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Author Topic: Kitty Litter Method  (Read 4921 times)

Shermster

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Kitty Litter Method
« on: May 02, 2008, 04:02:45 AM »
So..I've only read about people 'reading about' the kitty litter method to extract oil from their ball.

Can any put some truth behind this method? Has anyone tried it?

I've tried hot baths, but would like to try kitty litter if it works better.
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SrKegler

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Re: Kitty Litter Method
« Reply #1 on: May 02, 2008, 01:03:34 PM »
Kitty litter works, just takes a while.

Try this test.

Take the ball you want the oil out of and run the hair dryer over a spot on the ball.  You'll see the oil form on top.

Put the ball in a bucket and cover it with kitty litter.  Wait 4-5 days, take the ball out and hit again with the hair dryer.  

Other than it taking a while, method works great.  I put the balls in about once every 3-4 weeks after league.

Not sure how good a job it will do just leaving them in for a day or two.
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Shermster

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Re: Kitty Litter Method
« Reply #2 on: May 02, 2008, 01:42:13 PM »
Thanks SrKegel!

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Shermster

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Re: Kitty Litter Method
« Reply #3 on: May 05, 2008, 06:28:49 PM »
Hmm...heat huh?

I wonder if the furnace/water boiler room is warm enough to hold a constant temp. The room I have is tiny and under the staircase. Should definitely be warmer than any other room in the house.

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Shermster

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Re: Kitty Litter Method
« Reply #4 on: May 06, 2008, 11:33:22 AM »
Thanks all!

After inquiring which method works the best, I decided to go with the hair dryer route.

WOW is all I can say! Just running the dryer over the track and in 5 seconds or so, the oil was leeching out of the ball. I went over the track twice with the dryer then cleaned with Powerhouse Energizer cleaner. The ball had that new tacky feel to it again, not slippery with oil in the cover stock.

I went to bowl later last night to test the results and I am very pleased. The ball was hooking just like when new.

IMO the hair dryer is a very effective, cheap and extremely fast way to extract oil and get that hook back. Cheers!
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Mighty Buffalo

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Re: Kitty Litter Method
« Reply #5 on: May 06, 2008, 02:05:19 PM »
You missed the second part of the method that was posted with the hair dryer.  That was meant to be just a test, not the actual method of removing oil.  If you are looking for a quicker method than the kitty litter do the hot water bath, at 15 minutes per soak, and doing a few soaks it doesn't take the days that the kitty litter method does.  I also wouldn't do that too many times with the hair dryer going over the same part of the ball.  The thing we keep reading about is a constant temp on the whole ball, not a high temp over the track and forget the rest.
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Shermster

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Re: Kitty Litter Method
« Reply #6 on: May 06, 2008, 06:34:29 PM »
For me, the blow dryer method seems much safer than throwing it in the oven. People do that right??

I never held the dryer in one spot for more than a second. More like a up/down motion until I saw a layer of moisture/oil accumulate on the area heated. I've tried the hot bath before and IMO the dryer works better.

Anyone else care to chime in? I'm new to all these methods, so I'm always up for trying whatever works.
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charlest

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Re: Kitty Litter Method
« Reply #7 on: May 06, 2008, 07:42:48 PM »
quote:
For me, the blow dryer method seems much safer than throwing it in the oven. People do that right??


NOPE. No one intheir righ tmond puts a ball in a kitchen oven!

quote:

I never held the dryer in one spot for more than a second. More like a up/down motion until I saw a layer of moisture/oil accumulate on the area heated. I've tried the hot bath before and IMO the dryer works better.


The hair drier is intense heat WITH NO CONTROL. That is the problem.
Hot water bath is/has even temperature all around the surface of the ball.

quote:

Anyone else care to chime in? I'm new to all these methods, so I'm always up for trying whatever works.


Use common sense!
High Temperature differentials are what separate the core from the cover. Nice even temps extract the oil slowly but evenly.


