General Category => Coverstock Preparation => Topic started by: no300tj on December 31, 2010, 09:25:20 PM
Title: surface prep how long does it last?
Post by: no300tj on December 31, 2010, 09:25:20 PM
OK, I have a question regarding abralon surfaces. Maybe it's just my imagination, but it seems like when I use abralon for the surface, it doesn't last very long. How long do you guys get the desired ball reaction before you have to redo the surface? 4000 only gives me 10-12 games before the starts getting earlier. Rougher grits get a few more games. It seems to me, in the days of sandpaper, I could get 30-40 or even more before I noticed a change in the length of the ball reaction. What do you think?
Title: Re: surface prep how long does it last?
Post by: Brickguy221 on January 01, 2011, 09:20:02 AM
I don't know the answer to your question of Abralon vs Sandpaper but I would have to guess that the person with high revs will get fewer games off of a surface prep than a person with lower revs does.
"Whenever I feel the urge to exercise I lie down until the feeling passes away."
Brick
Title: Re: surface prep how long does it last?
Post by: JustRico on January 01, 2011, 09:31:58 AM
It depends on what you are bowling on. A rougher surface has an intended use in volume which means it will absorb more oil smoothing quicker. A smoother surface will tend to last longer, unless bowling on a bad surface which can burn the surface quicker.
Each situation can tend to be different.
The views and opinions expressed by myself are solely those of mine and NO one else, nor are they affiliated with anyone else.
Title: Re: surface prep how long does it last?
Post by: Nails on January 01, 2011, 10:27:52 AM
Ric, can you explain that further? Why would a dull ball absorbing more oil "smooth the surface"? I would have assumed that a ball thrown on more oil would see less friction and the surface would hold up longer, no matter the grit.
Telling it like it is.
Title: Re: surface prep how long does it last?
Post by: charlest on January 01, 2011, 11:44:19 AM
" it seems like when I use abralon for the surface, it doesn't last very long. How long do you guys get the desired ball reaction before you have to redo the surface? 4000 only gives me 10-12 games before the starts getting earlier. Rougher grits get a few more games. It seems to me, in the days of sandpaper, I could get 30-40 or even more before I noticed a change in the length of the ball reaction. What do you think?"
10-12 games for a P4000 grit surface sounds about normal/average to me. Remember this is as fine a surface as is put on a ball today. I don't remember ever having such fine a grit as sandpaper. They were much rougher, with typical grits being 600, 800 and 1000 grit US. Heck 1000 grit US (which is approximately P2000 grit Abralon) was considered incredibly fine.
Some of the newer balls need refreshing even sooner, according to some authorities, due to their Ra and Rs roughness levels getting smoothed out very quickly.
See Steve Richter's notes in this thread about the Theory:
I have not used sandpaper for a long time now, even though I have a spinner I do not refresh the surface that often. If you look at the ball with a magnifing glass you can see the scratches are still there after 10-12 games.If you keep the ball clean with a good cleaner after every set of bowling and use a microfiber towel after every shot during competition I think you will notice the ball will keep the reaction longer. The only coment I will make about sandpaper is this. If you don't mind taking more of the surface off of the ball each time you use it, then use sandpaper, but you will still have to keep the ball clean for best results. 4000 grit Abralon is not much surface to begin with so it will not hold up as long as the other grits. Since you ask, this is what I think.
jodyk24
Edited by jodyk24 on 1/2/2011 at 3:59 PM
Edited by jodyk24 on 1/2/2011 at 4:07 PM
Title: Re: surface prep how long does it last?
Post by: snowspike1 on January 01, 2011, 06:23:08 PM
is anyone else having text chopped off.......need to do a quote to read the 3 - 5 words off screen.
sorry off topic but the problem i seen was in this thread (for me anyway)
Title: Re: surface prep how long does it last?
Post by: vilecanards on January 01, 2011, 06:45:56 PM
I'm also missing the last word or two of each line, but so far this is the only thread I've seen it happening.
Life is not a matter of holding a good hand, but of playing a bad hand well. (R. L. Stevenson)
A nation of sheep will beget a nation of wolves. ~ Edward R. Murrow ~
Title: Re: surface prep how long does it last?
Post by: vilecanards on January 01, 2011, 06:48:31 PM
Quoting the above allowed me to read the parts that were chopped off at the end of the lines, but when I re-posted the quote they are still chopped off at the end of the line...
