Okay, new to layouts...but not new to bowling.  I'm looking at a Black Widow, although not specifically:

Lots of people have listed there drilling layouts, but what do they mean.  I see some say they have the pin above or below, but what does say 5" pin to PAP mean?  What does PAP stand for?  What does HMB stand for?  Does PIN stand for anything.  And what the degree mean when they say 60 degrees?

I'm sure this question is easy for a lot of you, but I can't find a definition of any of them on the net anywhere.  If you can point me to a link that would be fine!  I'm more curious as anything, not wanting to be a driller.  

thanks!

Mizzou,

Pin is the top of the weight block. Manipulating the position of the pin relative to your positive axis location (PAP) is how one tweaks the shape of the shot (slight hook v. curve). HMB probably refers to the mass bias of the ball. Weight blocks may have an offset portion of the block (asymetrical). This is another tweaking or fine-tuning option. The link below can give you some starter principles for degrees or hours of lay outs.

Try this link out for some general information. It is not inclusive, but a good place to start. http://www.rollrite.co.uk/secrets.php

Edited on 12/20/2006 3:04 PM

Check out the BR FAQ.  It's in the Misc section, probably somewhere in the first few pages.  Covers a lot of that stuff in detail.

The pin is a small dot, about 3/8", that marks the top of the weight block.
The PAP is the positive axis point, the point on the surface that marks the initial axis your roll the ball on.  If your PAP was at the north pole, it would spin like a top.
The HMB is Hammer's way of marking the mass bias, PSA, or whatever you want to call it for a ball with an asymmetric core.  Brunswick uses a small white dot (like the pin, but about 1/4"), as do most of the companies that Brunswick manufactures.  Storm puts "RAD" or something like that (related to the name of the core).  Track puts a little picture or "RC".  Ebonite puts a bomb symbol.

Distances like 5" pin-to-PAP mean that the pin is 5" from the PAP.  Higher numbers usually mean later reactions, shorter usually means earlier.  Pin above or below is usually above or below the fingers.  Above is later, below is earlier.  Degrees is the angle between the pin-PAP line and the pin-CG or pin-MB line.  Pin length is the distance between the pin and CG, top weight is how much heavier the top is than the bottom if you put the CG at the north pole and slice the ball in half along the equator.

SH