How to Juice a Softball Bat

Rolling Your Bat

Get the right kind of bat. Not all bats will be well suited for use in a bat rolling machine. Alloy or metal bats are not meant for rolling and won't gain much benefit. Composite bats are the best to roll and can gain a noticeable increase in performance. Make sure your bat is a composite bat before having it rolled. Rolling a bat will simulate the wear and tear that will come from regularly using your bat. Composite bats are made from graphite and carbon layers. These bats will perform better the more you use them, allowing them to benefit from being rolled. Aluminum and wooden bats won't benefit from being rolled. Because rolling your bat increases its performance levels, you may have an unfair advantage over other players. This advantage is the reason that juiced bats are illegal to play with.

Find or purchase a bat rolling machine. You will need to have access to a bat rolling machine in order to get the best results. Rolling a bat is an accelerated way to break the bat in and increase its performance during play. Bat rolling machines will evenly break the bat in, targeting all areas along the “sweet spot” and giving your bat a bit more power. A bat rolling machine is a vice with three rollers. These rollers allow the bat to move while it is compressed. There are bat rolling services that will roll your bat for you. You can try purchasing your own bat rolling machine. Rolling machines simulate hitting the ball a lot of times.

Perpendicularly roll the first section of the bat. You will begin by rolling the length of the bat first. Place the bat into the machine perpendicularly to the machine's rollers. You'll then need to turn the top lever to increase the pressure and compress the bat. Use the side lever to move the bat back and forth, compressing the bat's “sweet spot”. Insert the bat into the machine, perpendicular to the the rollers. Start with one quarter turn of pressure. Do around 7-10 passes for each pressure increment. Increase the pressure on quarter turn. Don't go any further than 1 or 1¼ turns of pressure. Avoid getting to close to the taper or the end cap.

Remove the bat and move to the next section. Once you've rolled one section of the bat, you can move on and roll the next. You will need to roll the entire face of the bat in order to get a fully balanced roll. After you've completed rolling each area of the bat's barrel, you can move onto rolling the bat parallel to the rollers. Rotate the bat about ¼” and roll this new section. Once the section is rolled, move to the next section on the bat. Roll all the way around the bat and end at your starting point.

Roll the bat parallel. Now that your bat has been rolled perpendicularly, you can roll it parallel to focus on areas that may have been missed. Insert the bat in the side of the rolling machine so that the rollers are hitting the area between the bat's end cap and the taper. Try to focus on this area as you work to roll the bat parallel to the rollers. Start with a quarter of a turn of pressure. Do around four or five full rotations before increasing the pressure another quarter of a turn. Continue until you've reached around 1 ¼ turns of pressure.

Shaving Your Bat

Gain access to a lathe. To properly shave a bat, you will need to either know someone who owns a lathe or have access to one yourself. The lathe will be used to accurately and evenly trim the inside of the bat, removing material and increasing the performance of the bat. If you don't have access to a lathe of your own, try asking someone who does to learn if they can help you shave your bat. You may consider using a professional service to shave your bat for you. Do not attempt to operate a lathe if you have not had proper training. You can shave aluminum or composite softball bats. Shaving a bat removes material from the barrel, resulting in thinner walls. These thinner walls will compress and spring back with more force than a regular bat. This extra force can increase the speed and distance of your hits. Because of the unfair advantage a shaved bat can bring, they are illegal in any official baseball game or league.

Remove the end cap of your bat. The end cap of the bat will need to be removed before it can be properly inserted into the lathe. The lathe will need to shave the inside of the bat's barrel. Caps can be easily removed using a screwdriver and some leverage. You can follow these basic steps to remove the end cap from your bat: Some people will apply gentle heat to the end cap before trying to remove it. Insert a screwdriver into the gap between the end cap and the barrel of the bat. Gently use the screwdriver to apply leverage against the end cap. Work to push the end cap up and out of the barrel of the bat. Don't apply too much force as you could damage your bat or the end cap.

