The history of oil - interesting reading

[GeorgeF]

Got this from a bowling website I check out from time to time, interesting reading

BowlingChat.net • Forum • View topic - History of Oil from PBA forums author Gary Beck

As we continue to explore where bowling came from, where it is now, and where we would like for it to go, I believe it will be helpful to take a look at how lane conditioning has evolved over the past several decades.

Background - the numbers below reflect values from the PBA National Tour and were provided by Len Nicholson and John Davis. The primary ingredient of lane conditioners is mineral oil, a by-product of petroleum distillation.

1970 - approximately 4 milliliters (ml) of conditioner was applied to each lane. In 1970 the conditioners contained 10% mineral oil and 90% solvent. The solvent helped disperse the mineral oil evenly across the surface of the lane and would then evaporate. So in terms of the amount of actual "oil" placed on the lane in 1970, it was .4 ml.

1971 - approximately 6 ml of conditioner was applied per lane, with the percentage of mineral oil increasing to 20%. Effective amount of oil per lane was 1.2 ml, or 3X the amount of oil used in 1970.

In 1971 the average number of games bowled per lane during a PBA event's qualifying rounds between re-oiling was forty-eight (48).

1973 - "soakers" were first used in '73 and STP was added to the conditioner to help increase viscosity. The ratios were 19 parts mineral oil, 79 parts solvent, and 2 parts STP.

1975 - the Shure D and Yellow Dots were introduced, and the percentage of STP being added to the oil almost doubled to 3.5%.

1978 - the LT48 was launched and oil volumes took a dramatic increase. The percentage of mineral oil increased 50% and the amount of STP being added climbed to 5%. Compared to 1970, the depth of the oil was 450% greater, and because of the STP, the oil was thicker and more slippery.

Up to this point in PBA history, the distribution of oil was fairly even from front to back.

1980 - the introduction of urethane caused a dramatic shift in the volume and distribution of oil applied to the lanes. Total volume per lane increased to approximately 10 ml. and solvents and STP were removed. New "slick agents" were introduced. 1980 oils typically contained 1-2 additives. Effective increase in the volume of oil on each lane compared to 1970 - 2,500%!!! Not only is there 25X as much oil on a lane, the majority of it is loaded into the front part of the lane.

1990 - volumes have now climbed to 15 ml per lane and oils contain 4-5 additives.

2000 - volumes average 22 ml per lane and oils now contain 7-8 additives and slick agents.

2010 - volumes are as high as 28 ml per lane and oils contain 10-12 additives and slick agents. Not even considering the "slickness" and "viscosity" of today's oil, the volumes are 70X what they were in 1970.


From Gary Beck head of the Teen Masters bowling tournament


Added by Mo Pinel

Good article, but I disagree with the percentages of mineral oil and solvent in lane conditioners in the old days, at least within my sphere of knowledge. I have been involved with bowling chemicals and finishes since 1979 as a maufacturer, consultant, or technical director. In 1979, I was hired as technical director of US Polychem. My knowledge of conditioners goes back as far as DBA 501 and 511, and Perry Austen Old Style. Solvents were added to the early conditioners as leveling agents since a lot of conditioners were applied by spraying in those days. The solvents reduced the surface tension of the oil, allowing it to level smoothly. The highest percentage of solvents that I'm familiar with is 36% solvent. Another important factor to be considered is that lanes were not stripped clean everyday, by most bowling centers until the mid '90s, so they were just adding incremental oil on a daily basis. Once you strip and oil everyday, you must start from scratch every day, as long as the cleaner section is working properly. So the trend to more oil is not as drastic as it appears. A distortion of history is occurring. We ARE using a lot more oil than we used to. If we were stripping well everyday in the early '70, I believe we would have used between 10 and 13 mls of oil on a daily basis. Just an estimate by a guy who has been in this business since Moby Dick was a guppy!

 

[BigDaz]

Makes you wonder if the increase in oil over time was to accomidate the more aggresive gear being released, or if that gear was produced as a result of the slicker lane conditions. I'd imagine its option 1. Come to think of it, was probably to also accomidate the more aggressive techniques the players were starting to develop.

I remember one of the PBA TV commentators a while back (might have been Marshall Holman, was in the 90's era) saying that Mark Roth was one of the 1st guys to put the big revs on the ball and make effective use of it.

