BallReviews

General Category => Drilling & Layouts => Topic started by: BlueMage on March 12, 2008, 10:05:50 AM

Title: Easiest way to get a slug out of the thumb hole
Post by: BlueMage on March 12, 2008, 10:05:50 AM
So...what is the best way to accomplish this?? I want to swap my slug out for an old reliable hard plastic sleeve, but at the same time don't want to screw up!

Help!
Title: Re: Easiest way to get a slug out of the thumb hole
Post by: fluff33 on March 12, 2008, 06:10:22 PM
Unfortunatelly the best way is to drill it out.
Title: Re: Easiest way to get a slug out of the thumb hole
Post by: the pooh on March 12, 2008, 06:21:51 PM
Fluff is right.You don't "get" them out. You drill them out.
--------------------
the pooh
Title: Re: Easiest way to get a slug out of the thumb hole
Post by: BlueMage on March 12, 2008, 06:53:54 PM
I was afraid of that. I tried to carefully get a thin screwdriver between the ball and the slug and got nowhere fast and quit before I did damage. My next little question is then how can I shorten the span by a small margin without plug/redrill? I also need to make the thumb hole smaller (the reason I wanted to replace the slug in the first place!)
Title: Re: Easiest way to get a slug out of the thumb hole
Post by: fluff33 on March 12, 2008, 07:08:52 PM
What I do in a case like this is to simply install another slug that overlaps the old one by the amount you want to shorten the span.  And, yes, double slugging is allowed by USBC.
Title: Re: Easiest way to get a slug out of the thumb hole
Post by: JessN16 on March 12, 2008, 09:27:28 PM
LOL...you guys should have asked this three hours ago. I just got finished taking four slugs out of balls.

Drilling them out is the best way provided your drill press can take the stress. On my press, drilling out a slug vibrates the press so badly that I have to end up realigning and tightening a lot of things afterwards.

Unless the ball is so old its coverstock is brittle, you can get it out with a STRONG flatblade screwdriver (I have a thick-shaft, diamond-edged GM Goodwrench blade) and hammer, and just work around the outsides until you can get it to pop loose. It will be hard work and the old slug will come out in pieces, but it will work in most cases.

Another good tool to have while you're doing that is a thin-shaft flatblade that has its plastic handle removed/broken off. You'll get the big screwdriver stuck a few times and will need the thin-shaft screwdriver as a helper.

If your drill press is good enough, use it. If not, the screwdriver method can work but you have to be patient.

Jess
Title: Re: Easiest way to get a slug out of the thumb hole
Post by: ToppDogg on March 13, 2008, 11:22:17 AM
what i do if i have a 1 1/4 slug in there i use 1 1/8 drill bit an then use a screwdriver it make it easy to get out with a 1 1/4 bit u might miss
Title: Re: Easiest way to get a slug out of the thumb hole
Post by: bowler001 on March 13, 2008, 12:26:47 PM
Yeah, use a smaller bit, usually, a 1-1/8 for 1-1/4 slugs and 1-1/4 for 1-3/8 slugs and drill at the same pitches. That will leave you a fairly thin layer around the edge of the hole. Then take a flathead or something similar and slide it in between the slug and the ball, then a little tap tap with a hammer and it should break out. Pretty simple actually.