BallReviews

General Category => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: duvallite on March 18, 2016, 10:01:24 PM

Title: Lacquer Thinner = big oops
Post by: duvallite on March 18, 2016, 10:01:24 PM
I had just de-oiled (5 hrs) and resurfaced back to OOB my teammate's neglected Virtual Gravity.  He was impressed with how well it reacted again, except for complaining about the belt marks it now seemed to get.  Well, he shows up last night and struggled badly, with little ball movement, and his ball looked like a shiny marble.  After talking with him, turns out that he had decided to use lacquer thinner on it to clean it last week, and I'm guessing that it probably dissolved the surface enough to smooth the surface out.  So now I'm redoing it again.  Hope he learned a lesson, and hopefully it didn't do any permanent damage to the coverstock.
Title: Re: Lacquer Thinner = big oops
Post by: Juggernaut on March 18, 2016, 11:36:34 PM
 There was a study a few years back that showed certain types of chemicals could interact with the shell materials and actually cause the pores to shrink, effectively lowering the oil handling abilities of the cover.

 Im not saying thats what happened here, just saying things like that are certainly possible.
Title: Re: Lacquer Thinner = big oops
Post by: lilpossum1 on March 18, 2016, 11:39:34 PM
You mean I might be able to make my weak ball weaker?  I need that for my Thursday league!
Title: Re: Lacquer Thinner = big oops
Post by: Juggernaut on March 19, 2016, 05:02:01 AM
You mean I might be able to make my weak ball weaker?  I need that for my Thursday league!

 Depends on the chemical makeup of the coverstock, and whether or not you could find the "right" chemical compound to have this effect on it.

 If it is a "weak" ball, it may not have lots of porosity to begin with, so any effect something might have on it could be limited anyway.

 Balls with coverstocks that have high rates of porosity should see far more change by something like this than low porosity coverstocks.
Title: Re: Lacquer Thinner = big oops
Post by: WOWZERS on March 19, 2016, 06:43:57 AM
Some might be surprised at the intense chemical reactions that occur when the coverstock is poured. The amount of exotherms created is very high and is also the reason non-employees should not be in the area that balls are being poured.

I am honestly surprised that we have not heard or read on people being injured from being exposed to the chemical reactions by accident that work for the ball companies.

Saying that, who knows exactly what chemical is in the cover and yes, different chems will mix differently providing different chem reactions with the cover causing an effect most would not want to occur. That is why we should use an approved product only when cleaning the ball. 
Title: Re: Lacquer Thinner = big oops
Post by: Gatekeeper on March 19, 2016, 07:50:28 AM
That explains why they pour them in Mexico, lol!!!
Title: Re: Lacquer Thinner = big oops
Post by: Bowlaholic on March 19, 2016, 07:51:15 AM
I have a teammate who is cleaning his ball with acetone all the time and then he complains each week why his ball is not reacting like he thinks it should.  Is the acetone actually melting the peaks on the surface creating what was described above using paint thinner? 
Title: Re: Lacquer Thinner = big oops
Post by: t1buck on March 19, 2016, 09:16:17 AM
BOth of the cleaners mention are on the banned list of ball cleaners. Not for use anytime. An have been since ABC Days.
Title: Re: Lacquer Thinner = big oops
Post by: charlest on March 19, 2016, 10:31:42 AM
I have a teammate who is cleaning his ball with acetone all the time and then he complains each week why his ball is not reacting like he thinks it should.  Is the acetone actually melting the peaks on the surface creating what was described above using paint thinner? 

Yes, it is and it's absorbable by human flesh. He should wear gloves as he destroys his ball.
Title: Re: Lacquer Thinner = big oops
Post by: WOWZERS on March 19, 2016, 12:17:30 PM
As for where the balls are poured after the Mexican reference, I believe why most/all of the clear balls are poured overseas is because the companies can't get clearance for the chemical reactions to create a clear ball here. Visionary's clear balls were produced in Korea.
Title: Re: Lacquer Thinner = big oops
Post by: Track_Fanatic on March 19, 2016, 02:30:29 PM
As for where the balls are poured after the Mexican reference, I believe why most/all of the clear balls are poured overseas is because the companies can't get clearance for the chemical reactions to create a clear ball here. Visionary's clear balls were produced in Korea.

I wonder where Track's Flaming T spare ball was made.
Title: Re: Lacquer Thinner = big oops
Post by: WOWZERS on March 19, 2016, 02:56:37 PM
Overseas. I was on Track's staff at the time and received one of the first that made it here. I added a link to an ebay auction for a new Flaming T.  Says made in Korea, just like Visionary's clear balls.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NIB-Track-Flaming-T-15-pounds-Bowling-Ball-/131746441942?hash=item1eacb32ad6:g:qEUAAOSwzgRWtvNR
Title: Re: Lacquer Thinner = big oops
Post by: luv2C10falll on March 19, 2016, 03:37:06 PM
480$.........Somebody been sniffing some thing. ......
Title: Re: Lacquer Thinner = big oops
Post by: WOWZERS on March 19, 2016, 04:44:30 PM
Yeah I would never pay that either.
Title: Re: Lacquer Thinner = big oops
Post by: duvallite on March 19, 2016, 05:14:38 PM
I have a teammate who is cleaning his ball with acetone all the time and then he complains each week why his ball is not reacting like he thinks it should.  Is the acetone actually melting the peaks on the surface creating what was described above using paint thinner? 
Exactly what I'm thinking.  After explaining to my teammate to use isopropyl alcohol if he doesn't want to spend (too cheap) the money to buy an approved ball cleaner, if he does it again, he is on his own next time.
Title: Re: Lacquer Thinner = big oops
Post by: Juggernaut on March 20, 2016, 06:48:11 AM
NEVER USE STRAIGHT ACETONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Acetone will actually dissolve the coverstock material on a microscopic level.
Title: Re: Lacquer Thinner = big oops
Post by: Strapper_Squared on March 20, 2016, 07:53:53 AM
When your cleaning towel turns the color of the ball, it's time to look for a new cleaner!