Extracting oil from a ball

[boston_represent]

Hi people,

Just wanted to get peoples advice regarding extracting oil from a ball's surface? I just extracted oil for the first time from 2 bowling balls which are a couple months old by placing them in front of a small room heater and the oil just kept coming out. I wiped the excess oil off using a seesaw but the oil won't stop coming out! I've now wiped it dry 6 times and it's still extracting out of the surface!

I've been told submerging the balls in a bathtub of hot water is also a great way to extract the oil. I'd like to know which method extracts the oil more quickly.

Once all the oil is extracted, how should the ball react on the lane? Should there be a significant amount of more friction as a result?

By extracting excess oil regularly from a ball, will it prolong the life of the ball? How often should this be done?

Does oil extraction need only apply to coverstocks such as grit/matte/abralon and not pearl/polished coverstocks?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys!

 

[Tiger]

Here's a few old threads I found which may have some relevant info for you regarding the topic..
Here, Here, Here & Here

 

[Brunswick Tech]

Kitty litter is very good for extracting oil from a ball, its absorbtion properties will suck the oil right out of the ball, works even better under MILD heat................try getting some clean kitty litter, crush it up so that it is reasonably fine and sprinkle over the ball, let it sit for at least 24 hours.

Shawn

 

[boston_represent]

After reading some of the old threads, it appears that the 2400w room heater is a suitable option. I've extracted a ton of oil using this method and I'm interested too see how the ball will react now.

 

[KriDdLe]

Be carefull with the room heater what you think is oil may be the resin from the ball.This may not be to good for your equipment.

 

[disco stu]

good to see you were listening in the seminar KriDdLe

MAtt

 

[johnnybg]

Just a note on extracting oil from a ball,several years ago i was told the best way to extract oil was to put it in a tub of warm water with laundry detergent(the powered stuff was better),this was from a respected ball driller,so that was the thing to do,an worked well.

But this year when i bought a new ball,i did the same thing as i had done with all my gear.I had bought a Absolute Inferno,used it for 16 games,an thought "well the Animal Untamed could use a wash so i will stick the Absolute in with it"

Yeah well imagine my surprise wen the thing came out white lol,,,,,,,,,my face went the same colour as the ball,an there was nothing the matter with the Untamed.

After stressing for 3 days(over a long weekend) i eventually was told that its the resin coming out of the ball,an the person didnt seem too worried about it,an found out by accident that by putting oil back into the ball,the colour came back,which sort of defeats the purpose lol.

Is there a moral to this storey,not really lol,maybe its just the technology changing with the gear these days,wat you could do before,you cant do now,i found out the hard way,but the ball is still good,so thats the main thing,

johnnybg

 

[Bowling Balls Australia]

I have been told personally by two manufacturers, the best way is to put the ball in a bucket of hot water (as hot as you can out of the tap, but not boiled) with a good squirt of quality dishwashing liquid.

Leave it in there until the water has cooled enough to get your hands in there to take it out, wipe it over with a soft cloth and away you go.

If the ball is really dirty, a scotchbrite can be used whilst the ball is in the soapy water.

Max

 

[Rayzer]

Just thought i'd put a quick note in... make sure the ball sits in room temperature for a while so the temp transition of the ball when put into the water is minimised
R

 

[boston_represent]

Be carefull with the room heater what you think is oil may be the resin from the ball.This may not be to good for your equipment.

A very true statement as I recently discovered. As I continued to extract what I thought was oil from my Track ball, I noticed that when I wiped it clean, there was a purple colour to the cloth I was using. Looks as though I went a bit too far with the 2400w heater and started extracting resin from the ball which started taking the colour out of the coverstock. It didn't however affect the balls reaction on the lane. It was as good as it's ever been, but I've learned a valuable lesson as a result and will be more careful in future.

 

[Speaks Some Evil]

Kitty litter is very good for extracting oil from a ball, its absorbtion properties will suck the oil right out of the ball, works even better under MILD heat................try getting some clean kitty litter, crush it up so that it is reasonably fine and sprinkle over the ball, let it sit for at least 24 hours.
Shawn

That is crap!
How would kitty litter remove oil from a ball without any heat?

Have you considered that maybe your cat came along during the night when your ball was covered in Kitty Litter and pissed on your ball? I think that is the only way it would have looked wet in the morning.

Have you been eating the kitty litter again?
Stick to fixing Brunswicks mr tech!

 

[Brunswick Tech]

That is crap!
How would kitty litter remove oil from a ball without any heat?
Have you considered that maybe your cat came along during the night when your ball was covered in Kitty Litter and pissed on your ball? I think that is the only way it would have looked wet in the morning.
Have you been eating the kitty litter again?
Stick to fixing Brunswicks mr tech!

Kiity litter absorbs the oil out of the ball in the same way that the oil out sand absorbs the oil out of the lane before resurfacing........no heat is involved in this process, yet the sand is oily in as little as 12 hours.

The density of maple timber and the structure of the cells make absorbing the oil out of it a lot harder than a bowling ball.

Get your facts right, you clown!!!!

Your knowledge of the bowling would not fill a thimble...........stick to playing with your balls...............

