BallReviews
General Category => Coverstock Preparation => Topic started by: Uncle Meat PT 2 on February 06, 2017, 11:22:17 AM
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Having read some earlier posts about polishes with extenders; Val UFO,Storm Xtra, etc and was wanting get your opinion if Ufo is better or same or lesser than Xtra, or the other extenders out there.
I can get Xtra at my local, but is Ufo the better product?
Thanks,Roberto
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UFO is a different product. You've gotten 2 different classes of polishes mixed up.
Xtra Shine is what's considered an extender polish. One can define an Extender as a polish that uses finer grit levels of their micro-abrasives than a regular polish like Reacta Shine.
UFO is called a slip agent polish. There aren't many of them. Others that I know of are Neo-Tac's Control-It and Powerhouse's (used to be Track's) Delayed Reaction. These contain "something" that clogs the pores of reactive resin coverstock, reducing their ability to absorb oil. This ability is most of what makes them hook. So balls with this polish applied will go longer but unlike regular and extender polishes, this also makes them hook LESS and have less backend. That something in Control-It and Delayed Reaction, is, I believe, silicone; once applied it is there for good OR until you sand it off with a fairly rough pad, like 500 grit. UFO is different in that it uses an organic agent (I don't know what it is exactly) to clog the pores. It last about 20 - 25 games and can be removed much more easily, like with a 4000 grit pad.
All of these will polish a ball. I have used UFO, Control-It and Delayed Reaction at times, but I tend to stay away from such compounds that affect my carry power. That's just me; that may do what you need. I would only apply them to balls that are already very weak (Tropical Storm, for instance) when conditions get really dry and you'd rather not go to a urethane.
Xtra Shine is one of my favorite polishes of all time. You can use it like any other polish and vary the results from 2 directions: the underlying grit level and the amount of polish you apply.
Hope this helps. If I can be of any further assistance, please just ask. If I haven't answered your question well enough, I'll be happy to add more, if I can.
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I've used UFO a lot at one point, actually for two seasons. I used it on my spare ball and on a reactive resin ball which it became a great second shift ball for me. But like what charlest had mentioned, I had to reapply it every month or 20 some games. I just go tired of doing it, but you can apply it without a spinner..... I switched to another ball and I'm using Snake oil.
UFO doesn't smell that bad too.
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UFO doesn't help a plastic ball except as a polish. When used on a plastic, its effect is the same as any other polish.
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Control It, Delayed Reaction (silicone based?) and UFO (organic agent?) all apparently clog the balls pours to do what they do. Would the "polish" in the machines found in bowling centers which have been reported to be waxed based (?) and clog the balls pours be in the same classification (meaning they all clog the pours) as the products mentioned above?
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UFO doesn't help a plastic ball except as a polish. When used on a plastic, its effect is the same as any other polish.
My spare (w/core) hooks on dry and is tracked, the UFO helps hide it. Was I wasting good polish on my spare? I should used left over secrets sause since I don't use it.
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UFO doesn't help a plastic ball except as a polish. When used on a plastic, its effect is the same as any other polish.
My spare (w/core) hooks on dry and is tracked, the UFO helps hide it. Was I wasting good polish on my spare? I should used left over secrets sause since I don't use it.
Unless you have extra to spare, yes, it is a waste. You should use any plain polish on a spare ball. If it's tracked, a quick resurface does a WORLD of good for spare balls. I take mine from 500 grit (180 to 360 if it's really bad) to 1000 to 2000 to 4000 at a minimum; then a heavy dose of almost any decent polish.
(When I had a Blue Dot, I took the 4000 to a White Trizact level [6000 - 8000 range] and then applied a very fine polish. )
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Thanks for clarifying that for me, I meant ufo and the like had slip agents. I posted this hastily and forgot the facts....
Anyway,I have a good pearl,purchased a used Wisdom and drilled it up weak,and had my driller put it on the haus machine,but apparently it was still too strong for what I wanted to accomplish,knowing I was gonna be on a known dry set at my lanes. I had been wanting a weaker ball just for this but it's back to square one,unfortunatly.
Probably gonna score the ufo and have it to where the wisdom will cover a few boards and I can basically play straight up when the heads start to go.
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Charlest you are the expert when it comes to sanding/polish. I would like your opinion to my question in my post 4 back.
Thank you in advance.
Bowlaholic
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I'll get some 3M finesse it II just for the spare ball :D or even cheaper, the Motiv power gel polish.. save my UFO, great stuff!
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I pretty much only use Xtra Shine, it's just a polish that works for me.
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I myself have used the snake oil and the UFO both are great products when I've used ufo i generally see on avg about 2 ft added length on the lanes of course there are always some variables that will make a difference but it's a added help if your playing the burn
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Control It, Delayed Reaction (silicone based?) and UFO (organic agent?) all apparently clog the balls pours to do what they do. Would the "polish" in the machines found in bowling centers which have been reported to be waxed based (?) and clog the balls pours be in the same classification (meaning they all clog the pours) as the products mentioned above?
Yes, the old "Polish" was actually a wax based one like that was used for cars. Wax is/was ok for plastic and urethane, but is death for resin coverstocks. It will reduce hook and backend a lot.
