Sitting in hot water may bring the oil to the surface but as it sits there for an hour the water gets cooler and the oil and probably some water gets re-absorbed. This is the reason why the "hot water" procedure generally says something like,
1. sand the ball to 220 - 320 grit. This opens up the ball's "pores" a little bit.
2. Fill bucket with hot water and small amount of dishwahing soap/degreaser, like Dawn. Temperature should be arounds 140 degrees, never any more than 150 degrees Fahrenheit. (Soap/degreaser helps to break down the oil chemically and helps prevent re-absorption.
3. Let ball sit in bucket for 15 - 20 minutes, with the holes sitting above the waterline, as a safety precaution. The water temperature will cool during that time.
4. Remove ball and wipe down quickly with towel, paper or cloth.
5. Repeat until you no longer see oil at the water's surface.
6. Restore ball to desired finish.
7. Check ball's reaction on the lanes.
8. Repeat steps 1 - 7 as needed.
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"None are so blind as those who will not see."