Life is not a matter of holding a good hand, but of playing a bad hand well. (R. L. Stevenson)
A nation of sheep will beget a nation of wolves. ~ Edward R. Murrow ~
Edited by vilecanards on 1/1/2011 at 7:50 PM
Title: Re: surface prep how long does it last?
Post by: jodyk24 on January 02, 2011, 03:57:17 PM
They made the Coverstock Preparation with more width than
we really need. I cut back on the width of the words to see how
It works.
You should not have to this, but you can shrink the size of your screen
and this will help you out until they get it fixed. Before you get on
signed on right click your mouse and bring up Display Properties
then go to Settings and change your screen size from 800-600
resolutions to a higher setting, then click on apply to make changes.
I was able to read the posts easier and move around better.
jodyk24
Title: Re: surface prep how long does it last?
Post by: Weaser on January 02, 2011, 04:49:56 PM
There is a scroll bar at the bottom of each post. Move bar to right to access more text.
Gary Proud Member of the Track Legion Tag Team Coaching Success Story
Title: Re: surface prep how long does it last?
Post by: jodyk24 on January 02, 2011, 05:12:01 PM
When this post started the scroll bar would not go over far enough right and sometimes
now it will not go back to the left. I guess it is just a work in progress at this point.
I did not like the site that well at first but it seems to be coming around. Just takes time.
Jodyk24
Edited by jodyk24 on 1/2/2011 at 6:17 PM
Title: Re: surface prep how long does it last?
Post by: snowspike1 on January 15, 2011, 02:36:00 PM
3 weeks ago i did a surface change in my Virtual Energy (previouse surface i used Ebo FF and the ball never did grab the lanes).
new surface.....400 wetsanded (4 sides), 800 wetsanded (2 sides), 2000 wetsand (4 sides), and the Brunswick Ruff Buff on 2 sides (size of quarter,each)... burned polish in with bare hands on all 6 sides...
Results so far...
Wk1 679
Wk2 708
Wk3 684
question is how lone before touching surface up? Am only using that ball in the one house (41' oil) Now that i found a surface that works with me & lane I want to keep it. Thinking i'll let the normal cleaning i do be good for now and see how it reacts on the 4th wk. maybe then touch with a little of the RB not sure if i really would need to goto the last paper (2000).
Title: Re: surface prep how long does it last?
Post by: onlybowling on February 22, 2011, 08:55:37 AM
The cover meets the lane - the rubber meets the road - and the rubber wears away. The structure of the cover which includes more than I know -- degrees of harder -vs- softer - the density of the honey comb structure which is the oil soaking ability....The chemistry of plastics have changed the balls....
It seems to me that the major differences between "P" rated sand paper and abralon are - Flexablity and porosity of the backing material - depth of the cut - and the cut pattern. U.S. rated sand paper grits are very different when compared to "P" rated Abralon - this is easily seen as you go into lower grits - The depth of cut is an immeadiately obvious difference.
Polished surface seems to sustain the desired ball reaction a bit longer for me - perhaps the polish cushions and protects the balls' surface. Game 11 reveals a ball surface very different from game 1....
OnlyBowling
Title: Re: surface prep how long does it last?
Post by: MrPerfect on February 22, 2011, 11:18:48 AM
I was always curious how this worked with polished surfaces. I really don't use polish anymore, but what about polish on a freshly surface prepped ball? I know that I always need a few games to dial in a polished bowling ball, but by the time I dial it in it's time to repeat the process.
I'm starting to wonder if it's better to hit my polished equipment with a 4000 pad by hand just to get more time out of my cover between prep times.
Title: Re: surface prep how long does it last?
Post by: tekneek on February 23, 2011, 07:18:06 AM
I watched a vid a couple weeks ago that touched this topic. A fresh ( new ) ball was checked for surface prep and RA factor prior to drilling. After 12 games the finish, in the track area had been reduced from 4000 abralon to roughly 2000, at the end of 30 games the same area was down to approx 500 - 100 abralon thus the ball begins to set up earlier and earlier as the ball is used. They recommended to keep a ball at factory specs a ball could be slightly re-touched with a 2000 then 4000 pad after every 15-20 games to maintain the factory finish, this was not a heavy resurfacing but a surface prep to maintain the desired finish.
Steve Leading Edge Pro Shop brinkley2223@yahoo.com 512-755-2947