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Grayson

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Re: Kitty Litter Method
« Reply #8 on: May 07, 2008, 01:16:57 AM »
quote:
quote:
For me, the blow dryer method seems much safer than throwing it in the oven. People do that right??


NOPE. No one intheir righ tmond puts a ball in a kitchen oven!

quote:

I never held the dryer in one spot for more than a second. More like a up/down motion until I saw a layer of moisture/oil accumulate on the area heated. I've tried the hot bath before and IMO the dryer works better.


The hair drier is intense heat WITH NO CONTROL. That is the problem.
Hot water bath is/has even temperature all around the surface of the ball.

quote:

Anyone else care to chime in? I'm new to all these methods, so I'm always up for trying whatever works.


Use common sense!
High Temperature differentials are what separate the core from the cover. Nice even temps extract the oil slowly but evenly.


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exactly! Couldn't say much more plus:

The water detergens the "oil" while with the other methods it has to run down on/off the ball which causes the oil to cumulate on the lowest spot... in the water it is just carried away and with some soap even solvated.

my 0.02
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Shermster

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Re: Kitty Litter Method
« Reply #9 on: May 07, 2008, 10:58:00 AM »
So by applying a bit of heat to the surface, I've screwed up my ball???

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Scolai

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Re: Kitty Litter Method
« Reply #10 on: May 07, 2008, 11:33:00 AM »
Another effective method, at least here in the south, is the warm car approach.

Take a ball (or two) and put them on paper towels in the back seat of the car on a sunny day.  Cover the ball with another paper towel.  Let the ball sit for 15 minutes, pull it out, and wipe it with a towel that has be wet with a liquid cleaner.  Leave the car door open as you perform the wiping process to cool the interior of the car and allow for a gradual increase in temperature.  Put the ball back in the back seat for another 15 minutes and repeat the process.  Usually it takes about an hour for a ball to leach significant amounts of oil so that reaction is restored.

The interior temp of the car never exceeds 140-150 degrees or so, and with frequent door openings, the temperature differential is kept at bay.

Just another option out there.

On edit:
Something I neglected to mention - keep the windows rolled down an inch or two during the process to allow venting of excessive heat.  A thermometer is also a good idea.  Put it in the car so you can monitor interior temperature.
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Edited on 5/9/2008 10:26 AM
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Shermster

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Re: Kitty Litter Method
« Reply #11 on: May 07, 2008, 01:50:34 PM »
quote:
Another effective method, at least here in the south, is the warm car approach.

Take a ball (or two) and put them on paper towels in the back seat of the car on a sunny day.  Cover the ball with another paper towel.  Let the ball sit for 15 minutes, pull it out, and wipe it with a towel that has be wet with a liquid cleaner.  Leave the car door open as you perform the wiping process to cool the interior of the car and allow for a gradual increase in temperature.  Put the ball back in the back seat for another 15 minutes and repeat the process.  Usually it takes about an hour for a ball to leach significant amounts of oil so that reaction is restored.

The interior temp of the car never exceeds 140-150 degrees or so, and with frequent door openings, the temperature differential is kept at bay.

Just another option out there.
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Good idea! It's not warm enough up here in the North West, but will try to remember this one for June/July.
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Grayson

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Re: Kitty Litter Method
« Reply #12 on: May 07, 2008, 02:03:36 PM »
a save temperature is imho ~50°C/~120°F... this shouldn't do any harm to your ball.
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triggerman

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Re: Kitty Litter Method
« Reply #13 on: May 07, 2008, 02:11:07 PM »
here is the key to kitty litter/oil dry

once the ball is in the litter, do one of these, a nice well windowed room that gets plenty of sunshine will provide a decent amount of heat (sort of like leaving your ball in the trunk in the summer)  or my fav, ball in litter, heat lamp about 2 feet away and above the bucket, works like a charm and only takes about 24 hours to do
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BeansProShop

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Re: Kitty Litter Method
« Reply #14 on: May 08, 2008, 03:41:36 PM »
I tried kitty litter but every time I use it my ball smells like cat peee.


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