BallReviews

General Category => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: dryan on January 17, 2019, 04:30:32 PM

Title: DIY bowling ball - help
Post by: dryan on January 17, 2019, 04:30:32 PM
Hey, I am 20 year old Mechanical engineer/ avid bowling. For a pet project wanted to make my own bowling ball. Currently I have designed and fabricated my own bowling ball core to USBC guidelines.
Problem: I wanted to save money and not have to make my own bowling ball mold so was going to use the Ebonite hook again chamber mold but there is a total quarter of a inch diameter diameter size difference between the ball and mold wall. Any ideas to decrease this clearance?
Title: Re: DIY bowling ball - help
Post by: billdozer on January 18, 2019, 07:26:24 AM
No clue, perhaps sand the heck out of it once you make it?
Title: Re: DIY bowling ball - help
Post by: Juggernaut on January 18, 2019, 07:47:29 AM
Try this

Title: Re: DIY bowling ball - help
Post by: milorafferty on January 18, 2019, 08:44:14 AM
Funny, you can actually see the ball in the video wobble as it goes down the lane.
Title: Re: DIY bowling ball - help
Post by: BowlingForDonuts on January 18, 2019, 04:49:53 PM
If I was going to make myself a bowling ball I would go 1 piece and just have coverstock if that is possible.  Probably weight would be wack but hey who has a 1 piece?

(edit:  Have to concur that the ball reaction in the video above is umm well "interesting".)
Title: Re: DIY bowling ball - help
Post by: SG17 on January 19, 2019, 11:09:45 AM
I made a bowling ball in college for an engineering competition.  we had to use concrete for our ball.

I made a mold from high-density polystyrene, using a C and C machine.  my mold was 2 hemispheres with 4 tabs for bolting togethers.  the ball surface came out smooth as glass.

if this is a school project, you might be able to find someone that would donate some material and time on the C and C machine.

in my case, the material was left overs from the mold we made for the Concrete canoe that we raced.  and we had a local company with a brand new 5 axis C and C machine that they were breaking in.  our canoe mold and my bowling ball mold were the first things they did on the machine.  that way they got use to the new machine w/o risking their paying customers orders.