Still, when getting your Nokona ready, we suggest that you play catch and break-in your glove or mitt naturally. This will allow your glove to form a natural pocket. There are many different methods and "quick fixes" to shortcut the break-in period. Unfortunately, we've seen the sad results of many of these over the past half century.
If you have chosen a Nokona, however, you have shown that you are a serious ball player and the extra effort in getting your glove ready by proper catch and practice won't hurt your skills, and you will have a glove that is properly broken in for play.
How do I treat and care for my Nokona glove? Nokona gloves and mitts are made from leather tanned to our specifications. Proper care will provide you longer use. With the exception of Nokona "Buckskin" gloves, our gloves are pre-oiled at the factory. Although many sophisticated leather care products are prevalent today, we still use the plain old petroleum jelly and have for over half a century. We swear by it, and we've seen the results of many touted oils. Recently, a warehouse find of 300, forty-year old unused gloves was discovered and many of these were Nokonas. Upon viewing and testing of all of the gloves, the Nokonas proved to be in far better shape than those of other companies, and we attribute this to our petrolatum or "NLT", the long tested Nokona pretreatment.
To best apply petroleum jelly, rub it into the leather with your bare hands. Work it into every area including the laces and inside the glove where cracking takes place. Unlike liquefied oils, petroleum jelly won't soak through to the padding. You can also clean your glove with a clean wiping cloth and petroleum jelly. Rub the surface vigorously and the petroleum jelly will actually cause the dirt within the grain to rise up to the top where it will be picked up by the cloth.
Just as you would treat your skin when dry, retreat your glove as needed. It's a continuous process and do so with a liberal coat when you put your glove away for the season.
Is there anything that I should avoid doing to my Nokona glove?
Here is a short list of recommended DON'Ts:
- Do not soak in water! This negatively affects the interior padding and accelerates wear of the leather fibers.
-Do not use any type of oil or silicone that clogs the leather pores, sealing them and allowing dry rot to set into your ball glove.
-Do not apply heat to the leather. Leather is not intended to be cooked.
Above all else - DO NOT PLACE YOUR NOKONA GLOVE OR MITT IN A MICROWAVE OVEN! We've seen the results too many times and it's not a pretty sight!