BallReviews
General Category => Coverstock Preparation => Topic started by: lilpossum1 on July 03, 2014, 12:25:47 PM
-
I have been throwing an Ebonite Maxim for about four or five weeks now. I am starting to notice it hooking off of spares late at night. I was wondering what the best polish/surface prep would be for plastic ball. I don't expect it to ever go perfectly straight, but I think it could be better. I read about snake oil on here, and wondered if it would work
-
I use Black Magic Polish. It shines up very nice. Also about twice a year, I will hit the track of the ball with a 1500 pad to smooth out the track before polishing. Most plastic balls do not flare very much so you can build up a noticeable track after a few months and that contributes to the "hook" you get in my opinion.
A few months ago, someone on here posted that they used rain-x on their plastic ball and it went "dead straight". But remember rain-x is not "approved" by USBC for bowling balls.
-
I use UFO polish on my black ice and work the track/surface one a year.
-
I have been throwing an Ebonite Maxim for about four or five weeks now. I am starting to notice it hooking off of spares late at night. I was wondering what the best polish/surface prep would be for plastic ball. I don't expect it to ever go perfectly straight, but I think it could be better. I read about snake oil on here, and wondered if it would work
Absolutely any bowling ball polish will work fine on Polyester/plastic balls. They don't have the same characteristics as resin or even urethanes; so there's no need to worry about types of polish with plastic. You just want as much skid and as little hook as possible. If you want to maximize the gloss, sand it as much as possible to remove any deep scratches, take it up to 4000 grit and then polish as hard as you like, using any polish that suits you. Heck, you can even use car wax & polish since plastic makes no difference whether or not the pores are clogged. (It makes a huge difference with resin; never use car wax on resin balls!!)
-
OK thanks! How often should I polish it?
-
OK thanks! How often should I polish it?
That depends on what you see in the ball's reaction. I use mine fairly dull with wear; the ball still goes long and doesn't hook much and I'm rev dominant.
Polish as often as you feel you need to more length and less hook.
-
I may polish it before I start the winter league then. Thanks! Rainx eh? If I am correct, it is an oil that repels water. Perhaps it will also repel lane oil depending on its characteristics, allowing it to make less contact with the lane. Interesting. It is only against the rules if you get caught, and who will care about a person making a ball go STRAIGHTER. More people care about Joe Bowler using illegal methods to get more hook.
-
Like it can be proven that they used RainX, and why would they?
-
Until you get a bowling ball as smooth as your windshield you are wasting your time and money using RainX.
-
I may polish it before I start the winter league then. Thanks! Rainx eh? If I am correct, it is an oil that repels water. Perhaps it will also repel lane oil depending on its characteristics, allowing it to make less contact with the lane. Interesting. It is only against the rules if you get caught, and who will care about a person making a ball go STRAIGHTER. More people care about Joe Bowler using illegal methods to get more hook.
As has been said, there is NO reason to use RainX on ANY ball.
-
I've never heard of using RainX, but I guess some people are desperate to find something they think works for them. So many products on the market that is approved, so why bother? Maybe they have a leaky roof? lol
-
Well I do bowl in one of the few indoor bowling alleys where we can have rain delays lol
-
Technically wouldn't the best thing be to get a bucket, cover your bowling balls holes, place the ball in the bucket, then fill the bucket with lane oil and let that sit for a few days to a week? That combined with super polishing would likely kill a plastic balls hook entirely.
-
When did spare balls get so complicated?
Rainx? Soaking a ball in oil? ???
Come on guys, hit the darn thing with polish and be done with it. No reason to get all complex.
-
Technically wouldn't the best thing be to get a bucket, cover your bowling balls holes, place the ball in the bucket, then fill the bucket with lane oil and let that sit for a few days to a week? That combined with super polishing would likely kill a plastic balls hook entirely.
That would work with resin balls, not with plastic balls.
Plastic/polyester balls do not depend on the coverstock's absorbing oil to hook; resin balls do. Soaking a plastic ball in oil will do nothing for its hook potential except make it heavier.
-
When did spare balls get so complicated?
Rainx? Soaking a ball in oil? ???
Come on guys, hit the darn thing with polish and be done with it. No reason to get all complex.
Well, speaking from the experience of having my original Blue Dot track out and start hooking earlier and earlier EVEN AFTER I re-polished it, sanding it to 4000 grit and then applying a heavy dose of a strong polish did make a difference. But that's the only thing that MIGHT help a polyester ball hook less and get more length.
-
I think the question of the weird "unapproved" solutions comes from those of us who either from injury or inconsistency cannot flatten their wrist to throw a ball straight. Where as they can repeat a stronger release more consistently so they are seeking a solution where they can in fact, "hit" a bowling ball but have it not hook.
-
Get bowling ball polish instead of car polish. In my experience car polish doesn't last as long.
-
Two things to recommend.
1st. You can try UFO - It is an extending polish we make. You can order 4 or 8oz on our website ValentinoBowling.com
2nd. On your next spare ball have it drilled with -3/4oz. of top weight to autocorrect it to go straight. You can legally go 1oz negative...but I wouldn't trust any scale to give a perfect 1oz.....especially the scales at nationals.
-Kevin
-
Two things to recommend.
1st. You can try UFO - It is an extending polish we make. You can order 4 or 8oz on our website ValentinoBowling.com
2nd. On your next spare ball have it drilled with -3/4oz. of top weight to autocorrect it to go straight. You can legally go 1oz negative...but I wouldn't trust any scale to give a perfect 1oz.....especially the scales at nationals.
-Kevin
You are correct about that. I had a ball pass for Doubles/Singles just fine, then it had too much finger weight for team four days later. Same scale, same person weighing.
-
"Autocorrect it to go straight".
Somebody better stick to selling polish.
-
"Autocorrect it to go straight".
Somebody better stick to selling polish.
Hahaha, sometimes autocorrect works wonders and sometimes it still spells the word wrong. A negative 3/4oz. isn't a miracle but it can help to compensate for players natural hand turn.
-
I just ended up hitting it with the 4000 pad and polish. It works well enough for me. Thanks