I don't know if and/or when bowling center polishing machines went to true polish and not wax. I assume most do today, but I wouldn't bet a single one of my balls on that unless some verified that the machine uses true polish.
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Thanks for clarifying that for me, I meant ufo and the like had slip agents. I posted this hastily and forgot the facts....
Anyway,I have a good pearl,purchased a used Wisdom and drilled it up weak,and had my driller put it on the haus machine,but apparently it was still too strong for what I wanted to accomplish,knowing I was gonna be on a known dry set at my lanes. I had been wanting a weaker ball just for this but it's back to square one,unfortunatly.
Probably gonna score the ufo and have it to where the wisdom will cover a few boards and I can basically play straight up when the heads start to go.
You're welcome, of course. I like UFO because it only lasts 20 - 25 games and is easily removed. If you're sure that the oil or lack thereof is going to last a long time, by all means, use one of the others. Actually I believe Delayed Reaction has been discontinued, but many pro shops probably still have a bottle somewhere, if they had it at all.
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I myself have used the snake oil and the UFO both are great products when I've used ufo i generally see on avg about 2 ft added length on the lanes of course there are always some variables that will make a difference but it's a added help if your playing the burn
I have often needed to apply a 2nd dose of UFO to see the added length and reduced backend. I try to apply only as much as may be needed; better safe than sorry. You can always apply more of many things; it's harder to start over from scratch
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Is it necessary to use a ball spinner when applying a ball cleaner/polish like Reacta Shine to achieve the supposed 1500 grit polished finish or can it duplicated by hand as well?
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Is it necessary to use a ball spinner when applying a ball cleaner/polish like Reacta Shine to achieve the supposed 1500 grit polished finish or can it duplicated by hand as well?
Sadly, yes. You're not going to achieve the necessary pressure by hand unless you're Schwarzeneggar 30 years ago and even then you'll be tired.
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I still use Lane 1 / Beans Sauce. You can apply it by hand and get a decent shine. It has fine abrasives and works as good as any other polishes I have used.
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What's the best way to apply Reacta Shine to the ball using a spinner? Putting it on the ball first or on a cloth first? The bottle I have is a milky liquid that is very, very watery, and it tends to run everwhere. Also, after it dries to a haze, is it best to use really firm pressure and "burn" it in to the ball?
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What's the best way to apply Reacta Shine to the ball using a spinner? Putting it on the ball first or on a cloth first? The bottle I have is a milky liquid that is very, very watery, and it tends to run everwhere. Also, after it dries to a haze, is it best to use really firm pressure and "burn" it in to the ball?
The first very important step is to shake the bottle to insure whatever might have precipitated out, gets mixed back in. I'd bet you did not do this thoroughly, because the only truly watery polish I have encountered us Secret Sauce.
(Note: almost all polishes have the abrasive precipitate out of solution over time. That's why every polish instruction starts with "Shake thoroughly". Some are worse than others to mix it back up. Sometimes I have had to use a long flat balded screwdriver to get to the bottom and break up the precipitate. Some need to be shaken for an annoyingly long time.)
What I do for all polishes is to first apply some to the applicator; then use the applicator to smear it across the top half of the ball. This help prevent or at least reduce the amount of splatter, which is wasted polish. Once that is done, I turn on the spinner and work from top down the sides with light to medium pressure (depending on how much shine I want), spending more time on the side because that's the larger surface .
When I do this, I find very little dried haze and can already see the degree of polish that I want. Then I'll take the buffing cloth the remove whatever haze is left and buff it up.
If you want to burn it in to get a very high degree of shine, do that at the 1st stage where you're applying the polish. Start with medium pressure then use firmer pressure, but not so firm you stop the motor or even slow it down. Caution with the pressure. Use more polish for a more glossy shine.
Of course, if you really want a burned in shine, you should take the underlying grit level to 4000 grit and you should be using Xtra Shine.
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Beans secret sauce on my old Track Slash did wonders for me. And I burnt my in :D
so like what charlest said, burn in the shine, just don't break your spinner like someone I know lol.
(Vertex bucket is molded to the shaft, the one piece broke internally and I tried in vain to repair this spinner for a friend. Everything else works.)
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Beans secret sauce on my old Track Slash did wonders for me. And I burnt my in :D
so like what charlest said, burn in the shine, just don't break your spinner like someone I know lol.
(Vertex bucket is molded to the shaft, the one piece broke internally and I tried in vain to repair this spinner for a friend. Everything else works.)
He must have been pretty strong. While I'm not real strong, I am large. I have tried fairly firm pressure on my 1/2 hp Vertex and I couldn't slow it down. I urge everyone not to put excessive pressure on any spinner. You don't need to do that to get a strong high gloss shine. As I recommended above, you need to work smarter, not harder.
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Thanks charlest. I do shake the bottles of polish before using them, but it didn't dawn on me that they would separate that bad. My Reacta Shine has probably done this and is likely glopped together at the bottom. I'll have to try a screwdriver and see if that's the case.
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Thanks charlest. I do shake the bottles of polish before using them, but it didn't dawn on me that they would separate that bad. My Reacta Shine has probably done this and is likely glopped together at the bottom. I'll have to try a screwdriver and see if that's the case.
If it's really hard at the bottom, you'd be better off just buying a new bottle.