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Quickly wearing out my plate brush!


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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.

 

I keep my brush in the ball bag, in my car, between games.  You think it's not drying out?  And as a result it's losing bristles and the bristles are getting brittle?  That wooden brush was in my car also, just not in the ball bag.  Maybe I need to dry out my brush between games.

 

Hmmmmm.

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I have to buy one new brush about every season. Mine do the same thing. I keep it in my back pants pocket. Not sure if that matters but they do wear out over time.

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I have to buy one new brush about every season. Mine do the same thing. I keep it in my back pants pocket. Not sure if that matters but they do wear out over time.

if you're passing gas constantly, that wears down your brush more! :stir: :wave::D

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I have to buy one new brush about every season. Mine do the same thing. I keep it in my back pants pocket. Not sure if that matters but they do wear out over time.

You must be a softball guy! :stir

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I have to buy one new brush about every season. Mine do the same thing. I keep it in my back pants pocket. Not sure if that matters but they do wear out over time.

You must be a softball guy! :stir

 

 

No, but is that a softball thing? If so I wasn't aware.

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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!

Only thing I can figure out is that your home plates are made of sandpaper.

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Get one of these and you will never use a traditional plate brush again.

http://www.umpire.org/store/product_info.php?cPath=38_50_51&products_id=123

I'd much rather use the one from my local billiards establishment. In case the pitcher needs to put a 'lil English' on his pitch

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Today I worked a HS varsity game with an umpire with much experience.  I showed him my worn out plastic plate brush.  He said it looked like about two years of wear, to him. He also said he gets more durability from the wooden brushes.

 

@KLAH316 I think I sheared off some the bristles at their base, during my last game this weekend, when I had to struggle to brush the plate with the few bristles left!

 

I like that the plastic brush is thinner and lighter than the wooden brush.  But there are fewer bristles in the plastic brush, and it may be easier, therefore, to bend/break some of them, then the process repeats.  And soon you've got almost no bristles left!

 

I'll stick with the wooden brush for now. The wooden brush has more bristles, and a denser set of bristles. Maybe that is a key to durability. But I'm going to take a trip to the hardware store to see what's available.

 

@BigUmpire I will consider the Japanese brush.  I do like the Japanese indicator you suggested.  It is funny that this thread has 36 entries now. I may be adding at least one more, if I find something interesting at the hardware store.

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  • 2 years later...

While the bottom line is the fact that we're talking about a five dollar or so piece of equipment, the question as to why someone is going through brushes like this is interesting (at least in the off season).  My current brush has about 100 plates on it and looks worn but I would say the bristles have lost no more than a half inch if that. Any chance something other than brushing with it is the issue? Every couple years I have to put a new cover on my Jeep's steering wheel because the deet in the bug dope I use, which I put on my hands then spread around my exposed skin, eats up the rubber, plastic, or whatever the heck it is that covers my steering wheel. 

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17 hours ago, dumbdumb said:

Merry x-mas.

Last minute stocking stuffer.

Disclaimer - not sure if the article and video are the same product?

 

http://www.prweb.com/releases/InventHelp-Inventions/The-Kick-Duster/prweb13923530.htm

 

 

Is me or that is the worst Chaplin infomercial ever? The worst with a script has to be The Davey Strap.

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On 12/17/2016 at 7:51 AM, gnhbua93 said:

Is me or that is the worst Chaplin infomercial ever? The worst with a script has to be The Davey Strap.

I'm with you... That was pathetic. No undershirt, badly pronated feet, and yes, it's just a commercial, but umpires are supposed to always sweep the plate by turning tail to the mound.

And who wants to carry a trench baton on their belt during a game??... On second thought, some games you might need to, but still...

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