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Author Topic: Silly question about urethane  (Read 3337 times)

xrayjay

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Silly question about urethane
« on: August 08, 2016, 08:30:22 PM »
I've owned several urethane balls and it seems these balls "wake up" or perform nicely after sitting stagnant for awhile. Is it a dumb observation on my part, or is there some scientific unforeseen forces working here?

« Last Edit: August 08, 2016, 08:34:22 PM by xrayjay »
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charlest

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Re: Silly question about urethane
« Reply #1 on: August 08, 2016, 08:38:14 PM »
I was going to say something about their having absorbed oil, while they sit, but oil absorption has, as far as I know, nothing to do with a true urethane's performance.

I wonder if it has more to do with your perception and the possible changing of different oil pattern/amount you see when you take it "out of moth balls"??

What is the normal amount of time they sit unused??
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spmcgivern

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Re: Silly question about urethane
« Reply #2 on: August 09, 2016, 08:06:39 AM »
Or the urethanes will collect oil on the cover during use making them appear weaker than expected.  Once the ball sits for a while, any residual oil can dissipate and you have a fresher cover than what you ended with the last time you threw it.
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xrayjay

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Re: Silly question about urethane
« Reply #3 on: August 09, 2016, 11:09:15 AM »
They sit/sat for months. Not including the old urethane since vanilla ice (hammer purple?), but the current urethane balls - storms natural (x2) and current blue are the ones I had/have.

The blue is the one I own currently and it sits in the locker at the alley for rainy days.
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charlest

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Re: Silly question about urethane
« Reply #4 on: August 09, 2016, 11:29:37 AM »
Quote from: xrayjay on August 09, 2016, 11:09:15 AM
They sit/sat for months. Not including the old urethane since vanilla ice (hammer purple?), but the current urethane balls - storms natural (x2) and current blue are the ones I had/have.

The blue is the one I own currently and it sits in the locker at the alley for rainy days.

The new Blue Hammer is a urethane/resin blend, as far as I know. I have also had long times between uses, thankfully. I have not noticed any difference in performance, but I suspect, it's been too long for me to remember a difference. It is definitely a mild ball, very susceptible to carrydown.
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avabob

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Re: Silly question about urethane
« Reply #5 on: August 09, 2016, 01:25:19 PM »
I haven't noticed what you talk about but urethane, including vintage urethane from the 80's, does absorb oil.  Not to the degree resin enhanced urethane does, but enough to impact performance.  My old blue hammers tended to turn greenish blue and die much the way resin does today.  Restoring the surface to factory grit did not significantly improve performance.  Also, not sure that modern blue hammers are resin enhanced.  Vintage blue hammers came at 500 grit
. Modern ones at 4000.  Also the core is different, much lower rg.  Those changes make it difficult for me to conclude whether there is any resin
« Last Edit: August 09, 2016, 01:27:39 PM by avabob »
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xrayjay

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Re: Silly question about urethane
« Reply #6 on: August 09, 2016, 01:40:12 PM »
I remember using one of my naturals being used a lot in my travel league for a whole year. When the season was over, the ball sat in my closet in a single bag for several months. What I remembered noticing was, the lower portion of the ball was "wet" and the top dry.

Have anyone noticed this before?

Charlest: the blue is very mild, but when the lanes/conditions permit, this ball is amazing. I actually enjoy throwing this vs. my naturals.

bob: I think that's why I don't remember the exact color of the hammer that was given to me back then, it had hazy look to it. but i think it was purple lol
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avabob

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Re: Silly question about urethane
« Reply #7 on: August 09, 2016, 02:07:08 PM »
They made a purple hammer too, but the blue hammers came a very light powder blue from the factory.  They tended to darken and take on a greenish sea blue tint over time.  We didn't know anything about oil absorption back then but in hindsight it sure seemed to be a factor in the degradation of blue hammers. 
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charlest

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Re: Silly question about urethane
« Reply #8 on: August 09, 2016, 02:24:51 PM »
Quote from: xrayjay on August 09, 2016, 01:40:12 PM
I remember using one of my naturals being used a lot in my travel league for a whole year. When the season was over, the ball sat in my closet in a single bag for several months. What I remembered noticing was, the lower portion of the ball was "wet" and the top dry.

Have anyone noticed this before?

Charlest: the blue is very mild, but when the lanes/conditions permit, this ball is amazing. I actually enjoy throwing this vs. my naturals.

I know; I have one. (I thought I mentioned that. Sorry.)

Quote
bob: I think that's why I don't remember the exact color of the hammer that was given to me back then, it had hazy look to it. but i think it was purple lol
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charlest

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Re: Silly question about urethane
« Reply #9 on: August 09, 2016, 02:26:48 PM »
Quote from: avabob on August 09, 2016, 02:07:08 PM
They made a purple hammer too, but the blue hammers came a very light powder blue from the factory.  They tended to darken and take on a greenish sea blue tint over time.  We didn't know anything about oil absorption back then but in hindsight it sure seemed to be a factor in the degradation of blue hammers. 

Bob (And Ray {small joke}),

I thought we were talking about the new Blue Hammer.
The old one was a rock (talking about trying to change the surface), while the new one is a pussy cat.
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2HANDSALLDAY

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Re: Silly question about urethane
« Reply #10 on: August 12, 2016, 02:00:57 AM »
I have not noticed any temperature related performance issues
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