If you check under the topic "Tech Death Confirmed", you will see some posts by Ron and many other members of this board.  This topic has stirred up some controversy.  

I am still a firm believer that the ball surface condition and its relationship to the lane condition is the most important factor as to how a ball performs.

I think if a ball's surface is clogged up by oil and dirt, or tracked up or worn down by the lanes, then the performance will suffer. I think the more porus balls do absorb oil and will release this oil with mild heat as a catalyst. Also, too much heat will damage a ball by separating the core or changing physical properties of the ball.

Resurfacing, cleaning and "rejuvenating" bowling balls will help extend the effective life of equipment.  But, because of the added performance ability of newer "hitech" reactive and particle balls, the lifespan of optimal performance
has been shortened in many cases.  Ideally, one would like the durability and low maintenance of a urethane or polyester or rubber ball with the peak performance and cover tweakability of the reactive and particle balls.  So far, it seems either the manufacturers are unable or unwilling to create this ideal product or maybe it would cost too much to buy.

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"Chopping Wood For over Two Decades"

My take on this product and I have spoken with Doug Sterner on it is this.

You are just doing a deep cleaning and I used this as an example.  The chemical penetrates and reacts and bonds to the oil dirt and plasticiser then as it shrinks it is drawing this out of the pores like like those Biore' strips women use on their faces.

You get a ball that has been deep cleaned.

What you are doing is treating the after effect of ball use.  

There is a saying: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

That is why I created the Elixir.  Nothing wants to stick to the ball.  If oil can't adhere then dirt won't be attracted and won't get stuck in the pores.  The Elixir solves the problem in the first place. Not the after effects this other product promises to make.

If you really think about the what the coverstock of a ball looks like it is like a tire, that is what makes it grab and cut through the oil.  The compounds in the coverstock is what determines what the overall objective is.  Whether to resist grab.....less tacky to hard grab..... more tacky.

If you think about a mud and snow tire it has big teeth to grip and yet compounds in the make up of the tire don't allow mud and snow to stick to it.  That was the purpose of designing the Elixir.  Let any coverstock do it's job and make sure that nothing sticks to it so it doesn't clog up.  If a mud tire were to get loaded it it can't grab that's why street tires get stuck in mud.  The compounds in the street tires don't alow them to resist the mud they were designed to grab the dry and not made for mud.

That is what is happening to all these balls after a while the resin compounds attrack grime, oil and belt marks and they stick to the surface and clog the pores.  The more careful you clean the surface you prolong the inevitable that is why resurfacing helps, it gets rid of the clogged up material in the coverstock.

The Elixir was designed to bond to the coverstock without filling up the pores of the coverstock and yet still allow the compounds in the coverstock to react as close to what they were designed to do. The Elixir does not allow lane conditioner to stick to the surface so it can't soak in and attrack dirt.

No lane conditioner, dirt, beltmarks etc......  No clogged pores.

Prevention at it's finest.  Sure beats the pound of cure that they are selling.

I hope this answers some of your questions regarding how all this DBS (Dead Ball Syndrome) occurs and why it is so important to take care of your equipment before all this occurs.  

Has anyone ever taken a brand new ball that is fresh out of the box, undrilled and unthrown and put in a revivor/rejuvenator or in the trunk of a car and see how much of this "plasticiser" is released?


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Doc
Owner and Inventor of
DOC'S MAGIC BOWLING BALL ELIXIR
For more information click on the link below
http://home.comcast.net/~docsmagic/
or message me at:
http://Doc65@aol.com

I wish i had some of your elixir to put on my icon 2, kinda late now..
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My Bowling Clinic Site: http://channelsurfers.vze.com

ASK A PRO:http://channelsurfers.vze.com/atp.shtml

Bowl.. Grab life by the balls.

Money is no object to me because I dont have any...

Edited on 7/26/2003 9:09 AM

CoachJim,
We are using the Hook Again system in our pro shop.  The owner of the shop took two of his balls, an original Vortex II and a Super Power and gave them the treatment.  The V2 had been "dead" for quite some time.  After the Hook Again process, his V2 was outhooking a new Raging Inferno.  I saw it for myself.  He also was throwing a couple other balls.  He performed his comparison test on the PBA "A" pattern, not a house condition.  He hasn't finished his Super Power yet, but it will be interesting to find out what happens to it.  I have a V2 which was my son's before I plugged and drilled it for myself, so it has a few games on it.  I am going to do a before test with it and then give it the Hook Again treatment to find out for myself how it performs.

BTW, the pro shop owner is a PBA player who knows how to throw the ball.  His take on the results of the Hook Again process is that it takes a ball that has lost that little bit of extra finish/hit and restores it to that of a new ball.
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RW (THB)

lol, heres my theory, "We can put a man on the moon, but we cant create a coverstock that dosnt die."

Im gonna buy the hook again for my icon 2, and get the reaction back for the fall season.
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My Bowling Clinic Site: http://channelsurfers.vze.com

ASK A PRO:http://channelsurfers.vze.com/atp.shtml

Bowl.. Grab life by the balls.

Money is no object to me because I dont have any...

If a ball "compresses" enough to "squeeze" the plasticizer to the surface, like a sponge, then the surface should also "decompress" accordingly, to allow the plasticizer to re-distribute itself back into the ball, when it's not being used.

Therefore, I don't buy Ebonites claim. Also, it is impossible for them to pour a ball, and have all the plasticizer come to the surface, around the whole ball.

Plus, the more pourus the ball, the more oil it will soak up. The more oil it soaks up, the less it will hook. This is contrary to what Ebonite claims, as they state the more oil that soaks in, the more the ball will hook.

A dull ball fresh out of the box, will hook much more than a ball after it's been thrown down the lane a game or two. =:^D

Michelle,
I don't know if our shop owner has tested his coverstock for hardness.  I suspect he will when his Super Power is done, since he is on Storm's regional staff and will probably want to throw it in PBA competition (maybe even this weekend in Springfield, IL).  In case you are wondering what he is doing with a V2, he used to be on Ebonite's staff.  His V2 died back when he was still on their staff, over two years ago.  The other balls he was testing, such as the Raging Inferno, belonged to other bowlers whose grips are similar to his.

CoachJim and Michelle,
I bowl ABT tournaments, and the last time I had my own V2 checked, it was legal.  When I do the before and after testing on it, I'll put it on the durometer both before and after.  I'm going to try to get to this next week, and I'll let you know what I find out.
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RW (THB)