Shawn

 

[Rig]

Brunswick Tech is correct. Kitty litter (the pellet form)is used in the safety and industrial sectors commonly to absorb oil and hydraulic spills for containment and cleaning. Sticking a ball in a garbage bag filled with kitty litter indeed works in oil extraction.
Dennis
Safetyexpress Pty. Ltd

 

[jason_doust]

I have been told personally by two manufacturers, the best way is to put the ball in a bucket of hot water (as hot as you can out of the tap, but not boiled) with a good squirt of quality dishwashing liquid.
Leave it in there until the water has cooled enough to get your hands in there to take it out, wipe it over with a soft cloth and away you go.
If the ball is really dirty, a scotchbrite can be used whilst the ball is in the soapy water.
Max

I'm with you on this one Max. We used to do this back in urethane days on the advice of Fred Borden and it still works. Dishwashing detergent will clean your greasy pans, so lane oil is a cinch. I can do 5 at a time in my laundry sink too! I like to rinse them under the tap with warm water to get residual detergent out of the surface. My logic for this is that the reactive resin messes up the lanes too fast already without adding detergent into the mix! (Damned new fangled gear!)

That said, I can see why kitty litter would work too! Must get around to trying that one.

Cheers
Jason

 

[latty]

Meanwhile, a study uncovered that hot water doesn't just extract oil from the bowling ball, it removes the reactive resin coverstock also...

 

[jason_doust]

Studies show that smoking causes no harm too.

OK, that may be so. But as you would only do this a couple of times a year at most, it's hardly an issue. I don't see how the plasticisers would leach out in the 5 minutes it takes to get the oil out.

Let's face it. Most of this stuff rolls a lot better with some oil in the case. I would never wash the surface of a ball right before a big event, as the ball would react too much on the fresh backend and then less and less for the next 6 games, including the transition to carry down. Not a good look.

And if washing the ball does reduce the reaction of the ball, then get some more roll on the ball with your fingers or move your feet.

Cheers,
Jason

p.s. If you're going to wash a ball, be sure to tape up the holes first!

 

[RONALD C]

Kiity litter absorbs the oil out of the ball in the same way that the oil out sand absorbs the oil out of the lane before resurfacing........no heat is involved in this process, yet the sand is oily in as little as 12 hours.
The density of maple timber and the structure of the cells make absorbing the oil out of it a lot harder than a bowling ball.
Get your facts right, you clown!!!!
Your knowledge of the bowling would not fill a thimble...........stick to playing with your balls...............
Shawn

Shawn,
I worked for an oil company for 8 years and know just about all there is to know about oil.
I can assure you that the reason your oilout product is wet within 12 hours is because it is taking oil from the SURFACE of the lane. It would be nearly impossible to extract oil from inside timber or bowling balls without a change in atmosphere! Eg heat or cold.

Do you think these particular items have magic qualities that make them talk to the balls and lanes and ask the oil to come out?
Think about it, if oil is inside your ball and you sit your ball on an absorbent product, do you really think it will drag all the oil out of your ball?
I can assure you it doesn't.

There is a range of products that you and some other people on here are thinking of and they are either classed as adsorbents or absorbents depending on what they get used for. The ones you are talking about are absorbent and are generally used for ABsorbing excess oils, eg spills or oils on top of a surface. These products range from mulched up egg cartons to products as high tech as sand.

Oil is a product that changes its viscosity when certain variables change eg temperature. It thins out with heat and sets like candle wax with cold. EG if you heat the oil up it will thin out and come out of your ball, but if you cool your ball down it will thicken in density and you would be more chance cracking your ball to get it out than let it sit on some kitty litter and magically absorb it.

So before you go shooting off your mouth as if you know everything, do a bit of homework mate.
You always seem to think because you know a bit about lanes and tech work that you are the guru with everything else also.
I can assure you there is a fair bit you still have to learn about the basic principles of oils and their reactions with substances and atmospheres!

If there is anything else you need to know about oil and why these so called miracle products suck oil out of surfaces, give me a shout.
If you need any of this clarified for you i will give you the phone number of one of the head chemists at the Caltex refinery lubes division. I am sure he will make you very rich if you give him the recipe to one of your formulas, because there are thousands of acres of land in Australia alone that are currently being decontaminated over lengthy periods of time, and are waiting for a rocket scientist like yourself to come along with a product that will miraculously suck all the oil out of the ground and make them all better! lol

So in closing, stop trying to make yourself sound clever and go back to playing with your pin decks and lane machines you clown!

Regards,
Ronnie

 

[RONALD C]

Brunswick tech said
"The density of maple timber and the structure of the cells make absorbing the oil out of it a lot harder than a bowling ball."

By the way, can you explain this statement to us in a little more detail please?

Tell us exactly what you know about the density of maple timber and the structure of the cells in maple timber?
Also the difference between these "CELLS" in maple timber and those in a bowling ball?
Don't forget to cover the few different varieties of maple timber and also the few different compositions of coverstocks and ball surfaces.
It all sounds very interesting!

I am going down to Milton now to see if i can get the techs job on offer, it seemed to make you very smart in the couple of shifts you did there!

 

[bowlrig]

"OUCH"

Can not wait for the response to that.

Rob

 

[bowlrig]

Ronnie,
Just a quick question.
If the lane has been sanded and there is no physical sign of oil on the lane, where does the oil in the oil out come from?

Not trying to be smart, just interested.


Rob