Sanding with 1200, 1500 or even 2000 grit sandpaper will get an earlier ball reaction than polishing a 400 grit sanded ball with any of several levels of ball polish. The finely sanded ball will, of course, go longer and hook less at the backend than a ball sanded with rougher sandpaper (600 vs 400, 1200 vs 1000, 2000 vs 1500, etc.). The down side is that when sanded with very fine grit, bowling, especially for those with higher rev rates, will bring the ball down in grit level to around the 600-800 grit level, in a time range commensurate with the worn level of the lane surface (be it synthetic or wood) and with the rev rate of the bowler. Therefore, the bowler needs to constantly adjust the grit level of the ball back to level, he or she requires. 2000 needs adjustment more often than 1500, 1500 more often than 1200, and so forth down the line.
Polish appears, for any number of reasons, to need/require adjusting less often than balls whose surface is adjusted solely by means of sandpaper or nylon pads. The factor is possibly 3-5 times less frequent, again, depending on a number of factors.
Polish will also make the ball go longer, before snapping more violently than the equivalent sandpaper adjustment. The matte finish of a 1200-200 grit bowling ball will hook earlier and more evenly than a polished bowling ball, IN GENERAL. Also, the finer the finish BEFORE polishing, the less violent the snap at the backend. The drier the lane, the more violent the snap. The lower the bowler's track, the more violent the snap. Combine all the factors and you have a LARGE range of degrees of snap, from a small amount to a large amount.
Example:
I have recently modified both an original Columbia Boss Pearl and a FIre Quantum. Both have 400-600 grit sanding, followed by polish. Both coverstock, SuperFlex and Power Koil 18, respectively, are VERY strong resin covers. At times, while both will often clear heads when there is medium oil on them, once the head or midlane oil begins to get depeleted, both balls will hook in the heads, even though there is still apparently some oil left. THESE ARE BOTH STRoNG PEARL BALLS!
I have sanded both to 1200-1500 grit and then re-polished both to their original luster. Both balls now go considerably longer with less backend and less overall hook. They now need less oil to clear the heads, much less than before. The degree to which this will also work for the individual bowler will vary with many factors, including, but not limited to:
- ball speed,
- axis tilt,
- angle of rotation of the release, and
- amount of head and midlane oil
--------------------
"Just because you can do something does not mean you should do it."
