Vaqueta Ball - Elaboration

Elaboration

The making of a vaqueta ball is a piece of Arts and crafts. The "piloters" are mainly leather workers such as Emili López (Alberic), Enric Álvarez (Carcaixent), Miquel Baixauli (Catarroja), Joan Montañés (Llíria), Josep Bernet (Massalfassar), and Miquel Pedrosa (La Vall d'Uixó), or retired players as el Rovellet (València).

First the "piloter" chooses the bull's skin, specially from the nape of the neck, which has to be 6 or 7 mm thick and which has to be very tough, so that the ball becomes a real stone when it's finished. Once the leather is chosen, it's steeped until it becomes 3 mm thick. During this process the skin becomes softer and the "piloter" may work with it. Next, 8 triangles are cut and sewn up from the inner side with nylon so that they form a sphere. But before the last triangle is sewn up, the ball is stuffed with fluff. After that the last triangle is sewn up and the ball gets closed. It will be pressed for 3 or 4 days in order to acquire a perfect spherical shape. The elaboration process is finished around 1 month later, when the leather is absolutely dry.

There are a number of reasons to explain the expensive price of the "vaqueta" balls: The handcrafted elaboration, the time consumed, the quality of the materials, and the few number of renowned piloters. Hence its price may be around 40 and 80 €, but there also on sale balls used by the professional players, though they are not as fast or tough as new ones.