Don't sweat it?

Brett

New Member
I have always gotten oil out of my ball by sweating it (either putting it out in the sun or in front of a light or something like that), but I heard that you shouldn't do this as it can be bad for the ball, especially the core. Any ideas? :?
 
I don't think the core will be affected. However, using the sun may be a long process to get a large portion of the oil out. Down here at Ed Fleming Lanes i've seen the Revivor Oil Extraction Unit in action, and it is very effective. Admittedly it costs more than the sun ($35) but it is well worth the money, as your ball will be totally dry in 2 hours.
 
Hey Bud

Hey man,
I think your thinking of the opposite. If you leave your ball out in the cold it freezes the aprticles and yes, either yoru core will crack, which is highly unlikely in most cases, or you will have seems from the ball expanding too much, like rips on the surface of the ball. This has happened to me many of times, but its GREAT for the ball if you "sweat it". I find that sticking it in a tub of hot water is the best for me, or using some rubbing alcohol to bring out the elemtnts of the ball,. Rubbing Alcohol is the best cleaner for me so far, but mind you, dont use this on sanded balls as it will scrape and strip the coverstock down, only on dull andp olished balls!!!! lol, take care all.
 
Alot of conjecture about whether or not resin is actually released from the coverstock during heating. Some people are of the belief that yes indeed, it isnt just oil you are leeching out, but resin aswell. Not sure if anyone has actually done any indepth analysis on what actually happens, for some strange reason i seem to remember robbieB posting something in the area.
 
I beleive Brunswick have done some research into this.
They used two balls both drilled exactly the same....

They bowled one for 70 games and then compared it to the new ball. They found a big difference in reaction...

After using the Rejuvinator, they compared the balls again and found no visible difference between the two....

Sounds good enough for me :)

The article is on the website under the "learning lab" if any one is interested.



Team Brunswick Australia

www.Brunswickbowling.com
 
Sweating the ball is excellent to get rid of the oil. One way is to put it in a hot bath with soapy water. As Dan said thats a good way to get rid of MOST of the oil. Another way, and it will take some time, so its best to do it when you havent got anything planned for an hour or so. Use a hairdryer to draw the oil out. Do it as if your were resurfacing a ball, do six sides of the ball. It gets the rest of the oil out and the ball is just like new.... well sorta. Then use a cleaner before u bowl the next time. It doesnt matter wot brand, just any ball cleaner. Should work well




Later
 
Yeah i do the same thing.
Cover over my finger and thumb holes with tape and just put it in a tub of really hot water.
The ball comes out more tacky and the oil ends up in the water.
Then you can use a ball cleaner if you want.

I guess its just personal preference on what you think works the best.
 
another thing you can do is to pack the ball in a bucket with opti-sorb around it. Then put it out in the sun. The opti-sorb will absorb all the oil out of the ball. Ebonite has a similar product out now called "Hook-again" which is supposed to remove "plasticizer" from the ball near the surface.
 
Hey guys,
As far as i know, the only way that sweating the oil out of the ball by using the sun or a hairdryer, heater etc, will affect the core of your bowling ball, is if you bring it straight out of the heat area and place it into a cold place, say for instance you take the ball away from your heater and place it into a room at the back of your house that isnt being heated. As far as i know this may cause a core seperation, so i reckon its iffy???
Question though...
When you place the ball in say for instnce you bath to get the oil out, do u place the whole ball under water or just say a half? Curious guys, ive always wanted to try this but too scared i'll ruin the ball! Lol....
cheers
DaN :wink:
 
I clean my equipment thoroughly every week.
How I do this is:

1} Take bowling ball and sit it in front of the two-bar heater in the lounge-room (Using 2400 watts) and put the ball about 10-15cms away from the grill, making sure you are constantly monitoring this.

2} Once you have a bowling ball so soaked with oil that you can see your own reflection in it, you take the ball and put it in a paint tin (I use a large plastic bucket I used for painting a picket fence with) I fill the tin full of BOILING hot water.

