BallReviews
Equipment Boards => Brunswick => Topic started by: Brickguy221 on May 12, 2013, 07:22:39 PM
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I have around 60-70 games on my Versa-Max and it was getting a track worn in it. today, I sanded it with a 360 Grit Abralon Pad and then gave it a hot water bath before sanding to 500 grit Abralon and re-polishing it with Rough Buff & Brunswick Factory Gloss Polish, and to my surprise no visable if any oil came out of the ball.
I do wipe it off before every shot and clean it very-very religiously immediately after every bowling session sometimes with Black Magic Rejuvenator and some times with Valentino's Remedy RX. When I clean it after bowling, I soak the ball really heavy with ball cleaner and let it sit until it begins evaporating off the ball, then I wipe iut off.
Along with my cleaning method, does this ball resist oil that well? If so, Brunswick has a really great cover on this ball that not only maybe resists oil with the best of them, but also performs extremely well with the best of them. I LOVE this ball, along with it's hit, pin carry, and etc. It has been the first ball out of my bag ever since I have had it.
Great job Brunswick!!!!!
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Frankly, the hot water bath does not compare to the Revivor/Rejuvenator method. It's better than nothing, but we typically get oil "pouring" out of all coverstocks for hours and hours at the shop.
Having said that, your regimen of keeping it clean after shots, etc. is very smart and will slow down the oil and dirt that get absorbed into today's coverstocks. I have had oil removed from my Versa Max, but there are lots of factors involved.
For example, different lane conditioners will absorb at different rates, so perhaps your center is using a good quality conditioner that absorbs at a slower rate so you are getting much of it off between shots.
This year at Nationals the new Kegel Ice was great at not separating and seeping into the equipment. I watched, and watched to see how long before it soaked into the cover, and it just sat there on the surface. That made wiping the ball off more important than ever, but at least it did not absorb into the ball quickly. Temperatures will affect the oil viscosity as well.
Just keep your Versa Max clean, with occasional upkeep on the surface, and you'll enjoy the typical Brunswick durability. Maybe have it de-oiled after another 60 games or so, just to make sure, but I suspect that the cover (as good as it is) will eventually absorb some oil.
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Lane, I am not and have never been a hot water fan, but other than setting it out in the sun which I don't like to do, it is the only method I have available to me as to my knowledge there are no revivors in my area.
Before moving from Edmond to Oklahoma City 4 years ago, I used to successfuly de-oil all of my balls using our Kitchen-Aid Convection Oven. This Convection Oven had a fan thus heating the balls evenly. The house we moved into here in Oklahoma City has a standard oven without the control our convection oven had, so I don't use the oven now, but should we ever replace it with a convection oven, I would use the oven again.
I hear about some people using the Diswasher with the drying cycle turned off, but that isn't going to happen at my house a long as my wife is still alive.... lol
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Jim,
I agree with Lane.
Your cleaning regimen has and will reduce, by my guess, by several orders of magnitude, the amount of oil the ball will absorb over a given period of time. I had been testing a new ball oven, called NuBall, and many of my balls, in fact, most of them, released very little, if any, oil at all. Even when I put one in the oven for almost 4 hours at 155 degrees!! (I don't recommend anyone doing that, but I was doing testing.) And you know my regimen is not far from from yours.
This regimen will also expand the amount of time a ball will retain its performance based on oil absorption. Of course, you have to keep the surface in shape also, :D, whether it's polished or sanded.
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Brick,
If you have an automatic dishwasher, use that. Turn off heated dry and any "sanitize" feature that will heat the water hotter than what your hot water tank is set to. I have done the dishwasher then gone right to my pro shop that has a revivor. No oil comes out of a dishwasher prepped ball.
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Chet ... here is my problem with my using a diswasher..... I hear about people using the Diswasher with the drying cycle turned off, but that isn't going to happen at my house a long as my wife is still alive.... ::) .. ;D
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My wife bitched at first but when I explained to her it wa no dirtier than your typical greasy casserole with a bunch of food still in it, she relented.
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Fellas, I use my wife's hairdryer (when she is not around, of course) and rotate the ball every 30 seconds or so. The temperature tops out at about 120 degrees which is pretty safe. By constantly turning the ball, you can equalize the heat exposure. My favorite ball is the Full Swing which has a very porous coverstock. I can see plenty of oil on the cover after the first 20-30 seconds of heat. I will then apply Clean n Dull after I have finished with the heat.
I use the hairdryer about once per month and also use Clean n Dull after every series. This method seems to work OK.
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Put ball in dishwasher. Set to normal cycle. No soap, no heat, no sanitize. Walk away, come back in 90 minutes, take balls out, done. I'll take that.