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Author Topic: Oiling the lanes and the time factor???  (Read 2205 times)

charlest

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Oiling the lanes and the time factor???
« on: October 24, 2014, 10:12:19 AM »
Has anyone heard of this:

Once the lanes are oiled, they need to NOT be bowled on for at least 30 minutes to allow the oil to "set up". Otherwise, you don't get the ball reaction that the oil pattern is designed to produce.

A "relatively" knowledgeable teammate told me that last night. I say "relatively" because, while he is very experienced and very nice and polite, some of his tidbits of knowledge are definitely wrong or out of date. I don't challenge him because he doesn't take it well. Otherwise, he is the kind of bowler I enjoy bowling with.

In any case, my not being an oil expert, I would like to hear opinions from those who know and/or with the real knowledge.

Thank you.
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Good Times Good Times

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Re: Oiling the lanes and the time factor???
« Reply #1 on: October 24, 2014, 10:30:41 AM »
Interesting you ask this, I was somewhat wondering the extreme opposite.  What about lanes that are ran really really early in the day and bowled on many hours later.
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milorafferty

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Re: Oiling the lanes and the time factor???
« Reply #2 on: October 24, 2014, 10:30:49 AM »
Are you saying "relatively" being the key word? ;D


USBC doesn't do that for the Open. They oil the lanes immediately before the squads bowl.



On second thought, this might have applied when all lanes were wood.
« Last Edit: October 24, 2014, 10:33:39 AM by milorafferty »
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itsallaboutme

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Re: Oiling the lanes and the time factor???
« Reply #3 on: October 24, 2014, 10:34:51 AM »
I can't tell you the technical reason, but it always made a big difference in my ball reaction.  Ball reaction is always less jumpy when there is time between oiling and the start of bowling. 

There is also usually a difference if all the lanes are stripped and then oiled vs. stripping and oiling in one pass. 

I have my theories to why and they are more educated than most, but they are just that, theories.

This would be a good question to email Kegel.  I'm sure it's something they have studied.

avabob

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Re: Oiling the lanes and the time factor???
« Reply #4 on: October 24, 2014, 01:32:35 PM »
I think it can make a difference in situations of extreme humidity or dry.  Also, a lot of lane men will tell you that the temperature of the oil makes a lot of difference in how evenly it flows on.  I know one house where the guy warms the oil before he runs the lanes, and there seems to be a lot smoother transition off the buff out, and less of a wet dry reaction on his house pattern

charlest

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Re: Oiling the lanes and the time factor???
« Reply #5 on: October 24, 2014, 07:12:17 PM »
Are you saying "relatively" being the key word? ;D


USBC doesn't do that for the Open. They oil the lanes immediately before the squads bowl.

On second thought, this might have applied when all lanes were wood.

That's one I had forgotten. Good reason to contradict what my friend had thought.
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avabob

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Re: Oiling the lanes and the time factor???
« Reply #6 on: October 25, 2014, 10:03:13 AM »
However, they double strip at nationals before the first squad each day.  Not so on the subsequent squads, and the shot plays really wet dry of the end of the oil on that first squad compared to the later ones. 

itsallaboutme

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Re: Oiling the lanes and the time factor???
« Reply #7 on: October 25, 2014, 10:22:26 AM »
One of the keys at Nationals is they finish oiling just as the squads are about to start.  Pretty close to the same for every squad. 

Same thing goes for most regionals also.  When regionals went a/b/a/b it didn't matter.  Then when they went to the fresh on every squad they eventually adjusted so the laneman wasn't getting done with lanes for A two hours before they started and B two minutes before they started. 

When I was working in the pro shop I spent enough time working with the mechanic on the lane conditions that in our center I could tell if he double stripped, stripped and oiled in different passes, stripped and oiled in the same pass and about how long the lanes had set before being bowled on.

The scores in league were ALWAYS the highest when the lanes were stripped and oiled in separate passes and when they were finished 2 or 3 hours before the start.