Pilling Abshires

Rayofevil · Post by **Rayofevil** » 06 Feb 2006 14:33

Ok, so I've started kicking again, and my abshire and abshire mini are really pilled up. I searched around and found that you aren't supposed to roll the bag between your thumb and forefinger to break in, because that will make it pill. Well that's exactly what I did for like 2 months with these bags. So what I want to know is, do I need to buy a brand new abshire, and break it in right, or will the bags I ever have "unpill" or stretch out if I start just kicking and breaking in the right way?

Thanks for the help,

Jake

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 06 Feb 2006 14:50

Pilling is mainly bad for the asthetics of the bag (the way it looks). I wouldn't think that it affects the performance of the bag, except for if the material is so thin that it starts to wear down and get holes. You dont need to get new bags, but I also wouldnt recommend hand-breaking them in anymore with the same technique you've been using. Try something new, say, kicking them? Sure at first they'll be rolly, but thats okay. It makes you train harder and more precise movements. GHet them plenty dirty and wash them very thoroughly.

hackeysnacker · Post by **hackeysnacker** » 06 Feb 2006 15:18

by any chance do the bags have yellow on them?

Kyle Hewitt · Post by **Kyle Hewitt** » 06 Feb 2006 15:30

i hate the color yellow

Rayofevil · Post by **Rayofevil** » 06 Feb 2006 18:56

My mini has yellow. It's yellow and blue. My standard is green and orange.

Thanks for the help.

hackeysnacker · Post by **hackeysnacker** » 06 Feb 2006 20:54

there is an ultrasuede yellow (tulip) which pills very easily.. I'm not sure if this material is defective or if it's always like that. It does play rather nicely - and i think if u take care of ur bag the pilling shouldn't affect it's lifespan by much.

Rayofevil · Post by **Rayofevil** » 07 Feb 2006 04:14

Ok, so I should just break in by kicking and cleaning from now on? I was just confused, because I could've sworn I read on this forum that you should knead bags with your hands when you aren't kicking in order to break them in. Guess not.

mosher · Post by **mosher** » 07 Feb 2006 09:33

You can/should (to a point) knead them but not in the way you were doing it.

The forces from your fingers should be perpendicular to the face of the panels. If you are going parallel then you will cause pilling (like you did).

zeroman13 · Post by **zeroman13** » 07 Feb 2006 11:18

What exactly is Pilling???

And if you use your finger tips and gently massage the footbag, would that be better than using your thumb/forefinger, and palms???

Just wondering.

mosher · Post by **mosher** » 07 Feb 2006 13:33

zeroman13 wrote:What exactly is Pilling???

And if you use your finger tips and gently massage the footbag, would that be better than using your thumb/forefinger, and palms???

Just wondering.

Pilling is the little fuzzy balls of material that can build up if you rub it wrong.

It doesn't matter what part of your finger you use, it's the direction of the forces.

Rayofevil · Post by **Rayofevil** » 07 Feb 2006 16:07

Wait, hold on. I thought pilling was when the panels wrinkle around the edges? In that case, I guess my bags don't have pilling.

But as for the wrinkles (or whatever the term for it is), any way to get rid of that? It seems like since the panels are wrinkled on the edges, instead of flatter, the bag is stiffer and stuff. Hard to explain, I can try to get pictures up if I have time later.

Jake

Jdigges · Post by **Jdigges** » 07 Feb 2006 16:12

The wrinkling was due to Stitching. They should smooth out the more your bag breaks in.

Pengu · Post by **Pengu** » 07 Feb 2006 16:13

Sounds like your footbag needs a bath dude.

Rayofevil · Post by **Rayofevil** » 07 Feb 2006 18:11

It's not dirty... I thought you weren't supposed to wash it if it looks/feels clean? Cause it wears the fabric down or something.

Sorry for being so clueless, but I really appreciate the help and replies. Seems like I just need to use them more till they break in all the way, like I figured.

Thanks,

Jake

Troyson · Post by **Troyson** » 08 Feb 2006 15:21

i dont really understand what pilling is

i just got my lesh bag, and im constantly hand massaging it, and it has little fuzzy balls on every panel, is that what you are talking about? I also noticed that the bag is not as soft as it was when i first got it, even though i wash it everytime it gets dirty and i take great care of it. Am i doing something wrong with it which is why this is happening?

Also, on my mini abshire the material isnt as soft as it used to be. Although it is fully broken in and stalls great, the material is much different than it was before, somewhat harder. and when i press the bag together it flattens out like a pancake and can stay in that exact shape if i dont touch it. Is all of this normal?

Pengu · Post by **Pengu** » 08 Feb 2006 17:51

i dont really understand what pilling is

i just got my lesh bag, and im constantly hand massaging it, and it has little fuzzy balls on every panel, is that what you are talking about?

Sounds like pilling. Did you get a facile leshy? I didn't know amaretta pilled.

I also noticed that the bag is not as soft as it was when i first got it, even though i wash it everytime it gets dirty and i take great care of it. Am i doing something wrong with it which is why this is happening?

Um... are you sure you've been rinsing it out all the way? A lot of the time, when you've washed it, it gets stiff with soap residue and grime that didn't get rinsed out. Otherwise, some hand-massaging will work the natural oils from your hands into the bag and make the fabric soft again. It will never feel like a brand new bag though.

Also, on my mini abshire the material isnt as soft as it used to be. Although it is fully broken in and stalls great, the material is much different than it was before, somewhat harder. and when i press the bag together it flattens out like a pancake and can stay in that exact shape if i dont touch it. Is all of this normal?

Again, rinse well, air dry, read the footbag washing tutorial for some tips on how to wash bags properly. http://www.kingstonfootbag.com/tutorial.php

Although, from the sounds of it, your abshire seems like it has gotten choice. A choice bag shouldn't re-inflate after squishing it. A new bag holds it's shape. A choice bag, you should be able to blow on it when you've shaken it round and it should cave in and stay that way.

It's not dirty... I thought you weren't supposed to wash it if it looks/feels clean? Cause it wears the fabric down or something.

Another case where it sounds to me like improper rinsing technique.

Wasabi · Post by **Wasabi** » 08 Feb 2006 20:23

Yeah, yellow/neon yellow that Richie uses on his abshires pill pretty easily. The goes for orange as well, i think.

Anyway, the hand break-in technique that Jeremy Mirken (Senor Grommet here on modified) made on footbag dot org is an excellent way to break in bags with your hands. I would be careful in the rolling technique as that will cause some abrasion with your fingers and the fabric, so "clawing" perpendicularly with your fingers and the panels are the way to go.

Generally, though, just giving your bag a few kicks will cause some break-in, as does washing your bags.

zeroman13 · Post by **zeroman13** » 09 Feb 2006 07:01

Could you put up the link to that site.

Wasabi · Post by **Wasabi** » 10 Feb 2006 16:54

http://www.footbag.org/gallery/show/1061

Pretty thorough, I might say.