3} Let the ball soak for a few minutes, then I scour the surface with steel-wool (do it properly, none of this fairy stuff), I empty a bit of water out of the bucket so as the ball is pertruding above the water line slightly and scour away.

4} Make sure you keep turning the ball around and around as you scour it.

5} Once you are satisfied that you've got as much oil as you can out then run it under the hot shower for about a minute, then take your ball and dry with a towel.

6} Dry inside the holes with a tissue, push them right down inside the hole and soak them out.

I guarantee your ball WILL be clean, mind you, I do like my bowling balls to be very dull.

Give it burl, and see if this works. :wink:
 
Thanks everyone for your help. I got one of my old balls and put it in a bucket of hot water, and about 5 seconds you could already see the oil pouring out of the ball. It's a hell of a lot faster than putting the balls in the sun. I'll try it with my other balls and see how they go.
Does anyone know whether a ball would remain polished if you put it in hot water, or would the water remove it? And does it work the same for all coverstocks?
 
The stuff that comes out is not oil but the plasticiser (resin). Very little oil comes out of the ball with it, according to my tests. Ebonite have a new system (Hook-again) which also removes the plasticiser buildup at the surface - they claim (on their site - ebonite.com) that the buildup is caused by track compression from the ball rolling down the lane (I am not convinced that this is the case).
Completely submerging the ball has had no effect on my gear - I don't even bother covering the finger/thumbholes. (disclaimer - I don't use slugs, so don't blame me if they fall out. :) Lifters are fine). It may affect very light balls (less dense cores) and will definitely affect older balls with cork-based cores (just in case anyone but me still has one :wink: ).
Use hot water, up to about 70 deg.C and a good detergent - Dawn dishwashing liquid or a good laundry detergent. Leave it soak for 10-15 min, swishing the surface occasionally with a cloth (or, if you are lazy like me just let it soak for an hour or more). Wash off under the hot tap, blot out the holes with paper towels, and let dry.
Most of my gear is polished, and it does not seem to affect the finish.
As far as core separation and cracking goes, try to avoid large (>50deg) temperature changes. Taking a ball from 30 to 70 deg with hot water is a lot safer than pulling one out of the boot in the middle of winter and pouring boiling water on it. If you feel the need to use really hot or boiling water, warm it up to 50-60 deg first.
Oh, and don't use a clothes dryer - the noise upsets the neighbours.
 
:shock: :shock: :shock:
Sorry buddy, but did u just say a clothes dryer!
Is that not the biggest "what the" i've seen on this site!
Whats goin on there mate....
:shock: :shock: :shock:
Cant say ive tried myself...hahahahahaha
DaN
 
Why Crack

since i brought Rhino RE back in 1996 i think and it was so perfect conditions and havnt bowl for 6 years, i have been away while my family is looking after my stuff like bowling bag etc, and later was told my ball Rhino RE just got crack up they have no idea how that happen but other 3 balls look alive and well i have hammer, Pro Rhino (black) Pro Rhino (blue) i have heart broken cause i love that Rhino RE can anyone explain why ball would crack anytime for short period of time,
 
I have always gotten oil out of my ball by sweating it (either putting it out in the sun or in front of a light or something like that), but I heard that you shouldn't do this as it can be bad for the ball, especially the core. Any ideas? :?
I have done it for years and I think its a matter of being patient - go out there every half hour while the sun is on it, spray with rubbing alcohol and wipe until dry with paper towels, rotate the ball a 1/4 turn and repeat. The performance is noticeably better - hooking more marked and the snap at the end is very much better. In the winter I do it with a cardboard box and a hairdryer set on low in a hole in the top of the box. Spray with the alcohol and wipe it all off - in an hour its fine. Certainly a lot cheaper than the $35 to get it done at the pro shop.
 
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