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Author Topic: Cleaning of bowling balls  (Read 4596 times)

leenhouston

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Cleaning of bowling balls
« on: August 08, 2012, 11:20:38 AM »
This one really threw me....    My son takes lessons from a coach, (who has done wonders with him) but yesterday he said something I have not heard before.

He states that he only cleans his bowling balls ONCE they start to lose the reaction he is accustomed to having.    He said he only cleans them about every 2-3 months.  He wipes the oil off while bowling but uses nothing to clean them in between uses.   He goes by the saying, if it isn't broken, don't fix it.

This means that the surface oil sits on the ball and absorbs into the balls for several  months.   Everything I have heard says to remove the surface oil after every use for greatest ball life. 

Would especially love to hear the thoughts by the guys working directly with the equipment manufacturers.

 

Rightycomplex

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Re: Cleaning of bowling balls
« Reply #1 on: August 08, 2012, 11:51:38 AM »
Its not recommended, but you can not clean your equipment and continue to throw them. As long as you are taking the oil off the ball as you are bowling with a decent towel. Maybe he doesnt see enough oil for the ball to be seriously affected and the center keeps the curtains and belts in great condition so he doesnt really have to keep them clean. Just depends on your area and what center you're bowling in.

Around my way, i have houses that as long as you wipe the oil off, you can pretty much throw the ball until it falls apart. Then you have the houses where after a few shots the lanes grime the ball up and you're reaching for cleaner after a few frames. Just depends on your preference. I just spent a weekend at a bowling training program where coverstock sensitivity was an essential part of ball reaction. So i clean them after every use. Just a preference.
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leenhouston

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Re: Cleaning of bowling balls
« Reply #2 on: August 08, 2012, 11:59:03 AM »
Judging from the black belt marks that constantly show up on my equipment, the black grime I wash off my hands after every set and the inconsistent oil patterns/density I see every time I bowl, I'm going to say this house isn't great for ball longevity without frequent maintenance. 

I wipe my ball before every shot, and clean after every other set.  The white cloth turns black where it touches the ball.

I see the logic of his statement, but I'd like my equipment not to die out after a few months.


Rightycomplex

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Re: Cleaning of bowling balls
« Reply #3 on: August 08, 2012, 12:11:56 PM »
Well, like i said depends on conditions. He might throw the ball up the boards in the friction, might have a low tilt to get the ball to turn the corner.

Lol! I feel you on not having your equipment die without maintenance. Oh well, we cant all do it. I know a guy who polishes his ball with finesse it, spins the heck out of it (90* axis rotation), with an extremely low tilt so he can stand left and throw right. He never cleans his equipment and in turn shoots a decent score every now and again. In his mind, he's a guru, in real life... he's nuts for lack of a better term.

Like i said, preference.
James C. Jones
Orbdrillers Pro Shop Holiday Bowl
Chester, Va.

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BallReviews-Removed0385

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Re: Cleaning of bowling balls
« Reply #4 on: August 08, 2012, 12:19:35 PM »

The coach is uninformed, to put it nicely.  You cannot clean the ball too often. Mine never even get put in the bag until they have been cleaned. 

After being in the shop for the past 10 years or so, and seeing oil just pour out of them in the Revivor for hours upon hours, it's crazy to think that all that lane oil would not have a negative affect on ball reaction.  Every ball needs friction to grip the lane and perform.  When the cover is oil soaked it's much more difficult.  Now, if you bowl on the Sahara Desert then it may take longer before the ball is oil soaked...


larry mc

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Re: Cleaning of bowling balls
« Reply #5 on: August 08, 2012, 12:43:18 PM »
so if i dont clean the ball would the oil make my 16 lber over weight , just a silly question that entered my head

milorafferty

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Re: Cleaning of bowling balls
« Reply #6 on: August 08, 2012, 12:55:40 PM »
so if i dont clean the ball would the oil make my 16 lber over weight , just a silly question that entered my head


Great point larry, I have always thought the same thing. And if we extend the weight gain idea further, then we should be able to tell when a ball needs to have an extraction done just by weighing it, right?
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larry mc

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Re: Cleaning of bowling balls
« Reply #7 on: August 08, 2012, 01:00:33 PM »
so if i dont clean the ball would the oil make my 16 lber over weight , just a silly question that entered my head

good point

Great point larry, I have always thought the same thing. And if we extend the weight gain idea further, then we should be able to tell when a ball needs to have an extraction done just by weighing it, right?

BallReviews-Removed0385

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Re: Cleaning of bowling balls
« Reply #8 on: August 08, 2012, 01:03:30 PM »
Would the accumulated lane oil make the 16 lb. ball overweight, or illegal? 

No. Even the large amounts of oil we draw from some (neglected) coverstocks doesn't weigh very much.  Starting weight for most 16s is 16 pounds, give or take a couple ounces.  Drilling removes maybe 3-4 ounces.  And as long as the ball was legal when it was manufactured you should not be concerned. 


raiderh20boy

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Re: Cleaning of bowling balls
« Reply #9 on: August 08, 2012, 01:14:57 PM »
first, a 16 lb ball usually is somewhere between 15-12oz and maybe 15-15oz. after drilling. If you had a ball that weighed 16.00000000001 that would be considered illegal! I have had 1 bowler with a ball that when drilled was around 15-15 1/4. He used the ball all season and regionals, and when weighed in Reno at the ABC (quite a few years ago) was told that it was over 16 lbs. Was it oil absorbtion? Can't really say as a large hole was drilled in it and when he came in the shop, it weighed about 15-14 1/2!
I would assume that the closer, but under 16.000 the ball is, there is a possibility of it "gaining weight" to become illegal.
« Last Edit: August 19, 2012, 12:50:55 PM by raiderh20boy »