BallReviews
General Category => Coverstock Preparation => Topic started by: thedjs on February 24, 2017, 02:00:56 PM
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I have an Ebonite Warrior Elite that I could not use(too strong) at the box finish (500/2000). I changed the surface to 500/2000/3000 and now I have a ball that is usable provided there is some oil in the fronts. After about 9 games it looks like the ball has shined up somewhat but I haven't noticed a real difference in overall reaction yet. My question is, how often should I hit the surface with the 3000 pad? Also is it necessary to go all the way back to 500/2000/3000 each time?
Thanks.
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I'd suggest that 9 games is a limit, especially for a strong ball at a relatively fine grit level. Take a damp 3000 grit pad to it by hand to refresh the surface.
I wouldn't go all the way back to 500 grit yet. Maybe at the 25 - 40 game level, depending on what you see on the lanes and on the ball.
Your ball cleaner (which I suggest you use immediately, at the lanes, after each bowling session) should have removed the lane shine (ground in oil). If it doesn't, you need a stronger cleaner. You can try Hook-It or Clean and Dull at home, after using your regular cleaner at the lanes.
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charlest, what do you recommend for after league cleaning?
I used to use Black Magic, and due to the lateness of my league (not out until 10:30 - 11:00 pm) I have gotten lazy and let it slide. to preserve my stuff again, I am going to clean after league again and was wondering if Black Magic was still a good choice.
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I'd suggest that 9 games is a limit, especially for a strong ball at a relatively fine grit level. Take a damp 3000 grit pad to it by hand to refresh the surface.
I wouldn't go all the way back to 500 grit yet. Maybe at the 25 - 40 game level, depending on what you see on the lanes and on the ball.
Your ball cleaner (which I suggest you use immediately, at the lanes, after each bowling session) should have removed the lane shine (ground in oil). If it doesn't, you need a stronger cleaner. You can try Hook-It or Clean and Dull at home, after using your regular cleaner at the lanes.
Thanks. Can't always clean after league because the house starts closing right after bowling (senior day leagues) so I clean when I get home. Using combination of Simple Green and alcohol. I'm going to order some of the Hook-It.
Thanks again.
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Thanks. Can't always clean after league because the house starts closing right after bowling (senior day leagues) so I clean when I get home.
Your house needs to learn some better customer service if it's throwing paying customers out the door minutes after league ends. **** that noize.
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charlest, what do you recommend for after league cleaning?
I used to use Black Magic, and due to the lateness of my league (not out until 10:30 - 11:00 pm) I have gotten lazy and let it slide. to preserve my stuff again, I am going to clean after league again and was wondering if Black Magic was still a good choice.
That's hard, since the one I use and love, LMB Int'l Extreme Performance cleaner seems to be no longer available.
I stopped using Black Magic because of the harsh industrial aroma (I feared it would be harmful to skin and nose.).
I'd have to go right now with Hook-It and it's the strongest cleaner for use AFTER bowling that can still be used away from home. Still I'd be very careful when I use it and what I did with the cloth afterwards.
There are several very good water based cleaners: Remedy, Knock-Out, Zapp-It, Vise cleaner. They are approved for use during bowling and, of course, after, they are very safe, but they are, in my opinion, a step below LMB's, Hook-It and Clean and Dull.
There is one more cleaner, that I heard (from a very reliable source) was based on LMB's formula, Genesis Maxx. But, I have now bought 2 bottles of it, and from personal experience, I cannot recommend it. Its smell is so toxic, so strong that I literally feared for my life. (Even the original MB cleaner which had a VERY strong smell wasn't as bad as this stuff.) I immediately put the 2nd bottle out in the garage; the first bottle I threw away. I won't use it, but felt I had to report what I found.
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Thanks. Can't always clean after league because the house starts closing right after bowling (senior day leagues) so I clean when I get home.
Your house needs to learn some better customer service if it's throwing paying customers out the door minutes after league ends. **** that noize.
Agreed. There's always clean up that should be then, not in the morning when they re-open.
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I'd suggest that 9 games is a limit, especially for a strong ball at a relatively fine grit level. Take a damp 3000 grit pad to it by hand to refresh the surface.
I wouldn't go all the way back to 500 grit yet. Maybe at the 25 - 40 game level, depending on what you see on the lanes and on the ball.
Your ball cleaner (which I suggest you use immediately, at the lanes, after each bowling session) should have removed the lane shine (ground in oil). If it doesn't, you need a stronger cleaner. You can try Hook-It or Clean and Dull at home, after using your regular cleaner at the lanes.
