Baseball

[Spinster]

Last weekend an enterprising 8 year old boy presented me with his version of a period baseball--a domet cover, stitched in an appropriate manner, and stuffed with hard packed wool. His complaint was that the ball had no "life" to it--just flattened out when he hit it with a tree limb, and didn't go far.

Does anyone have better period instructions for making a ball?

[Kykeydet12]

Re: Baseball

Ma'am
a friend of mine made one of them out of yarn wrapped very tightly around a marble and covered on kersey wool cloth from some cloth that was left over from a pair of trousers. we played with it and it worked well , you just have to wrap it really tight and keep it tight. that's what he told me . I plan to try it soon.

Rob young

[JerseySkilletLicker]

Re: Baseball

The game of Base Ball in that era was a game of finesse, not of the long ball slug fest that we know today. The ball of the era was a leather cover with an inside consisting of a small wood ball wrapped with wool tape, how tightly you wound the tape would dictate how much life there was to the ball, but regardless, the balls of the era were somewhat "dead" hence the term "dead ball era".

[Spinster]

Re: Baseball

Wonderful--my first thought was that the ball needed to have some sort of center core, probably a wooden one, then the wool packed down by hand felting it to give the ball more weight. Wool tape makes much more sense though, and would provide density and weight.

I imagine I shall have to give up a pair of worn out kid gloves for the cover as well--this particular little boy's intelligence, independence, and inventiveness prompts me to supply the ingredients for whatever adventure he contemplates, as long as his request do not involve some sort of explosive. :wink_smil

What should be the diameter of the finished ball?

[JerseySkilletLicker]

Re: Baseball

Mrs. Lawson,
The New York Rules ball, which would be the one you would want to make would be only slightly larger than a modern day baseball. The Massachusetts Rules ball, which predates the NY by a few years would be about half the size.
At any rate, Beedles Dime Base Ball book has dimensions and what not contained within.

[cwsitebuilder]

Re: Baseball

You can contact the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. They will send you information and directions on making baseballs from 1860's

[37NC]

Re: Baseball

You can also buy on from the hall of fame they are 30.00$. lemon wedge leather and hand stiched. I have not recived it yet.



Sgt. Dan Curran
37th NC co A

[Darrell Cochran]

Re: Baseball

The Base Ball guru in our unit purchased a few ready-made balls from a vendor at Cedar Creek last year, made as described in the Skillet Licker's post except that they are covered with ticking rather than leather. I didn't ask him the vendor's name and he didn't provide it.

We tried one of them out in a game vs. the 23rd Virginia boys at Military Through the Ages in Jamestown, Virginia a couple of weeks back and it held up pretty well through our 4-1/2 inning exhibition game. (The 23rd won it 7-6)

One of the many things I learned during that exhibition was that apparently Congress published a book of Base Ball rules for the Army in 1859.

[Fishermans wife]

Re: Baseball

Mrs Terre,

CJ and Addi Grace's ball is made around a dried walnut. Then it is wrapped with jute and wool and covered with leather. It is about 3 inches or less in diameter. They have had them for about 4 years so I do not remeber the source for the documentation.

Lisa Pace

[Amtmann]

Re: Baseball

According to the person that originally made them for the New York League back in the 1850s... he wrapped yarn tightly around 2 or 3 oz. of SCRAP RUBBER. It was then leather covered and stictched. I have made them this way with a small rubber ball core. You stitch up 3 sides of the leather part, squeeze the yarn ball in and then sew up the remaining seam. Using 2 needles at once for the seams pulls the leather together. If you use one needle, the leather ends up overlapping on every other set of stitches.

[KathyBradford]

Re: Baseball

Rick,

Do you have a pattern or dimensions that you use for the leather cover?

Thanks,

[37NC]

Re: Baseball

I recived mine from the baseball hall of fame today. It supposedly has a wooden core with a Jute line wrap. I am going to try it out this weekend and see if it holds up.


Sgt. Dan Curran
37th NC Co A