Author Topic: Plastic (Read 1155 times)

normy · « **on:** November 25, 2008, 01:36:19 PM »

A buddy and I bowled tonight after league. We decided to only bowl with plastic balls. I throw a brunswick target zone and he throws a columbia white dot. He said tonight that I was covering the most boards with my plastic because mine hooks more than his. Is one of these balls more aggresive than the other?

Juggernaut · « **Reply #1 on:** November 25, 2008, 09:52:11 PM »

Even with simple plastic balls, there are several factors that play into how much one ball will hook when compared to another similar ball.

Being plastic, and having simple pancake weightblocks, shell hardness, surface finish, and static weights will have quite an influence on them, not to mention the difference in each bowlers delivery.

Is one of those balls more aggressive than the other? Even though they are designed to be quite similar, odds are that one of them has more of the proper characteristics that will allow it to hook than the other one does.

In the old days (when the pros were throwing plastic for strikes), Many players used to illegaly soak their plastic balls in different chemical compounds to soften the shell and make the ball hook and hit harder.
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normy · « **Reply #2 on:** November 25, 2008, 10:00:20 PM »

Neither one of us has changed the surface of the ball. My ball has quite a bit more throws on it since I bought it used and my other bud uses it in league along with me. I dont have any idea about the static weights since I dont have a scale. His release is pure cranker and mine is more tweener. But for this I drastically altered my release to get it to hook. So since he is a cranker he feels that the only way I can cover more boards than him is purely by ball. He really believes the ball is the only difference. So say the static wieghts are drastically different how many more boards do you speculate my ball will reacte more than his?

Thanks for the reply BTW.

Edited on 11/25/2008 11:00 PM

jonbowler298 · « **Reply #3 on:** November 25, 2008, 10:05:53 PM »

He may be more speed dominate and you may have a slower ball and more side rotation on it making your ball read the lane sooner then his...

Strider · « **Reply #4 on:** November 25, 2008, 10:10:55 PM »

A wise poster on here said that plastic balls hook more as they age. Whether it's hardness, microscopic changes in the shell, or a flatter track area (since plastic doesn't flare much) even after a resurface... Who knows. Anyway, an old White Dot (or fill in your favorite) will hook more than a brand new one, no matter what you try to do to the surface.
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normy · « **Reply #5 on:** November 25, 2008, 10:11:59 PM »

I know that we could be making the balls hook differently. Thats my argument. I think I have a slower ball speed plus side which makes me cover a board or 2 more than him. Im asking about pure ball dynamics. If you put a white dot in my hand and a target zone in my hand which ball will hook more? I dont know about the static weights so say my ball has as much side in it as it can get and his doesnt how many more boards do you think it wil cover 1? 5?
I appreciate the replies.

Juggernaut · « **Reply #6 on:** November 25, 2008, 10:14:13 PM »

quote:
Neither one of us has changed the surface of the ball. My ball has quite a bit more throws on it since I bought it used and my other bud uses it in league along with me. I dont have any idea about the static weights since I dont have a scale. His release is pure cranker and mine is more tweener. But for this I drastically altered my release to get it to hook. So since he is a cranker he feels that the only way I can cover more boards than him is purely by ball. He really believes the ball is the only difference. So say the static wieghts are drastically different how many more boards do you speculate my ball will reacte more than his?

Thanks for the reply BTW.

Edited on 11/25/2008 11:00 PM

As for exactly how much more your ball could react? There really isn't any way to say because total hook is predicated on a balls total hook potential multiplied by the bowlers ability to use that potential.

With your friend being a cranker, I will say that there are times when you could find the "less is more". What that means is, there are times when a cranker can put TOO MUCH on a ball and the extra rotation actually keeps the ball FROM hooking. A lower friction ball with lower dynamics in the core ( such as the white dot and the Target zone ) can sometimes continue to skid if thrown with too much revolution or too much speed. Your slowe revolving ball may actually HELP the ball create enough contact friction with the lane to allow it to go through its transition phase properly.

RAW POWER isn't always the answer. Sometimes a little finesse can do wonders.
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Juggernaut · « **Reply #7 on:** November 25, 2008, 10:19:27 PM »

quote:
If you put a white dot in my hand and a target zone in my hand which ball will hook more?

No way to know. It would depend on the individual ball itsself. If you got a "soft" target zone and a "hard" white dot, the target zone would have more hook POTENTIAL. If it was the other way around, the "soft" white dot would have more potential.
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KennyRambo · « **Reply #8 on:** November 25, 2008, 10:22:50 PM »

I found the target zone to be earlier rolling to but smoother at the break point, while the white dot tends to go longer and flip more.

normy · « **Reply #9 on:** November 25, 2008, 10:25:26 PM »

So in other words the possible difference is so miniscule as to barely make a difference? Would mainly depend on the bowler?

Maine Man · « **Reply #10 on:** November 25, 2008, 10:25:50 PM »

quote:
And actually, they are not plastic, they are polyester. Polyester is the polyol that is used in bowling balls. There are 45 or 48 polyols used in the manufacturing of plastics. We call them plastic, but plastic is a broad term. The balls are polyester.

Thanks for clearing up that heated argument between plastic and polyester.

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JohnP · « **Reply #11 on:** November 26, 2008, 09:39:47 AM »

There's essentially no difference between a WD and a TZ. The difference is in the way the ball's thrown. Juggernaut's got it right, the cranker is throwing the ball so hard and with so many revs that it's never gripping the lane - skidding all the way through the pin deck. -- JohnP

scotts33 · « **Reply #12 on:** November 26, 2008, 09:43:57 AM »

I've got a Legends Arrow durometer 78 and a Ebonite Maxim durometer 84. The Arrow definitely hooks slightly more than the Maxim. I think because the cover is slightly softer. Viz-A-Balls seem to hook more because they are softer than many poly balls.

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Scott

Hogsharley · « **Reply #13 on:** November 26, 2008, 09:55:42 AM »

My brand new Viz hooks more than my beat up old WD. I had to put it away because it would hook at the last moment and flag the 10 pin.

quote:
I've got a Legends Arrow durometer 78 and a Ebonite Maxim durometer 84. The Arrow definitely hooks slightly more than the Maxim. I think because the cover is slightly softer. Viz-A-Balls seem to hook more because they are softer than many poly balls.

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Scott

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Author Topic: Plastic (Read 1155 times)

normy

Plastic

Juggernaut

Re: Plastic

normy

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jonbowler298

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Strider

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normy

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Juggernaut

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Juggernaut

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KennyRambo

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normy

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Maine Man

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JohnP

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scotts33

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Hogsharley

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