Thanks. Can't always clean after league because the house starts closing right after bowling (senior day leagues) so I clean when I get home. Using combination of Simple Green and alcohol. I'm going to order some of the Hook-It.
Thanks again.
Fine; just be careful what it gets on, beside your ball. Keep the soaked cloth away from everything else. Maybe keep it in a plastic bag in your bowling bag or in an outside bag. It is a strong cleaner but a very good one.
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Good ol 91% Isopropyl Alcohol works quite well ---minus the smell
takes the tough stuff of the cover that clean n dull can't get
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when I find a ball that is slightly to much for the pattern I try to factor lane shine into the cover prep. I say roll it until it starts fluffing then start from scratch all over.I'm a firm believer in the 500/3000 grit theory as the underlying grit is the bite of the ball and the shine is the length and how well the ball expends it's energy down lane. thats the deciding factor. every ball is different.
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Just a side note: (charlest mentioned this)
"Lane shine" is not only the effect of oil on the coverstock, but the coverstock's ability to displace the oil. Cleaners and wiping the ball between shots are your first defense, but refreshing the cover will probably have a more noticeable effect.
The reason I post is that all too often we get caught up in the "which cleaner is best" half of the equation. I'm always amazed when guys will shell out $200 for a ball but will only spend a "penny" when it comes to maintaining it. Not all "cleaners" are created equally. charlest is a "plethora of knowledge" that we enjoy here on ballreviews.
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I agree when it come to cleaners, polishes, and sanding Charlest is "The Man".
Question: I have avoided heavy cleaners like Hook It and Clean N Dull because they do such a good job removing lane shine, oil, & grime, that I worried they may also be "slightly melting" the sanded grit surface and therefore changing it.
Charlest your thoughts please. Thanks in advance.
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I agree when it come to cleaners, polishes, and sanding Charlest is "The Man".
Question: I have avoided heavy cleaners like Hook It and Clean N Dull because they do such a good job removing lane shine, oil, & grime, that I worried they may also be "slightly melting" the sanded grit surface and therefore changing it.
Charlest your thoughts please. Thanks in advance.
I've used Hook-It as my primary industrial strength cleaner for years. Many of those balls have several hundred games, and I'm fairly sure nothing has "melted". Reaction certainly hasn't suffered. My bigger fear is that the chemicals are strong, and they can't be healthy to be around.
But I haven't used anything more effective.
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I agree when it come to cleaners, polishes, and sanding Charlest is "The Man".
Question: I have avoided heavy cleaners like Hook It and Clean N Dull because they do such a good job removing lane shine, oil, & grime, that I worried they may also be "slightly melting" the sanded grit surface and therefore changing it.
Charlest your thoughts please. Thanks in advance.
Hook-It has no abrasives as far as I know.
Clean n Dull THEORETICALLY contains an abrasive, which is the reason why it is approved for use only before and after bowling. That said, I have yet to see it "abrade" any surface on which I have used it. Polished surfaces stay polished; dull surface s seem to stay at the grit they are.
As far as I know, only acetone changes the chemical make-up of resin balls (and that is why the USBC has declared it to be "not permitted at any time") and that is only when used in quantity. Using a slight "smear"/dampness of acetone on cloth to clean off dried glue "seems" to do no harm.
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Charlest
The reason I asked is when I have used Clean N Dull or Hook It in the past it tended to change the surface from gloss to dull. That is why I wondered if it was "slightly melting" the surface grit and therefore changing it.
Your answer has convinced me to use these products when they are needed vs. general cleaning agents that work when cleaning a ball right after use in league as an example.
Thank you for your response.
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Charlest
The reason I asked is when I have used Clean N Dull or Hook It in the past it tended to change the surface from gloss to dull. That is why I wondered if it was "slightly melting" the surface grit and therefore changing it.
Your answer has convinced me to use these products when they are needed vs. general cleaning agents that work when cleaning a ball right after use in league as an example.
Thank you for your response.
I have read that some people dulled a polished ball when using C&D on a spinner. I have not done that. I usually use C&D by hand, using the spinner's cup as an easy rotation device to facilitate the use of C&D on the ball's surface.
I have never used Hook-it on a ball while it was spinning.
So I assume both COULD make a ball dull when used on a spinner; for that reason, if, for no other, I don't and have never tried using either cleaner while the ball is spinning. I would SUGGEST that no one do this either. There are easier and safer way sot dull a ball. The spinner does not help clean a ball.