hot water treatment

[Steven]

hi ppl id like some opinions on the hot water treatment with bowling balls is this an ok thing to do i usually just get a bucket of warm to hot water and a bar of soap sit the ball in their for 15 minutes then wipe the ball off with a towel to get the oil off and if theres more oil coming out i then put it back in for another 15 minutes has anyone out there had the core seperate from the shell from doing this as i find it a great method for bringing back dead bowling balls it works great but is this really ok to do lots of people say yes some say no i do it sometimes but am not sure whether to do it or not id like some opinions thanks a million



steve armstrong

 

[Brenton_Davy]

Champ,

A couple of things you need to take into account.

1. make sure the ball is at least at room temp when you put into the warm to hot water otherwise the shock of the sudden temp change might cause sudden expansion of the cover causing separation.

2. make sure the soap you use DOES NOT contain lanolin, as that is a lubricant and will negate the benefits of cleaning the ball, leaving a residue on the surface of the ball that will prevent the resin in the ball surface doing what it is designed to do, ie create friction. The best cleaner to use is Jif or similar cream cleanser. It contains no lanolin and any residue is easily wiped off with a towel.

 

[Captain Fudge]

Hi Champ,
I agree with Brenton about sudden change of temperature.
Even if the balls are at room temperature I suggest you start with luke warm for 10-15 minutes and then use water no hotter than your hands can stand to reduce any risk of causing damage.
I have been using this technique for some years and have had no apparent damage done to my gear.
Cheers

 

[granat]

I believe the Morichbowling.com website details how to do it under the cleaning section. Worth a read although their method looks like it requires a ball spinner to do a rough sand before soaking and then to return the ball to original finish. I've tried it and it worked very well
Graeme