Frequently Asked Questions: Football Repair
How much does repair cost?
Our basic football repair service is $49, plus shipping. This service includes replacing the original bladder and lace with brand new ones, and a light reconditioning of the leather, when appropriate.
In some case, a lot more work is required to bring your ball back to life. Additional fees will be assessed if appropriate. As always, we advise a consultation to make sure all expectations are aligned.
*We reserve the right to raise our prices without notice.
How does it work / Where do I send my football?
Once you order our football repair service, you will need to package your football (with your name and return address inside the package). Then you can send the ball to us:
Attn: Paul Cunningham.
Leather Head Sports 536 S. Broad St. Glen Rock, NJ 07452
Once the repair is complete, we will return the ball to you. The shipping you pay for during the check out is return shipping from us, back to you.
how long does the football repair take?
Once we receive your football, repairs take about 2-3 weeks.
We are very busy with football repairs and we handle them on a "first in - first out" basis.
Autographed Footballs: Will your repair service damage the autograph on my football?
No. The autograph on your ball will be untouched.
We are extremely careful and conscientious, and we treat valuable footballs with great care. For autographed balls, we only replace the bladder and lace. We do not touch the autograph in any way.
*Damage in transit is possible and we can't be responsible for balls that arrive with autographs that have been smudged. For this reason, we recommend carefully wrapping your ball in craft paper. DO NOT wrap your ball in plastic or place it in a plastic bag. The plastic has the potential to adhere to the ball, damaging the autograph.
How much is my football worth?
We have no idea. We're football repair experts, but we don't get involved with appraising footballs, or speculating on their value.
Does your work alter the value of my football?
Our work entails removing the ball's original lace and its original bladder. Because we are replacing original components, collectors may view this negatively. You should consult with an experienced appraiser to determine if a repair will affect the ball's value.
Can you save the original lace of my football?
We're sorry to say, the original lace can't be saved. Removing the original lace of an old football in one piece is virtually impossible. After that, there is no available slack required to re-lace the ball.
Upon request, we can apply an aging technique to the lace to try and give in an older look.
Help! I used Fix-A-Flat inside my ball.
If you've been tricked into injecting Fix-A-Flat into your football while trying to patch a leak, you likely learned that it doesn't work. Furthermore, you're probably dealing with a sticky mess. Most modern footballs use a polyurethane bladder. Fix-A-Flat does not bond with this material, so it doesn't work.
We often encounter balls filled with liquid Fix-A-Flat. We're able to remove the bad bladder and replace it with a new one. We try our best to clean up the sticky residue left by the Fix-A-Flat, but beyond that, there is nothing that we can do to remove the stains that it leaves behind.
What Kind of bladders do you use?
We use butyl rubber bladders exclusively. This is different from most modern footballs that use Polyurethane bladders. There are pros and cons for each.
Polyurethane bladders are very light, but they have a short shelf life, and they're not very durable. Polyurethane bladders are not designed to expand and contract.
Butyl rubber bladders are tough, durable and will expand and contract with changes in air pressure, atmospheric pressure, and weather changes, etc. They have a long shelf life, so your repaired ball likely won't ever need a new bladder.
Like all air-filled balls, they will bleed air over time and will need to be re-inflated periodically.
Lastly, butyl rubber bladders weigh about 4oz more than a polyurethane bladder. This is a fairly significant weigh increase, so if you intend to use your ball, this is something to consider.
What kind of lace do you use?
We have several lace options. For most balls we use NFL style rubberized nylon lace. This lace comes in two color options: White and Black. We also have rawhide lace options. If you have a lace preference, please specify that in the notes section of our repair check out.
Can you repair Pee Wee, or Youth size footballs?
Yes.
We've had great success repairing footballs of all sizes. Please note that we use butyl rubber bladders which will add about 4oz to the weight of your football.
Can you fix soccer balls, basketballs, or rugby balls.
In some cases, we're able to repair vintage style rugby balls.
We're sorry to say, we're unable to repair soccer balls or basketballs. We don't stock regular soccer ball bladders, and basketballs are made with a construction technique that makes them un-repairable by us.
Do you offer quantity discounts on repairs?
We're sorry to say, we can't offer quantity discounts on football repairs. Each football gets our individual attention, and efficiencies are not realized by repairing multiple balls.
We are a sports ball manufacturer, and we offer our football repair service as a courtesy. We do it at close to break even, so that we can offer a good value for the price.
Can you sell me bladders and laces?
We're sorry to say, we don't sell our components to do-it-yourselfers, or others offering football repair services.
Can I talk to someone about my football repair?
Yes!
We're always here to consult on our repair service.
Please call Paul Cunningham at 201-857-4746 or Catherine Leonard at 201-857-0443 for a free expert consultation.
