How To Refinish A Croquet Wicket

How to Refinish a Croquet Wicket

First, get a wicket (well, dah!). Strip the old paint off to get it down to bare metal and check the diameter of the bare metal wicket.  Next, buy a length(s) of white heat shrink tubing a little less than twice the diameter and a total length for all the wire wickets being refinished. Make sure to buy lengths of heat shrink tubing to totally complete one wicket plus at least 1 more inch. You don’t want to have a seam anywhere on the wicket. The heat shrink tubing reduces it’s inner diameter by about half when heated. I found that the ¼” un-shrunk size works well and you can even put 2 layers on the same wicket for extra protection from balls or mallets. However, you do have to shrink the first layer in order to add the second! A good on-line source is Marlin P Jones at www.mpja.com They even have other colors if you want to go crazy.

Next, pull the un-shrunk tubing onto the wicket. You may have to slightly straighten the 90 degree bends on the wicket to help slide the tubing over the metal. Do not use lubricants or soap. The tubing is strong yet flexible and will stretch over the wicket. Use a pair of needle nose pliers or (even better) a locking, surgical hemostatic clamp – available at Harbor Freight or smoke shops (what would smokers use them for???). Leave the tubing about ½” longer than the wicket ends to allow for shrinkage (e.g.,Seinfeld). Don’t worry about where the writing on the tubing ends up – we’ll remove that later.

I re-bent my wicket corners back to 90 degrees before shrinking the tubing. I don’t know how the job will turn out if you leave the wicket slightly straightened, but you may end up with a crease in the heat shrink tube when you bend it back after it cools. If anybody out there knows for sure, let me know.

Now the fun part. Use a heat gun or hair dryer to start shrinking your tube (so to speak). Start in the middle of the top of the wicket and work your way toward either corner. Keep the end of the wicket pointed up to allow any off-gases to escape out the open end of the shrink tube. If you do get an air bubble, use a needle to release the gas and apply a little more heat to seal the pin hole. The corners are a little tricky, but are easy with more practice. When you get within ½” of the corner, pull on the tubing that’s on the leg of the wicket to stretch out any wrinkles. Begin heating the corner and release the stretched corner as it shrinks. Now shrink the rest of the tubing on the wicket leg working from the corner towards the open end of the heat shrink tubing.

The ends can be cut and super-glued shut to prevent dirt and moisture from entering the wicket ends. I also sealed some of the wickets by crushing the hot shrink tube against itself using the pliers or hemostat and then cutting off the cooled excess tubing. It’s personal preference at this point.

If the writing on the heat shrink tube bothers you, then you must be anal retentive. So am  I, so I removed the writing with a quick wipe of lacquer thinner. After recovering from the lacquer fumes, you’ll have a perfect, seamless wicket finish that will never need re-coating.