When you think of sports like tennis/cricket/baseball/football(all renditions), these games havnt evolved the way bowling has. Just makes one wonder why the game was pushed in this direction and so many other sports have remained untouched for decades.

Not ranting/complaining, just pure observation

 

[androooo]

Oil increase was made to counteract the balls.

Then, to counteract the heavier, slicker oils, manufacturers make stronger balls.

Bowling centres add more oil to the surface of the lane to protect their investment...

Ball manufacturers make stronger balls to combat...... Ah bugger it, you get the idea.

 

[amagill]

Oil increase was made to counteract the balls.

Then, to counteract the heavier, slicker oils, manufacturers make stronger balls.

Bowling centres add more oil to the surface of the lane to protect their investment...

Ball manufacturers make stronger balls to combat...... Ah bugger it, you get the idea.

Then we end up with the patterns we bowl on today... They change so quickly, I doubt any pattern laid down, would be within spec after a few games...

 

[John_Velo]

Hi Guys,

I believe you also need consider the lane surface.

Years ago a Columbia Yellow Dot would take about 30 games before a track line was present on the ball. These days a harder plastic spare ball takes about six shots before a track line appears.

You also never had a machine laying the oil way back in the yester year, it was a mechanic with a manual pump pack and a guess to how far 40 foot down the lane was. Every lane was a little different.

But times have changes and the conditions and balls a lot more challenging to get right than it ever was.

For me bring on the change and the new challenges.

 

[jason_doust]

Great thread John!

Mo adds the critical point to this story - lane washing. I remember when the lanes were washed every week. The difference between Sunday and Monday was quite pronounced in the old days, but less difference than we see in a 10 game squad during an open event these days. Then washing happened twice a week, because they guys who couldn't be bothered learning to hook the ball liked it and now we wash at every opportunity to keep the punters happy and the lefties from winning everything. (Not to mention the wonderful increase in sales made by the companies selling lane wash and lane oil!)

Today's "oil pump" bowling balls are oleoscopic and attract and absorb oil, so they remove much more oil than previously. Ball cores that create track flare expose more ball surface to the lane, which obviously increases the rate of removal - a lot. The second is the sheer amount of friction (which I half-laughingly refer to as "freaktion") that modern balls possess. You just get so much more change in ball motion out of modern gear, so when the pattern changes in a way that old gear would barely see, new gear hangs or dives depending on the change in pattern.

So we change it faster and see it sooner than the old days. This is why sport patterns seem so hard sometimes. They change before our eyes. House blocks do it do, but because the oil is placed strategically to assist players in reaching the pocket from wayward shots, we still end up rewarded if we're in or around the right part of the lane and get a LOT more time to see the changes required.

This relates directly to the EARL discussion somewhere else about how you can't stand on the same board and hit the same board 12 times for 300. You must either move or miss the right way for the pattern to guide your ball back to the pocket. Unless you have a low rev rate and are playing on the great wall of (insert your local pie house here), the pattern just won't sit there long enough for you.

I hope this clears things up for more people than it confuses!

Cheers,
Jason

 

[jason_doust]

Afterthought - This really puts the "we have so much more oil today" argument to bed. Because we just have so much more friction to deal with than we used to. Yes, we use more oil, but boy, oh boy, do we have more friction than ever! (Especially outside 10 board on your average house ditch.) We wash lanes more frequently and more aggressively than ever and we use 1980's volume outside 10 board. Any wonder so many people throw the ball so fast and so straight! If you want to know where player numbers have gone, look for the guys who roll it slow and are competitive at an open level. There's not many to be found any more!

 

[Ash]

When you think of sports like tennis/cricket/baseball/football(all renditions), these games havnt evolved the way bowling has. Just makes one wonder why the game was pushed in this direction and so many other sports have remained untouched for decades.

They have though, it's just not as easy to spot. I bet you wouldn't see a 200+ Kph serve in Tennis with a wodden racquet, or a 350+ yard drive with an old wooden Golf Driver, and think, in Golf, there isn't a lot they can do to the course to keep up with Club/Ball Technology, not on existing courses anyways..

