How long until...

[star wars geek]

How long until a ball burns out and needs to be replaced?  I've been using my Power Groove for about 3.5 years now, and it just doesn't do what it used to do.  Shoudl I get a new ball or what?  is there a way to revive it?
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The only balls in my hands are Brunswicks.

[Mighty Buffalo]

Have you ever had it resurfaced?  That will bring the new ball back to an original reaction.  Bring it to a local proshop and they will do it, usually somewhere between 30 - 60 bucks.
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Let in the DOGS - I've got a HAMBONE for them!

To all the haters, get over it!

[Eddie M]

Every ball is different.  Some balls will die out significanyly after 50 games, and others will go for years before the owner notices a loss reaction.  You can take the ball to a pro shop and have them resurface it for you.  Most places around here will do that for $20.  But if it were me, I would just look to replace a ball that old with something new.
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Visionary Test Staff 07-08

[MC]

You could do a hot water bath first to see if it gets some of the oil out and brings back some of what was lost.
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"Don't Give Up...  Don't Ever Give Up."
                    -Jim Valvano

"Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence."
                    -Vince Lombardi

VISIONARY TEST STAFF 07/08

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[NicholasE]

Give it a hot water bath!! That will bring the ball back to life if you don't clean it regularly. Go to www.morichbowling.com and under the link cleaning will expalin the process of the hot water bath. You don't have to sand the ball down unless its got a lot of polish on it but most of the time it gets the oil out reguardless, not to mention its FREE!

Try that before taking it to a proshop.
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Throwing hambones since 2005.
www.myspace.com/nestes12

[Mighty Buffalo]

With 3 1/2 years of games on the ball it is going to be pretty well worn on the surface of the ball that he tracks on.  At this point giving it a bath will get oil out of the cover, but the condition of the surface isn't going to be fixed by this and that is what is going to get a reaction back.
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Let in the DOGS - I've got a HAMBONE for them!

To all the haters, get over it!

[star wars geek]

I gave it a hot water bath and shot my high game of the season with a 224 (one open frame in the 6th!  Should have been closer to 250...oh well...I'm NOT disappointed!

I looked at the Storm Hook Again (I think it's called) for super cleaning, and it's like $38.  I checked with my proshop, and they'll resurface for $25!

Will resurfacing hurt the ball at all?  <--NOOB QUESTION!!!
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The only balls in my hands are Brunswicks.

[Mighty Buffalo]

Resurfacing will get the minor scratches out of the cover, and make some of the larger ones not so large.  When finished resurfacing a ball the proshop will be able to get it back to OOB condition, or a different finish if you so desire.

I highly recommend doing this before spending extra money on a new ball.   I recently resurfaced a blue offset hammer 3D, which has been my favorite ball in the bag for about 8 years, but not used much this year due to a bad reaction.  It is back to it's original reaction, and it is once again a favorite ball of mine that I have no problem pulling out of the bag when I am not scoring and lost.
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Let in the DOGS - I've got a HAMBONE for them!

To all the haters, get over it!

[Grayson]

I used my Tsunami 2 years and now and then did some coverstock refreshment/ resurface by hand with pads and polish and the ball was working....
the material can get harder over time but that just means the raction is shifted towards lighter oil nothing more and if such an effect even is there I can not validate.

resurface it now and then
keep it clean

and you will have fun with it for a long time  
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Sebastian Koch
"Have fun and bowl well!" - Grayson
"Some things are made so even idiots won't fail using them.... But I ask what about the genius?" - Grayson

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[MI 2 AZ]

quote:the material can get harder over time but that just means the raction is shifted towards lighter oil nothing more and if such an effect even is there I can not validate.

Sebastian, I don't really understand what you are saying here.
What material?  The coverstock?
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I am the Sgt Schultz of bowling.
"I know nothing! I see nothing! NOTHING!"
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[Grayson]

quote:

quote:the material can get harder over time but that just means the raction is shifted towards lighter oil nothing more and if such an effect even is there I can not validate.

Sebastian, I don't really understand what you are saying here.
What material?  The coverstock?
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I am the Sgt Schultz of bowling.
"I know nothing! I see nothing! NOTHING!"
_________________________________________

New to BR? - Please check this:  BR FAQ

yes the coverstock

Every synthetic/plastic ages with time and plasticizsers are in them to make that process take longer but it will eventually happen... and it will happen quicker when mechanical stress is applied like throwing the ball (my thesis! no proof or anything)

I have absolutly now experience with that on the bowling ball sector and I bet there are enough people with really old NIB balls out there that state the ball has not lost any hooking ability... but on the other hand are those the high tech reactives that are produced today and can you compare it to a just fresh produced ball?

I also dare to say the oil absorbtion is the faster occuring "death" but I assume there is a long time aging effect making the ball harder with time and taking away the ability to hook on oil.
 This does imo not mean it is dead... just that the friction the ball creates is getting lesser and lesser as well as closing pores meaning the ball can not absorb the oil to create the friction.
If that effect is recognizable or measurable I cannot comment.

I just have heard from many people and some are very good and experienced bowlers and pro shop guys .. that even with a very good surface and oil maintenance the ball will never get the same characteristics like a new one and will lose or better say change his rolling characteristics.

Again: This does not mean the ball is not working. My Tsunami was hooking his whole life with me (2 years) as I kept it clean and now and then sanded it with a pad and repolished it. The ball of course never had the OOB rolling characteristics but it worked very well.

I have to admit that my experience is small on this sector (bowling balls) but I dare to take  all I learned during my education about synthetic materials here at the university.

and in our fast-living modern era the industry wants to sell and people always want something new... something better... something special...

I say keep it clean and give the ball a resurface now and then (even if it is by hand) and you will have a good ball for a long time.

and 3 and a half years are a very long time for a bowling ball....

my 0.02
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Sebastian Koch
"Have fun and bowl well!" - Grayson
"Some things are made so even idiots won't fail using them.... But I ask what about the genius?" - Grayson

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Edited on 4/24/2008 3:56 AM

[dizzyfugu]

I think when you take of a ball, it will last VERY long. I have some ball that I have been playing for 4 years (Trauma, Eraser PP), and already received them used with unknown numbers of games on the clock. Despite frequent use, they are still performing very well (I even have the impression that they are getting better, but that might be me...) - I guess the bigger problem is cracking and diameter reduction thorugh frequent sanding, so the ball will become illegal.

Nevertheless, more modern balls seem to be more touchy concerning durability and need for maintenance, e. g. Ebonite's GB XX.Y family that was introduced on The One or the BW. "Ball death" has become a frequent word - even though I haven't witnessed this personally. But under normal circumstances it should be easy to revive a ball, just by having the oil extracted from its porous shell and refreshing the surface prep every now and then, plus cleaning it after use to prevent oil and dirt absorption.
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DizzyFugu - Reporting from Germany

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