When lanes are drying up (for me that is). I move all I can to the inside. Had this condition in practice.

Game 1. - Able to play the inside. Game 2 - Ball started to jump early. So I stopped and put some extender polish on the ball. Got about 5 throws and the ball was back to reacting like it did before putting on the polish.

So it got me thinking. Would it make a difference if I put several layers of polish on the ball. I am putting it on by hand. Not immediately. Maybe wait a frew hours.

Or am I wasting polish.

When lanes are drying up (for me that is). I move all I can to the inside. Had this condition in practice.

Game 1. - Able to play the inside. Game 2 - Ball started to jump early. So I stopped and put some extender polish on the ball. Got about 5 throws and the ball was back to reacting like it did before putting on the polish.

So it got me thinking. Would it make a difference if I put several layers of polish on the ball. I am putting it on by hand. Not immediately. Maybe wait a frew hours.

Or am I wasting polish.

Whose extender polish?

I knew a few polishes that were called "extender". Mostly they just used a finer grade of abrasive. If you apply a few coats of any polish, waiting or not, you probably will barely approach the results you can get by using a spinner.

If you want the finest (highest grit level) created by a polish (extender or "plain" polish), then you first need to sand it as fine as you can. That is a 4000 grit pad or, if you can get one, a White Trizact pad. Then apply the polish using a spinner.

If you can't use a spinner, then Storm's Xtra Shine  and Neo-Tac's Glide (supposedly 5000 grit) are two of the finest (meaning highest grit level) polishes I know of. I see Powerhouse has an Extender polish that they say is a "micro-fine polishing compound". It may fall into the same category.

Of course, no regular polish can do what one that contains a slip agent in it, such as Valentino's UFO, Neo-Tac's Control-It and Delayed Reaction (discontinued).  They increase length, decrease backend and decrease overall hook. You can apply these by hand for a definite use on drier lanes.

I am using PowerHouse Extender Polish. I bought two bottles of this stuff, and I am down to my last bottle. It works. It just doesn't seem last on the ball. That's what I was wondering if put a couple of coats on.   

One thing: polish is not a "coating" put over the surface of a ball, like varnish or paint is applied over wood. It is a micro-abrasive making the surface finer and finer as you press. I suspect yours doesn't last because you are applying it by hand. A "hand job" doesn't get the surface to that fine level (usually in the 5300 - 5500 grit range) that is so easy with a spinner.

The local center does not have pro shop, but it does have a home made spinner that I have access to. It doesn't spin the ball as fast as professional ball spinner.  Should I give it a try? Any tips before I do this. I want to do things right. I found instructions on the 6 sided method on bowlingchat.net.

Maybe I will just throw this bottle out and buy valentino's UFO, which is going to be my next purchase. Actually I was going to get one of their bundles. I just wanted to use up what I had.

Oh by way, the power house extender polish bottles are terrible. Both of mine I had to put duck tape around both bottles, because of cracking.

Sorry abut the bottles cracking; they might have been old or subject to large changes in temperature during stroage before you got them.

Power house makes excellent polish products. Their regular Factory Finish polish is one of my favorites. While Snake Oil is excellent (and I recommend it highly; it is my 90% polish) You should NOT throw out Extender polish; just put it in another container.

Yes, try the spinner; it will do 30 seconds what may take you 20 - 30 minutes by hand (and still not get the same results) and you'll use a lot less polish doing it.

Actually home made spinner often wind up being much faster than professional ones. You'll see many ball manufacturers now specifying spinner speeds of 300 rpm

For my money 6 sides is a waste of time, money and effort. 4 sides is just fine, maybe 30 seconds per side. Using a spinner is best done over time and experience. The first time I'd just smearing the dollop of polish over the top half of the ball before turning on the spinner. It will often fly all over you and the walls if you just press the dollop to the spinning ball. I'd start off with no more than a quarter sized dollop for each side.

Charlest,

So please contrast in your opinion the differences between Factory Finish, Snake Oil, and Extender and UFO.

I am guessing it may be in that order the expected lengths!

I am considering getting some Valentino products.  Reason I have an old AMF Clutch that I purchased from another member out here.  I remember he had maybe Snake oil or one of the like!  The ball has looked pretty good lately!

Snake oil fans, thanks for your answers!

Regards,

Luckylefty

One of the main reasons I really like Snake Oil is that it seems to have less aggressive micro particles/abrasives that do the actual "polishing". At one point, people, including myself, termed Snake Oil, a non-abrasive polish, but all polishes are really just micro-abrasives. Anyway, this means you have a greater control over the degree of shine, and thus, the grit level (and shine level) of the final polish.

Most other good polishes, like PH factory finish and Storm's Xtra Shine, have much more aggressive abrasives in the polish. While both a great polishes (I also use them regularly), it's harder to stop short of a high gloss finish. (Yes, varying the base sanding grit level, on which the polish is applied, will also vary the amount of shine, and, thus, the length you get.)

This degree of shine and the need for intermediate levels of polish/shine is, of course, much more important to the rev dominant, than to those with matched revs/speed or to the speed dominant.

I haven't used Extender in a very long time, but if I recall correctly, it is closer to Storm's Xtra Shine than to Factory Finish in that it has very aggressive and very tiny particles than take the grit level up very high and very quickly.

UFO is  completely different animal; its only close equivalents are PH's Delayed Reaction (not made any more, AFAIK) and Neo-Tac's Control-It. They use a particles that partially clog the "pores" of resin coverstocks, reducing or preventing the absorption of oil, which is one of the factors influencing how much a ball hooks. It is also polish that takes the grit level up a notch. The result is MORE length, LESS backend and LESS overall hook.

The different between UFO and the other two is that UFO does not use silicone, but an organic substance. It wears off in about 20-25 games and needs to be reapplied. It also is much easier to remove that the other two. A 4000 grit pad will normally remove it easily. The other two use silicone to block the pores and it lasts a long time. You need a more vigorous and more aggressive sanding to remove it, probably in the neighborhood of 500 grit; In effect, it's like plugging your ball's pores with automotive wax which use silicone. That's why you should never use wax on your balls, only polish.