Proper Ball care

[micky_macca]

Ok i while back a baught a blaze and it seemed to die far to quickly.

This is how i took care of it:

Wipe ball after every shot....

Soak it in HOT water every 2 or 3 months.

Thats All

Anyway i recently got a Boost and i want to take better care of this ball.

So apart from wiping the ball after every frame could anyone suggest some cleaning methods to get a bit more life out of the ball.

Thanks...

 

[MarkV]

I know people that soak them in hot water to get the oil out and having tried it myself it does appear effective. My only concern is that the cores appear to be very porous and if they soak up any water you will set up stresses in the ball and cause premature failure. Interestingly enough the two balls that I have done this too did lose their punch after about a month after doing this to them. I have a mate who has done it to his ball plenty of times with no ill effects but it is a pretty old ball and not one of the newer resins. I would suggest getting a decent ball cleaning compound and give that a spin and also once in a while putting it outside on a warm NOT hot day , and while drinking a few stubbies, give it a wipe once in awhile to clean off the oil that leaches out. I have read on web sites in the states of ball restorers that are basically heaters and ball wipers in one but haven't heard any yap about them here yet. Also don't forget to give them a resurface once in a while. When alls said and done I have found them to be only a 12month option anyway :roll:

 

[micky_macca]

Well i want my balls to last a bit more than that, but i dont expect them to be in a year as they are new!

I just want a somewhat distinct reaction to when it was new.

 

[Easy Tiger]

DO NOT soak them I reckon. From experience I have had some problems with the ball dying. INSTEAD leave them outside as MarkV said. But not in the direct sun, its bad for the coverstock. Make sure you use some kind of ball cleaner solution as well. I hear varying reports on this part all the time. Some say metho is good, some say it isnt, some say it's ok if u mix the metho with something else...i just use metho and havent gone wrong yet...

 

[LickwidGreen]

Any of you guys heard of a product called iceycol? i think that is how u spell it... anyway its a green bottle with a crocodile on it. i wont go into great detail on what it exactly is but its great to get oil, greese, dirt... anything off ya ball... i use it every week... If you happen to come across it in the supermarket (only at fishers) then i suggest you try it.

 

[Easy Tiger]

I think I can shed some light on isocol...I USED to use it but now don't. Why? Because the original isocol used to be pure and was great to use. But isocol NOWDAYS has lanolin added into it. This ends up putting a kind of grease back into the ball, basically defeating the purpose of cleaning the ball.

Thats just from my experience and what I know about Isocol that's all.

Cheers.

 

[androooo]

I've soaked my balls (bowling hehe) for years. Never had any trouble with premature seperation. As long as you don't thermal shock the ball... ie: putting a cold ball in boiling water... you shouldn't have any trouble. I even put it in the oven for a quick fix occasionally. A 50-60* oven works just fine. I wouldn't try anything over that, but of course, nothing is safe these days. If you use a dish washing detergent in the water, please make sure it DOES NOT contain lanolin. It will turn your most aggressive orb into the best spare ball ever

As far as general cleaning goes, I give my reactive/particle/urethane gear a good wipe over with Neo-Tac's Hook-It. Very strong cleaner that gets all matter of gunk off, and doesn't change the surface. Dull balls stay dull, shiny stay shiny. Have heard some great reports about the Ebonite Powerhouse Energizer ball cleaner, but I am yet to try it.

 

[cruzer]

Hi guys,
yeah i have been using the Ebonite Powerhouse Energiser Cleaner now for about 2 months down at Cross rds in Adelaide looking after all the Jnr bowlers and this product used after every 12 to 15 games pulls the oil and dirt out very efficiently from bowling balls.I have talked to a few ppl in the now and they assure me that heating up of bowling balls is very dangerous as you are not aware of what you are actually taking out off your bowling balls(REACTIVE RESINS).
I too learnt the wrong way, my son had a Ebonite Predator and i got on the bandwagon and used to soak it in warm to hot water as well as using a hair dryer and i used to be amazed at all this oilly stuff coming off the ball, but what actually was happening was that i was drawing oil as well as reactive resins out of the ball ,and after 9-10 months the ball was DEAD......Its a sad way to learn but their you go.
Hope this helps

Paul Kanafa.

 

[Easy Tiger]

wow i didnt know about the whole reactive resin problem.... :? freaky. Anyways....i didnt know hook it was a cleaner? I have some and i occasionally use it, but the cleaner bit i didnt know. The worst thing is that everyone seems to contradict each other generally when I ask people. One says somethings ok, and the next person i speak to says dont do it. So im like confused about it but anyways. Bad luck losing the predator man, great ball.

 

[SNEEZY]

Micky_macca, this is a good subject to bring up. I myself am finding the same problem with the PBA that I am currently using. I have had the PBA for about a year now and when I bought the ball it turned like it should (a lot). However as time has gone by the ball has been losing its turn. :?

In all the time I have had the ball I have been cleaning it with Isocol after bowling through the week and even when I go to have practice I clean it after I have finished practice. Recently I purchased a ball cleaner called Ultra Clean which is a ball cleaner sold by AMF centres and some non AMF centres. I don't know if it is shycological or what but I feel that the Ultra Clean did less for my ball than the Isocol. Since I have gone back to using Isocol I feel that my game has picked back up.

Further to using Isocol I have soaked the ball in warm to hot water and it does work for a while but I don't think it gets the oil that is deep within the ball. Before I had heard about this method I was a bit sceptical about the method but after talking to a accredited ball driller I was told that the core of the ball is non pourus. This means that the core of the ball will not soak up any water. 8)

Recently, I participated in the Melbourne Tenpin Cup and the person who runs the proshop there (Bowlers World) has a machine that he got from America. Its a machine where by you put the ball in it and it turns the ball and at the same time blows warm air around the ball drawing the oil out of the ball.

Also after going for a practice game at Bridge Bowl at Murray Bridge the other day I was talking to a worker there about the same thing. He told me that he puts his ball about half a meter in front of a small foot heater. By putting the ball so far away from the heater it allows the ball to heat up but not get to a stage where it may do too much damage to it. When the oil starts to come out of the ball, all that needs to be done is wipe it off. 8)

Im not ball driller or anything but further to the above, it is probably recommended to get the ball resurfaced once and a while to try and bring the ball back to a new condition.:idea:

 

[Easy Tiger]

OK firstly, I still reckon Metho does more than isocol for the reasons i stated before.

Secondly, reactive balls and the like are not, as far as I know, non-pourous. They are semi-pourous. They do allow some water into the core and once that happens, forget it.

Thirdly, about the ball heater machine, be careful with using those as well I have heard some bad reports about those over the years. They apparantly can still cause damage. I don't see how using a heater a foot away from the ball is going to be any different either if it is still bringing oil (and other stuff) out of the ball. Its basically the same as leaving them in the car.

Cheers

 

[Levithian]

Hmm. ASB FAQ --> http://www.icubed.com/users/allereb/faq.html Just thought it may be usefull.

 

[RobbieB]

Firstly, metho is a banned cleaner per ABC specs. It falls into the 'not to be used on ball surface at ANY TIME category. Soaking is effective if you use a good dishwashing detergent in the water - Dawn is very good and works better than any other I have tried. Isocol is legal and a very effective cleaner - not to be used during league or tournament play, though.
For a spinner polish, Brasso is very effective.

 

[AdrianS]

I've heard that Neo-tac products are no longer being imported, if this is true snap 'em up quick!

 

[Easy Tiger]

I hadnt heard that...but I hope its not true.