i normally throw 15lbs. im on the search for a pink hammer and have found one locally for a great price but the catch is that it's 16lbs.  given this type of ball, would it be a bad idea to drill an extra hole, adding a weight bias?  what would be the max that could be removed from the ball and still have it be legal?
im getting really impatient tryign to track one of these weight balls and might just get this 16lb'er.

I once tried to reduce the overall weight of a spare ball that felt uncomfortable.I drilled the largest legal hole, as deep as I could go ,and it only made a three ounce difference!
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the pooh

Sorry, but there is no regulation regarding the depth of a hole (many thumb holes are over 3 inches deep). You can drill any hole as deep as you like.

Here's how you can remove up to 8 ounces or more out of a 16 lb ball: find a driller with 12 inch drill bits. Using a 1 1/4" bit drill an axis hole that goes straight through the ball to the opposite end leaving 1 to 2 inches. The amount of weight removed will depend on the density of the core. The static weight will be legal but most likely fall into the 1/2 oz negative range.

I have done this on many 15 pound balls and was able to get them down to 14lbs 4 ounces (including drilling either the finger and/or thumb deep). Since the core in a 16 pound ball is heavier you can take out even more weight.

Drilling this "mega x-hole" creates a large mass bias and how it affects the dynamics is somewhat of a crap shoot. I've had some balls come alive and others mellow out. Overall, it was an effective way to salvage many of my 15 pound balls when I decided to drop to around 14 pounds because of an injury (am now up to 15 again.....14.9 to be exact....we drill the thumb and/or fingers deep to achieve this).

The driller that did this for me wanted to drop from 16 to 15lbs when he was on the pba tour many years ago. So, instead of buying all new equipment he experimented with drilling one huge axis hole to reduce the weight and it worked.

If you're a tweaker/experimenter go for it but finding a driller with 12 inch bits might be difficult.

Edited on 10/9/2006 7:27 AM

Edited on 10/9/2006 7:50 AM

Edited on 10/9/2006 7:52 AM

Have you tried sanding it?  In conjunction with the other methods, you might be able to remove up to a pound just by sanding a half inch or so off the surface.  I think another poster asked that question a few years ago.

Alternatively, used balls are an excellent way to build a new arsenal for not too much money.

SH

Edited on 10/9/2006 2:30 PM