Sports Such as football, there have been many inprovements in ball tech, and in the boots they use, you didn't really see guys bending shots like they do these days, and in Rugby League, a 70 Metre drop kick was unheard of, but it happens today, granted the advances in most codes of football have been relatively small, but there really isn't much room for improvement, those sports (football codes) are more about the competitors than the equipment.

Yes, equipment advancement and lane surface advancement have changed the game completely, but not nessessarily for the worse you know, the thing I find the most exciting about the modern sport of bowling, is the strategic element of bowling a tournament, knowing what to use, when to use it, breaking patterns down to suit yourself, playing multiple lines (some times on the one pair), doesn't anyone else think that adds a level to the sport rather than just;

Step 1: Look at target
Step 2: Hit target.

(Yes I am taking a little poetic license there to the "good ol' daysers", I know there was more to it back then...)

It's like a formula one race, it's not just about who drives the fastest car anymore, it's a team event where they have strategies, and the wrong strategy can make the fastest car/driver combination lose a race, with no driver error...

I dunno, I do agree that Leage play with ditch shots and all that isn't helping the sport, but then, really leage play isn't really the "Sport" part of bowling is it? Tournaments are where it's at, and I've never in my somewhat short life seen a bowler/ball combination that couldn't be beaten by the right oiling pattern.

If we were still throwing wooden balls with two holes (anyone remember that?) on wooden lanes with pin boys, honestly, how many of you would even have taken up the sport at all? let's all be butally honest here.... You'd laugh at a sport like that, or dismiss it as archaic and irrelevant.

 

[BigDaz]

If we were still throwing wooden balls with two holes (anyone remember that?) on wooden lanes with pin boys, honestly, how many of you would even have taken up the sport at all? let's all be butally honest here.... You'd laugh at a sport like that, or dismiss it as archaic and irrelevant.

I used to bowl on mum and dads front veranda (is tiled, and about 35ft x 7ft in size). I saved up dozens of 600ml bottles and used an old Foam ball i found in the shed (had 1 big hole right thru it, had something to do with boats, like a big sinker, but made out of foam ..... i spose you would call it a big floater, too much info!!)

Anywho i'd spray the front half of the veranda with water to try and create the oil/friction effect. Never really worked, but i had some great times out there!!

Edit: Back on topic, Wouldnt it be something if somebody opened or created a retro Bowling alley, with old school gear/pin monkeys and like were used, along with old oiling techniques. Obviously not very practical, but amusing none the less

 

[John_Velo]

Hey Daz,

You know, I am happy with things the way they are and happy to accept the changes and new challenges good or bad.

I find trying to explain the differences to Dad just frustrating, he needs to throw a game or two to understand.

Loved the past and learned a lot, looking forwarded to the future and learning even more! Because there is more to it these days.

See you soon at the Illawarra tourn.

 

[mickyd213]

Afterthought - This really puts the "we have so much more oil today" argument to bed. Because we just have so much more friction to deal with than we used to. Yes, we use more oil, but boy, oh boy, do we have more friction than ever! (Especially outside 10 board on your average house ditch.) We wash lanes more frequently and more aggressively than ever and we use 1980's volume outside 10 board. Any wonder so many people throw the ball so fast and so straight! If you want to know where player numbers have gone, look for the guys who roll it slow and are competitive at an open level. There's not many to be found any more!

I agree that we do have more friction these days. Both from the surface of the balls to the synthetic lanes that are used today. But before the advent of synthetic lanes and high tech oiling machines what did we bowl on. Lacquered lanes and oiling with a mop and rag dipped in lane oil. Then came the early oiling machines but these were still laying oil down on wooden lanes... We still had friction on these lanes as well... But the gear we used wasn't as aggressive.

On a side note, I must be one of the lucky ones who bowls on a condition which has oil outside of 10 bored and decent volume and length. Having said that though there is friction outside of 7 board.

 

[willey]

Just proves what I have been advocating on this site for Years. Take Off the Oil on the Lanes and you will eliminate the Reactives, we all remember what it was like trying to Bowl on a Lane that the Pattern had broken down badly, whilst using a Reactive, only to find those Fantastic Lefthanders were flinging it down 5 Board and complaining when they rapped a 7 pin.

I know working in the Centres how hard it was to keep a lasting Condition when the Oil we were using wasn't up to it, and working for AMF we were ordered to only use AMF supplied products, when we knew there was better stuff out there.

willey