Hey guys,
At the risk of seeming a little controversial, do you think that people are getting a little too concerned about exactly how a ball is finished. I know that it is important to be able to try and replicate a surface, but there are so many different factors that go into a surface prep that it is rediculous. Here are some variances that you can notice, and if you disagree or agree, I would like to hear your opinion.
1) sanding the ball or matte finishes -
a) How new is the pad/sandpaper? When a scotch brite pad or sandpaper is brand new, it will give you a finish that is more coarse than used sandpaper/pad.
b) How much pressure are you using? This can play just as important of a roll as anything when finishing the ball. If you really lay into the ball, the surface will be alot rougher than if you don't put much pressure on it.
c) How fast is the spinner? Believe it or not, the speed at which the ball rotates in the spinner can determine how rough a finish is.
d) How abrasion resistant is the coverstock? We have covers that are very abrasion resistant, and they don't take to surface adjustments very well, while other covers are less abrasion resistant and can be resurfaced in a matter of 30 seconds.
e) What kind of material is the sandpaper/scotch brite/sanding compound made of? A diamond pad is going to dig a harder than carbide which will dig harder than nylon.
f) Is the pad/sandpaper getting clogged by the material? The depth at which the pad/sandpaper is cutting is just as important as the width of the cut. Usually the two coincide with one another, but if it gets clogged up at all, that changes the depth of the cut. We have some pretty tough materials that don't clog up the pad at all, while other materials can clog up the paper before you even get a decent finish.
g) Are you sanding 2 sides? 4 sides? 6 sides? The sanding patterns can make a slight difference as well.
2)With polishing there are a number of factors as well:
a) Is it a polish or buffing compound?
b) Does it contain wax?
c) Is there anything in the polish that will clog the pores?
d) How aggressive is the polish? ie. does it actually smooth out the sanding or is it just polishing the grooves?
I'm not trying to minimize the importance of coverstock preperation, but there are so many factors that can determine a surface, that when manufacturers state the surface finish, it is more of an approximation and suggestion than it is a very specific science. I can tell you from experience, that you can take two people and give them the same type of ball, and same scotch brite, and you will end up with two slightly different surfaces.
To answer your question scott, we have an automatic sander that we use to remove the engraving filler putty which uses a burgundy scotch brite pad. It then goes directly into the polishing machine. That being said, the polishing machine that we use is aggressive and uses a solid buffing compound that removes all sandlines/cuts. The finish should be pretty much the same if we used a green or gray pad and then polished it, because all of the grooves created by the sandpaper or scotch brite pads are completely removed by the buffing wheels.
Jason Wonders
Visionary Bowling Products
