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Quickly wearing out my plate brush!


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I don't recall seeing this problem discussed on the forum!

 

I seem to wear out my plate brushes at the rate of about 1 per year or so.  I wear the bristles down until they are very short!  Maybe I am brushing too hard?  Doesn't seem to depend on the style of brush.  I have used the wooden handle kind, and the thinner plastic handle kind.

 

http://www.ump-attire.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=UMP101PB&Category_Code=UMPIRE-PLATE-BRUSHES&Product_Count=0

 

http://www.ump-attire.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=UB2-UA&Category_Code=UMPIRE-PLATE-BRUSHES&Product_Count=1

 

Has anybody else had this problem?  Do I need sweeping lessons?  :)  Maybe there is another style of brush I should be using, or something from a hardware store!?  A paint brush with the handle cut short?  A wire brush?

 

Help!

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Wearing out plate brush?  I still have the original brush I bought ten years ago.  I cut the bristles in half to make it easier to get in and out of ball bag inner pocket.  Never heard of that.  Maybe you brush too often and too hard.  My plate brush is the plastic handled one from Honig's.

 

Don't know what to tell you as to why you wear them out.

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When you brush, do you brush starting at the point of the plate and work down in straight lines? Or do you sort of randomly sweep in a willy nilly motion? Having a methodical sweeping strategy would go a long way to preserving your brushes. What have your evaluators said regarding this? :sarcasm:

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"Daniel-son, Paint the Fence UP DOWN"

Don't forget to breath, Daniel-San. In... Out...

I'm tempted to say that using the "sand the floor" motion might be appropriate, but I'll hold myself in check on that.

From in front of the plate (fair territory) facing towards the back stop, I use a vertical, back-and-forth motion for the front half of the plate, moving right to left (3rd base side to 1st base side). I follow this up with a series of diagonal strokes for the pointed half of the plate, in one direction only, parallel to the 1st base line sweeping towards the 3rd base line, and moving left to right. I finish with a spot sweep of anything that might have been missed. If needed because of a deep layer of dirt on the plate, I'll preface all of this with several slow almost-scoops towards fair territory so I don't hit the pitcher or catcher in the face with the quick sweeps.

I've been told my technique is both quick and effective, and was the highest rated at last year's annual seminar. I was quite proud.

While I think of it, what's the smiley for overly happy parody with a hint of sarcasm?

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All very interesting replies.  (And the humor is not lost on me!)

 

I must not be using the approved "wax on, wax off" approach since my mentor, Mr. Myagi, has dinged me on it in a few evaluations.

 

And, speaking of Mr. Myagi, now that I think about it, he uses a very relaxed, confident approach to plate brushing.  And, geez, now that I think about it further, he uses that long Japanese brush!

 

I attack the plate with angry flicks of my arm, while imagining the last AC that needed a good reprimand.

 

(All the above should have the smiley, tongue-in-cheek face, whatever that is.)

 

Back to reality:

 

I don't brush the plate after every pitch.  I don't, to my mind, exert too much pressure.  I do find it odd that my brushes wear out so fast.  I do use a quick, flicking approach.  

 

Over the weekend, the plastic handled brush go so bad, so fast, during my last game, that I was almost scraping dirt off the plate with the handle!  Actually, the bristles were so short that the handle was dragging across the plate as I brushed!  

 

What's odd is the brush was certainly not looking bad before the game.

 

I am glad to see, @Richvee, that I am not the only one with this "problem."

 

I think I will be visiting the hardware store to see if there is an alternative.  The Japanese brush looks too long to conceal on my person, even in my ball bag, without it being a nuisance, or unsightly.  (And, I can see the humor in that statement, also.)

 

I will report back...

 

Meanwhile, if anyone else has this problem and has found a solution, let me know!  I don't mind buying a new one.  I just wonder what's going on with the brushes, or with me!

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"Daniel-son, Paint the Fence UP DOWN"

Upppp Downnnn Upppp Downnnn

 

Danielsan whacks on whacks off.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

 

Wait!  What did you say?  Whack off???

 

Somehow I don't think that will improve the condition of the plate.

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Just in case anyone thinks I'm kidding, here is a pic of my plastic handle brush (right) after this last weekend --- just stubble left!  On the left is a nearly new wooden handle plate brush.

 

post-1887-0-46161700-1397001850.jpg

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Just in case anyone thinks I'm kidding, here is a pic of my plastic handle brush (right) after this last weekend --- just stubble left!  On the left is a nearly new wooden handle plate brush.

 

attachicon.gif0408041957.jpg

Whoa!!!! My brushes wear, but that brush has less hair than my head! (Well...it's close)

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Just in case anyone thinks I'm kidding, here is a pic of my plastic handle brush (right) after this last weekend --- just stubble left!  On the left is a nearly new wooden handle plate brush.

 

attachicon.gif0408041957.jpg

Where do you keep your brush? Ball bag or pants pocket? Something in there is eating your brush. Can't find an emoticon for this.

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