What is the best way to clean your bowling balls

[Tam]

Hello my name is Tamara
I have previously brought a game by columbia whch is a partical ball. I have heard that partical balls cant get re surfaced is tis true? and also what would be the best way to restore my ball back to its origianal condition.

I have tried cleaning it with isocol but it doesnt seem to work.

Any suggestions

 

[Tiger]

Some methods of cleaning bowling balls would be:
(1)Leave your bowling ball out in the sun to drain the oil out of it by placing it in a plastic bag with some fresh kitty-litter in it. (Advice Courtesy of Brenton Davy)
I would advise not leave a ball out in the sun sitting on the concrete for too long on its own - I did this a couple of months ago in 34C heat for an hour and ever since, the ball has hit like an easter egg.

2) If your in a cooler climate perhaps you might like to try sitting the ball on the floor in front of a two-bar heater, supervised of course.
Making sure that you are moving the ball around to get the heat to every part of the ball to drain the oil out of it.
Personally I also use this method if I'm in a bit of a hurry or it's a cold day but, whatever you do, DON'T get the ball too close to the heater for too long.
Two bowlers who shall remain nameless from Hobart did this and ended up with bowling balls that resembled round-shaped jigsaw puzzles afterwards.

3) See your back-end mechanic and ask him if he will give you a half-cup of lane cleaning fluid and put it in a 600ml Mineral Water bottle and fill the rest with water (George mentioned this one in anothing posting in this section) the first day I tried this I chucked a 752-series so it does work...well, for me it did anyway.
They're just a few things you might like to try.
I'm no expert but if it works, thats good.
Also see another posting on this section relating to New Balls and Old Ones there's some info in that from some very knowledgable people there.
I hope you find a solution

 

[leese]

Tam, Gus Here. I pulled this off the Ebonite site and it pretty much has it all. Hope It helps.

Tips on Cleaning
Brian Pursel: Product Manager
Why is it important to clean my ball?

High performance balls, namely reactive resin and particle resin balls, absorb oil. This ability to displace oil is an integral part of the ball's hook potential. Lane oil also contains dust and dirt. This oil-soaked dirt clogs the pores on the ball's surface and impairs the ball's ability to absorb oil effectively.

How often should I clean my ball?

We recommend wiping your ball in between shots with a towel. The Powerhouse Oil-Free towel is a micro-fiber towel with maximum surface area contact and capillary action to draw away oil from the ball's surface and feed it onto reservoirs within the towel's fibers. Cleaning your ball at the end of each league session with a strong degreasing solution will reduce the amount of oil that is absorbed into the ball, increasing its reactive life.

My friends tell me to use alcohol or windex to clean my ball. Is this effective?

Alcohol and windex do not penetrate oil and dirt effectively. They tend to lay on top of oil and dirt and, when wiped with a towel, smear along the ball's surface leaving behind residue that is absorbed into the surface pores.

What about acetone, denatured alcohol, lacquer thinner, etc?

Acetone and denatured alcohol are strong solvents. Prolonged contact with the ball's surface can weaken the structure of the coverstock, affecting long term durability. There are also health and flammability issues associated with acetone and denatured alcohol. Petroleum based cleaners, such as lacquer and paint thinners and mineral spirits, have limited solubility attributes. They are not extremely aggressive in breaking down lane oil.

Why are Ebonite's products effective?

Powerhouse Energizer Cleaner was developed expressly for Ebonite. The citrus-based cleaner is organic, making it easy to solubilize lane oil, rubber, dirt, and debris. It also has charged inorganic cleaning agents designed to dig deep under oil and dirt in the pores and agitate them loose, enabling the dirt and oil to be pushed to the surface where they
can be removed with a towel. The Powerhouse Scrubs are pre- moistened with the Energizer Cleaner to provide a crubbing towellette and cleaner all in one package. All Ebonite's cleaners and Oil-Free Towel are legal for use uring ABC/WIBC competition, when it matters most.

Should I use cleaners that apply a tacky feeling to the ball's surface?

Cleaners that apply a tacky surface to the ball are a short- lived fix. They do not restore the ball's original surface. The tackiness comes from a deposit of ingredients designed to dry on top of the ball's surface with a sticky feel. Anything that coats the ball's surface will wear off quickly. It also will clog the pores over time, reducing the oil
absorption capabilities of the ball.

My ball seems to have lost the amount of hook that it had when it was new.

There are three things that can cause loss of hook: 1) Accumulation of oil and dirt on the ball's surface, 2) Over- absorption of lane oil, and 3) surface texture change. Number one can be remedied by adhering to a surface-cleaning regimen. Number two can be delayed significantly by wiping your ball periodically while you bowl. You can reduce the amount of lane oil that is absorbed, extending the lifetime of your ball. While cleaning is very important, refreshing the ball's surface texture will also keep it acting "like new". Using Powerhouse Factory Finish Polish
to reshine that polished surface will enable the ball to retain energy consistently. Or re-sanding the surface to its original grit will keep the traction at a premium. Whenever a worn out ball track appears, it is advisable to have the ball resurfaced to remove the excess scratches.

You mentioned resurfacing. What is involved in getting the ball resurfaced? Can I do it myself?

All pro shops will be equipped to resurface your ball. Unless you have a home spinner, we would recommend using the pro shop. Keeping the ball in round when resurfacing will ensure a consistent reaction. We recommend using a final sanding grit of 800 before applying Factory Finish Polish to smooth out some of the sanding lines. If your new ball came factory sanded, sand with the appropriate grit after Factory Finish Polish.

Does a particle ball soak more oil than a reactive ball?

Yes. Particle balls are reactive resin balls with microscopic particles suspended throughout. The particles are hollow in structure. This will create more oil displacing cavities than in reactive balls. You must pay even more attention to cleaning particle balls as you do with reactive balls.

What is the difference between particles?

There are 2 main beaded particles being used: ceramic and silica (glass). Ceramic particles have the highest hardness value and are more difficult to resurface and polish. Silica particles are easier to work with. The TPS and TPS II coverstocks use silica particles and are the most versatile with regards to surface changes. Powerhouse Particle
Polish can be used to provide the quickest, most effective polish on ALL particle balls, regardless of particle composition.

Will my particle ball have a shorter life?

Because of the particles, you will have to refresh the ball's surface more frequently. Through contact with the lane surface, the particles will fracture and be imbedded into the ball's surface, causing more lane contact with the particles. This will lead to an earlier breakpoint and a loss of backend reaction. Not being able to remove the particle fragments is the culprit for loss of ball reaction. Powerhouse Particle Polish has micro-fine cutting agents suspended within the polish that are designed to "scrub" those particle fragments out of the ball's surface, exposing the reactive resin surface to the lane. This will bring back the original hook characteristics. With excessive ball track wear, have your ball resurfaced.