My sinister is starting to become a little slimy, and no one around her has an actual oven, so I decided to make my own using ideas from a few different DIY ovens. I took a 5 gallon bucket and filled it with pretty warm water. I only have a really small water heater where I am right now, so I couldn't get a ton of hot water before I cooled off. I put some degreasing dish soap in the bucket and put the ball in. I cut a hole in the top of the bucket and stuck a hair dryer in with some vent holes to keep the temperature up. From what I read, using hot water helps the ball stay more evenly heated, preventing crackin . It also let's the ball cool mmore slowl . I'll see how it goes

Yeah my idea didn't work well at all. I had the water at 110 degrees when I put it in and it was around 3 inches above the ball. I came back after a while and the hair dryer didn't heat the water at al . It had dropped to 90 degrees. Air temp above the water was 180 degrees. I looked at the thermometer and got scared! I suppose I will have to invest in a home oven

I use hot water and get pretty good results.  But I do things a little differently.  I have a cooler that can hold 2 bowling balls that I use.  I start with hot tap water (120ish) and top off with water from the stove (200ish) until I get the temperature I am looking for.  I personally will go as high as 135-140.  Put the balls in the water, close the lid, and let them sit for about an hour or more depending on what I feel the balls need.  The cooler allows the temperature to stay pretty consistent during the process.

One thing I don't use anymore is soap.  What ends up happening for me is as I resurface the ball, I get a sudsing action from the soap being in the coverstock.

If you do use a cooler, you will need to make the water a little hotter (3-5 degrees) to account for the heat loss as the cooler temperature equalizes with the water.  If you use a bucket, then wrap a blanket around the bucket to help hold in the heat.  Otherwise you may have to top off with hot water during the process to maintain a consistent temperature.

Others have had success, by putting the ball in a bucket, covering it with Kitty Litter and putting it in the sun for a couple of hours.  My personal oil extractor is basically a bucket with a ball holder in the bottom.  Hair dryer on top, blowing down on the ball.  Heat extracts oil and air blows it to the bottom.  Or you could buy your own online for about $100.

Save some money on the CPR, go buy a can of Resolve carpet cleaning powder.