Use the lathe to shave the bat. Fix the bat into the lathe in a way that will allow the bit to shave down the inside wall of the bat's barrel. Set up the lathe so that it will trim off no more than .075” from the inside of the barrel's wall. Shaving more material off might result in greater power behind your swings. However, taking more material off of your bat will also make it less durable and more likely to break. Composite bats seem to benefit the most from shaving. In one case, shaving off four layers of material from a composite bat added 6.5 mph (10.5 km/h) to batted-ball speed.

Replace the end cap. After the bat has been shaved, you will need to replace the end cap. Putting the end cap back on will help make your bat look as good new. You can use these basic steps to replace your bat's end cap. Clean the inside of the bat's barrel. Put a coat urethane epoxy on the inside of your bat's barrel. Place the end cap back into the bat. You may need to lightly hit it with a mallet to make the fit a secure one. Wipe away any excess epoxy that may have spilled over the edges.

Let the end cap dry. Before you can begin using your bat to play ball, you'll need to let it completely dry. Allowing the epoxy time to form a tight bond between the bat's inner walls and the end cap will prevent the end cap from coming loose during play. Make sure the epoxy has had plenty of time to dry before using your bat again. Allow the bat up to two days to dry. You can secure the end cap with a ratchet strap while it dries. This can help achieve a firm bond between the bat and the end cap.

End-loading Your Bat

Find the right kind of bat to end-load. End-loading your bat can give you more power behind your hits. To get started, you'll need to find a softball bat that is hollow and will allow you to remove the end cap. Many aluminum and composite bats will be capable of being end-loaded. Before you continue, make sure your bat is capable of being end loaded. End loaded bats will have weight added or shifted to the end cap of the bat. This extra weight can add more power to a hit, sending the ball flying faster than normal bats. End loaded bats are usually not permitted to use during an official game. The advantage that these bats provide is considered unfair to players who are using regulation bats. The inner barrel of your bat should be hollow. You should be able to remove the end cap from your bat.

Remove the end cap of the bat. To end-load a softball bat yourself, you will first need to carefully remove the end cap from the bat. Removing the end cap will allow you to add material to the cap, causing the weight of the bat to shift to the end. You can use these steps to help you remove the cap from your bat: Gently work a screwdriver in between the end cap and the wall of the bat. Use the screwdriver's leverage to begin pushing the cap up and out of the bat's barrel. Move the screwdriver to another spot between the cap and the barrel. Don't push too hard. Forcing the cap out could damage the bat or the cap. Some people have found applying gentle heat to the end cap can make it easier to remove.

Add polyurethane to the end cap. Once you've remove the end cap, you can apply polyurethane to add weight to the end cap. The end cap should be entirely filled with polyurethane to ensure that enough weight has been added. Allow at least one full day for the polyurethane to dry completely.

Replace the end cap. After you have made sure your polyurethane filling has totally dried, you can add the end cap back onto your bat. Adding the end cap will make your bat ready to use again. The new end cap will have shifted the weight of the bat into the end, changing your swing and adding more force to your hits. Use these steps to help you add your end cap back to the bat: Make sure the inside of your bat is clean. Apply epoxy to the inside of your bat's barrel. Place the end cap back in the bat. You may need to use a rubber mallet to get it all the way back into position.

Clean up the bat and wait for it to dry. Don't start swinging your bat just yet. You'll need to give the epoxy plenty of time to dry before you can use the bat. If the epoxy doesn't dry completely before you use the bat, the end cap may come flying off of the bat. Make sure that the epoxy is fully dry before heading out to use your new bat. Allow your bat around two day's time to dry. Clean up any epoxy that has spilled onto your bat. Any epoxy that dries outside your bat will be very difficult to remove once it dries.

Purchase a pre-made end-loaded bat. There are many end-loaded bats that you can purchase, saving you the trouble of creating your own. These bats will come with a polyurethane filled end cap, putting extra weight in the end of the bat and your swing. If you want an end-loaded bat without the hassle of making one, try looking on-line for one that you can purchase. You can also find pre-made end caps that are already weighted for you. You can find end-loaded bats for around the same price as a regular softball bat.