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Author Topic: abralon + polish  (Read 7756 times)

WiscBowler

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abralon + polish
« on: September 20, 2007, 03:02:26 AM »
I have a question about abralon and polish.  If I throw polish on a ball, does it negate the grit underneath it?  For instance, The Big One is 2000 OOB....if I polish it, it will go longer and retain more energy.  What would happen if I took it to 1000 or 500, then polished it?  Would anything different happen?
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shelley

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Re: abralon + polish
« Reply #1 on: September 20, 2007, 11:13:10 AM »
Some polishes have an abrasive in them, some don't.  If you use a grit-less polish on top of the 2000-grit Abralon you'll have a 2000-grit polished ball.  The Brunswick polish is grit-less, as is Legends polish.  I dunno about Ebonite's Factory Finish polish, some have said it's grit-less, some not.

If you use a grit-based polish it's hard to say what you'll end up with.  Some, like Brunswick's Rough Buff, recommend starting with 220-grit sanded and you'll get a consistent compound finish that's similar to a 2000-grit sanding.  But if you apply RB to a 600-grit ball, you won't get that same finish.  Likewise for Storm's Step 1, 2, and 3 polishes.  If you start with the recommended surface, you'll get roughly (I think) 800-grit, 1500-grit, or 2500-grit polished surfaces when you're done.  

It also depends on how much pressure you use when you do the polishing and how long you spin it for.  Both for grit-less and gritty polishes.  Moreso for gritty polishes as the heat and pressure breaks the abrasives into smaller, finer particles which will create a smoother underlying surface.

SH
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mrbowlingnut

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Re: abralon + polish
« Reply #2 on: September 20, 2007, 11:13:55 AM »
Yes more bite in oil and still have very good backend, the big one oob is 4k not 2k unless you changed it. I prefer 1k and beans polish or brunswick high gloss, sometimes i use 500 and same polishes.
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WiscBowler

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Re: abralon + polish
« Reply #3 on: September 20, 2007, 11:23:51 AM »
You're right, the Big One is 4000.  I'm actually researching for my dad.  He has a Big One with pin under and it's pretty tame for him and rolls out a bit.  We polished it last night and it was better....longer and stronger, but still not quite as strong as he'd like.  If I take the cover to 2000 or 1000, then polish it, do you think it will be even stronger for him?
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scotts33

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Re: abralon + polish
« Reply #4 on: September 20, 2007, 11:40:18 AM »
Matt,

This will be a good question for charlest as he is the resident BR.com ball surface guru.

To me, if I am wanting a "rougher" surface under the polish. I use wet sandpaper rather than abralon.  To me abralon leaves a smoother surface.  But in reality 1000 wet sandaper is supposed to be same-same as 1000 abralon but I just don't see it that way.  1000 wet sandpaper leaves more ridges and valleys to me.  

I have used Legends polish <no grit> with good results.  Also used Storm Step 1,2 & 3 but these have grit in them so they leave the ball in different surfaces depending on length of time and pressure of pad.
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mrbowlingnut

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Re: abralon + polish
« Reply #5 on: September 20, 2007, 12:07:33 PM »
Yes 1k and polish will wake it right up, 500 and polish will become really strong in medium-heavy oil i use this trick all the time. I helped a fellow ball review member save a ball that would not hook before the 500 and polish treatment, i noticed he had the ball for sale recently but it was about a year ago when the issues were going on.

For most slow players with out alot of revs this will retain energy long enough and still turn hard on the back of the lane, for me with higher speed medium revs it almost works the same.


quote:
You're right, the Big One is 4000.  I'm actually researching for my dad.  He has a Big One with pin under and it's pretty tame for him and rolls out a bit.  We polished it last night and it was better....longer and stronger, but still not quite as strong as he'd like.  If I take the cover to 2000 or 1000, then polish it, do you think it will be even stronger for him?
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dizzyfugu

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Re: abralon + polish
« Reply #6 on: September 20, 2007, 12:28:06 PM »
My experience is that the basis grit for the gritless polish can make a huge or at least recognizable difference in reaction and over4all performance of a ball. With a base grit mismatch, you can really kill your ball's potential. But it is a matter of trial and error to find out what works well for you and what not.

I had the case that some balls with a 1.000 grit base + polish would not finish well. I did not understand why until I was so desperate to hit the balls again with a finer grit (2.000 Abralon) + polish, and the reaction improvement was dramatic! Before over/under, then a sweet skid/snap reaction as I wanted it to be. Since it was on two different manufacturer's balls/coverstocks (Columbia & Brunswick) I "blame" it on the polish and its properties - and since then I do not use more than 1.500 grit as sanding base on any of my polished balls. But for others with more speed or less revs, other things might work.

Using the manufacturer's OOB finish is never wrong from my experience, but trying out different things can reveal some astonishing differences, with or without polish or rubbing compounds.
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charlest

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Re: abralon + polish
« Reply #7 on: September 20, 2007, 06:11:41 PM »
quote:
You're right, the Big One is 4000.  I'm actually researching for my dad.  He has a Big One with pin under and it's pretty tame for him and rolls out a bit.  We polished it last night and it was better....longer and stronger, but still not quite as strong as he'd like.  If I take the cover to 2000 or 1000, then polish it, do you think it will be even stronger for him?


For pearlized resin, the standard 1500 grit polish has a rough equivalent of 4000 grit matte. That is, a pearl sanded to 4000 grit will be roughly equivalent in length tothe 1500/2000 grit polished, but with a bit less snap, more smoothness and slightly less susceptible to carrydown.

For solids, maybe 1000 grit plus polish will be very roughly the same as 4000 grit matte. VERY APPROXIMATELY. So if you sand a ball like the Big one to 1000 grit and then add a good dose of polish, it will probably handle the same amount of oil but get slightly more length but be more susceptible to carrydown.

I'd suggest sanding it to 1000 grit then add a light dose of polish to see what the ball reaction is like. You can always add more polish IF you need more length. Then you can go either way with the sanding (up, 1500 grit or down to 600 grit), add a dose of polish and check your reaction.

There's no automatic formula as everyone uses different amounts AND types of polish, they press hard or lighter and they do it for longer or shorter periods of time. I suggest light amounts on top of a set grit level of sanding; it's easier to add more shine than it is to start over.

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