Breaking in your glove

Do this

• Play catch with it. Hundreds of catches shape the pocket exactly where you close.
• Work the hinge — open and close the glove repeatedly, thumb to pinky, while watching TV.
• Use a mallet or a ball against the pocket to soften the specific spot you catch in.
• Apply conditioner sparingly, a thin coat, only when the leather feels dry.
• Store it with a ball in the pocket and the fingers closed so the shape sets.

Don't do this

• No oven, no microwave, no hair dryer. Heat dries the leather out and makes it brittle.
• No soaking in water. It adds weight, breaks down the laces and rots the padding.
• No heavy oiling. Excess oil adds weight, closes the pores and shortens the glove's life.
• No driving over it. It flattens structure the glove needs to hold a pocket.

How long it takes

A softer top-grain glove can be game-ready in a couple of weeks of regular catch. A stiff full-grain or steerhide glove can take a season. Steam and mallet work at a shop speeds up the surface, not the structure. If you need a glove ready faster than the leather allows, tell us before you order and we'll point you at the right build.