second most expensive piece of equipment most players will buy. Thankfully, if you get the right glove, it will last for a very long time!
Put your glove on life support, even if it requires major surgery!
So your glove is very old and floppy. Does that mean your glove has to be replaced? Having worked on thousands of gloves in my lifetime, the answer is a resounding no!
Most gloves that seem to be “worn out” are not really damaged they have just been worked very hard and need a little rehab. All it takes to maintain your older glove is a little patience, some common sense and some simple tools.
To tighten up a loose lace you can start as far away from the loose end of the lace and begin snugging it up as you move towards the end. Each tug should pull a little more of the stretched out lace tighter. After you work your way to the end of the glove you will need to adjust the knots to keep the glove from stretching right back out.
Replacing a lace is a little more complicated. If a lace is broken it needs to be replaced. Zip ties, electrical tape, shoe laces and wire are okay for an emergency. You might be a Redneck if you think these are permanent solutions to a broken lace!
To replace a lace you will need some special tools the allow you to thread the lacing through the holes in the glove. I use a glove needle and surgical clamps to pull the laces on the gloves I repair. There are other options for tools to pull lacing through the glove.
As you tighten up the old lace and even more when you replace a lace, the glove will regain it’s form. A very floppy glove will look as good as new, or close to it, pretty quickly.
Some gloves are much more complicated than others. I’d suggest you take a picture or draw a sketch before you start cutting any leather. Just like GPS this might keep you from getting lost.
I would not suggest that a novice attempt to repair the inner lacing that holds the palm and heel of the glove together. These are very difficult laces to reach and have very complex patterns in their design. A lot can go wrong!
