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*Marathon Special: Wilson Glove Company From "Major League Remodel Marathon" episode DMLR-M1

Wilson Sporting Goods has been making baseball equipment since the early 1900s.

In this special segment of DIY's Major League Remodel Marathon, we take a trip to the Wilson Glove Company to see the steps that go into creating this essential piece of baseball equipment. Here are the basics:

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	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F
	Figure G
	Figure H

• To create baseball gloves and mitts, the process begins with a single large piece of leather and almost 100 templates (figure A).

• The leather is laid onto a large press where the first series of press-templates stamp out the leather elements one at a time (figure B). The press templates create both the outline of each leather element and the holes where the leather stitching will later join the pieces together.

• The stamping process is repeated with numerous templates to create all of the individual pieces that will be used to create the glove.

• Extra padding that goes inside the glove, between the layers of leather, is stamped out using the same method.

• The "pocket" or catching-side of the glove is placed on a template where the logo and style-name of the glove is stamped directly onto the leather (figure C).

• The assembly of the glove begins by creation of the pocket's netting. Layers of leather are glued together, and each piece of the pocket's netting is reinforced with stitching to create a strong catching area.

• The Major League Baseball and Wilson logos are both added to the strips of leather that will make up the glove's fingers. Like the netting, the fingers are created by layering and stitching leather elements together. Darker strips of leather are stitched along the seams for accent. The process is repeated until all of the individual finger pieces are sewn, together.

• A special machine then flattens the seams and loosens the stitching, allowing the leather to be worked with more easily. This machining process completes the back portion of the glove (figure D).

• The finished back and inside pocket are sewn together inside-out. The sewn glove is turn right-side out and the fingers are shaped as the glove shape begins to emerge (figure E).

• A second hand-sized glove is made to fit inside the fingers of the larger glove. The inner glove is first stitched together, then re-stitched with thick, reinforced padding. The outer shell of the glove and the inner finger-glove are glued together.

• Once the glue has dried, the leather laces are inserted and the elements are stitched together, and the laces are tied and trimmed (figure F). The lacing can be tightened or loosened according to the desire of the individual player. The lacing continues through the lace and fingers to form the final structure of the glove.

• As a final test, the glove is broken in with a rounded wooden mallet (figure G) to ensure that the elements hold up well together.

• The finished product (figure H) is a crafted glove that is recognized throughout the world of baseball.