15/09: Octopush Bats - Photo
As promised, here's a photo of the octopush bats, taken in the garage whilst the final coat of paint is drying. It's not the most fantastic of photos for so many reasons, but it should give some idea of what I've spent the last couple of weekends doing. I'll try and do something more "arty" when I have time (2008, perhaps?).
One point worth briefly discussing is what paint to use. There was a suggestion about using fence stain because being a stain, it colours the wood, so doesn't wear/rub off - hence bats wouldn't need repainting. However, we knocked this in the head on the grounds that staining wood (which is generally coloured already) isn't really possible. So I was quite surprised to find Cuprinol do in fact to a white fence stain. Except it's not really, it's just an exterior white paint. Still, I figured it was worth a go, and initial results looked quite good - the texture and feel of the wood was still there (something you can loose with proper paint) and the bat's were white. At least, they were until we started using them. The stain/paint rubs off very easily, and at the end of last weeks session, the black bats (painted in matt black enamel - B&Q didn't have the Cuprinol Black Ash) looked in good condition, and the white bats looked completely battered. So they're now hanging up in the garage again, having been repainted in Humbrol's finest matt white enamel. (Which is much nicer to use than the fast-drying enamel B&Q sell. Almost makes me want to go and buy some Airfix models...)
10/09: Octopush Bats
Last weekend was spent making some new bats (pushers, sticks, whatever you want to call them) for the York Uni Octopush team (that's underwater hockey, or just plain hockey, to anyone outside the UK, apparently). Dave leant me his bandsaw, and Benson & Ben (both New Zealand players) popped over (well, down from Newcastle) complete with wood, plans and experience.
After a hard weekends work (and eating and drinking), we had 8 pairs of normal bats, 2 pairs of left handed bats and 3 pairs of small bats for the club, plus I think Benson and Ben took away about 3 pairs for themselves. Many late nights eventually got them painted up, and tonight was the first chance to try them out.
Feedback so far is that everyone thinks there much better than the Brit Bats the club already has, although more practice is required to get people flicking properly with them.
The only down side is the paint. The black bats are done in flat black (ie matt) enamel, which was mostly fine although has left marks on the puck and white bats, and the white ones were done in exterior wood paint/stain. Alas, the white ones don't look very white any more, so I'm going to have to dry them out, sand the paint off them, and repaint them in matt white enamel.
Oh, and I also discovered that one of our new members, who could do with a small bat, is left handed, so I now need to make a couple of pairs of small, left handed bats. Plus I've got my own version of these to make, and an order from Jamie for some for the Durham club (although they're paying - so that might fund a belt and disc sander to make the next batch easier to make).
I've tried taking some photos but haven't had time to process them. Not sure I'm happy with them, so I may try something different, but hopefully next time there will be something to see.
Finally, for anyone interested in making their own bats, the article by Benson that I've linked to before is back online again here: "Concepts of Underwater Hockey Stick Design".
After a hard weekends work (and eating and drinking), we had 8 pairs of normal bats, 2 pairs of left handed bats and 3 pairs of small bats for the club, plus I think Benson and Ben took away about 3 pairs for themselves. Many late nights eventually got them painted up, and tonight was the first chance to try them out.
Feedback so far is that everyone thinks there much better than the Brit Bats the club already has, although more practice is required to get people flicking properly with them.
The only down side is the paint. The black bats are done in flat black (ie matt) enamel, which was mostly fine although has left marks on the puck and white bats, and the white ones were done in exterior wood paint/stain. Alas, the white ones don't look very white any more, so I'm going to have to dry them out, sand the paint off them, and repaint them in matt white enamel.
Oh, and I also discovered that one of our new members, who could do with a small bat, is left handed, so I now need to make a couple of pairs of small, left handed bats. Plus I've got my own version of these to make, and an order from Jamie for some for the Durham club (although they're paying - so that might fund a belt and disc sander to make the next batch easier to make).
I've tried taking some photos but haven't had time to process them. Not sure I'm happy with them, so I may try something different, but hopefully next time there will be something to see.
Finally, for anyone interested in making their own bats, the article by Benson that I've linked to before is back online again here: "Concepts of Underwater Hockey Stick Design".
