Stick Tech Article #6 Spring cleaning

 Greetings WALAX, 

As the spring season nears its halfway point, I felt I should compose an article detailing the process of cleaning up and reshaping a used lacrosse head. After repeated play with the same stick, especially in the frequently damp Pacific Northwest, a lax head can quickly become dirty and the shape of the face can become distorted in comparison to its original shape. While the cleanliness of the lax head will not greatly affect one’s play, the shape of the face of the lax head, as well as the cleanliness of the pocket should always be maintained in order to promote a consistent release point.  So, today I will cover the following topics; maintaining a clean pocket, as well as thermoforming the lax head  (commonly referred to as “baking”/”pinching”) to a desirable face shape, which requires cleaning of the lax head.

Lax Pocket Cleaning

Most of us are quite familiar with a dirty pocket such as this after outdoor play on a grass field here in the Pacific Northwest.  My simple method for attempting to maintain a clean pocket (even after exposure to gobs of mud) involves soaking the lax head in a bucket of warm soapy water (dish soap works well). A neighbor of mine was kind enough to donate their old kitty litter bucket to me to use for this.
 

After the pocket is thoroughly saturated, wipe the head and pocket clean with a lackluster towel you may have lying around. This should remove the majority of the mud/dirt caked onto the head or pocket, and the thoroughness with which you clean the head/pocket will be obvious.  After cleaning, I like to jam an old T-shirt into the pocket of the head, to promote the pocket drying in a desirable shape.
 

This method will certainly not get your head/pocket to the original cleanliness it may have once had, but is a great way to increase the longevity of your favorite game stick.
 

Lax Head Cleaning

This is highly recommended before the thermoforming process if the lax head is not brand-new. Dirt and ball scuffs that are frequently present on a used lax head will darken, and be more difficult to remove unless the lax head is thoroughly cleaned prior to the thermoforming. First, remove the pocket from the head you are looking to thermoform, ball stop included. In my experience, mesh pockets and their components do not like being in the oven, as they seem to shrink slightly.
 

Next, soak the head in warm soapy water in the sink. Keep the water warm, and allow the head to soak for at least an hour. This greatly assists the ease with which any dirt, ball scuffs and adhesive residue can be removed. After soaking, use a simple kitchen sponge with a plastic abrasive backing. I have found with the use of soap, a sponge and some elbow grease, nearly any undesired mark on the lax head can be removed.

Thermoforming (“Baking”/”Pinching”) the Lax Head

While warping of lacrosse head is rather common after frequent game-play, and is not limited to only those who take face-offs. While some people will take the preventative measure of inserting wooden dowels or a soup can in their head to maintain the desired interior dimensions when not playing, this will not provide any permanent results. Thermoforming the lax head, which is commonly referred to as “baking” or “pinching”, can be done to permanently reshape the face of the lax head. If a lax head is deemed illegal as a result of a referee’s stick check in a game, the players team will be penalized a three-minute non-releasable penalty, and the stick cannot return to play during that game. So, for all of your teammates out there, make sure you’re stick is legal!

First, take the clean, unstrung head you wish to thermoform, and obtain an empty soup can, or glass jar. This will be used to jam into the throat of the the lax head, which is a common area of the head to warp to the point of illegality due to prolonged use. Check that when the can/jar is placed in the throat of the lax head that it will promote the face of the lax head forming to a desirable shape; otherwise a different diameter can/jar should be used.
 

Next, if you are planning on eventually using the thermoformed lax head for middle school, high school or college ball, you will want to ensure the scoop portion of the head will be wide enough for a stick check. To allow for this, I simply use a piece of wooden dowel I found in the scrap bin of my local Home Depot, and had an employee to cut it down to 6 5/8”. If the width of the scoop is of no concern to you, sidewall string can be used to pinch the scoop to a desired shape for thermoforming.
 

Finally, heat your oven to 400°F. Place the unstrung, clean, lax head (complete with the face shaping devices) on a cookie tray. The time and temperature you expose the nylon lax head to, and the time for which it is exposed, can greatly impact the mechanical properties of the lax head. I prefer to bake the lax head for 1-2 minutes at 400°F, and then take the cookie tray out, and allow for the lax head to cool down at room temperature. After repeating this procedure a 4-5 times, I will do a final trip to the oven for about 3 minutes. Once again, allow the head to cool at room temp with the shaping devices in it. I prefer to allow the head to cool at room temp to avoid weakening the head due to thermal shock, which could be induced by placing the hot lax head directly in the fridge/freezer.

Using the techniques outlined for you here, it is possible to bring back nearly any stick from the “dead”.  I have taken old teammate’s lax heads from middle school, all mud-crusted and severely bent to one side, and cleaned, pinched, dyed and restrung them to the point where the original owner could not even recognize it. I call this process “Extreme Makeover: Lax Stick Edition”, and using the tips I have provided in WALAX.com’s Stick Science section, as well as the upcoming dye tutorial, you too can revamp nearly any old lax head you have lying around. Do you have an example of an Extreme Makeover: Lax Stick Edition you want to share? Please send any questions/comments/future article requests to [email protected]!

Lax stick stringing and customization services available as well, please contact [email protected]!

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