Post by: Aloarjr810 on March 22, 2012, 02:41:57 PM
"You can e-mail any manufacturer and they will tell you that with today's modern coverstocks, alcohol is too harsh. It changes the chemical make up of the cover and over time will actually round off the peaks which are what make the ball grip the lane. If you're insistent on using alcohol, it needs to be diluted."
He says it does this because-
"Much of the rubbing alcohol you buy will have some percentage of acetone in it"
I've been searching and I cant find anything that says rubbing alcohol has acetone in it. Any info about this?
Aloarjr810
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Click For My Grip
Post by: Russell on March 22, 2012, 02:48:39 PM
Little known fact: In Russian "Hope" and "Change" translate to "Tax" and "Spend"
Post by: charlest on March 22, 2012, 02:51:46 PM
I think this comes under the title of "what the bleep has he been smoking/drinking?"
If any manufacturer does that, adding acetone to something, it has to go on the contents label or at least in the MSDS sheet. Plus I have never heard of alcohol doing anything bad to resin, urethane or polyester. I'd bet he has not one ounce of proof for this but has plenty of hearsay "evidience" which is worthless. (As in, "oh my friend heard this pro say this ....". My other friend told me that in Wichita, Or Boise or Peoria, 'some guy' in their pro shop said it was bad for a ball.", etc.)
"None are so blind as those who will not see."
Post by: Aloarjr810 on March 22, 2012, 03:08:35 PM
Aloarjr810
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Click For My Grip
Post by: Strapper_Squared on March 22, 2012, 03:09:04 PM
Acetone will change the surface/peaks of a coverstock? How about rolling a ball down the lane. I would bet that has as much, if not more of an effect... Isn't that why we resurface after 30 to 60 games?
Scott
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Post by: on March 22, 2012, 03:37:01 PM
Agreed! The friction on the lane will smooth out the surface deviations created by the manufacturer. Acetone may soften the cover and weaken it over time, but I do not think it changes it's texture as fast as using the ball, in my estimation.Acetone is illegal to use anytime on the ball, while I doubt there are any restrictions regarding rubbing alcohol. If they were mixed it would make sense that there would be the same restrictions, wouldn't it? I don't know, but "2+2 usually equals 4".
Lane Carter, Strike Zone Pro Shops - Salt Lake City, Utah
Allstar Lanes
Brunswick Regional Staff
The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer and not of Brunswick Corporation.
Edited by notclay on 3/22/2012 at 1:38 PM
Edited by notclay on 3/22/2012 at 1:42 PM
Edited by notclay on 3/22/2012 at 1:42 PM
Post by: DukeHarding on March 22, 2012, 04:44:29 PM
I believe that acetone is a "denaturing agent" in denatured alcohol. May be why denatured alcohol is not allowed for use on bowling balls, according to USBC rules.
Not 100% sure.
Duke Harding
Post by: FDGunner01 on March 22, 2012, 04:54:23 PM
Rubbing alcohol is a liquid prepared and used primarily for topical application. It is prepared from a special denatured alcohol solution and contains approximately 70 percent by volume of pure, concentrated ethanol (ethyl alcohol) or isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol).
Isopropyl alcohol is oxidized by the liver into acetone as a by product.
Therefore there is no acetone in rubbing alcohol
Hope this will help you guys out a little bit....hahaha
Post by: charlest on March 22, 2012, 05:31:19 PM
I had thought that methyl alcohol (methanol) was the denaturing agent. It is used in "dry Gas" because it absorbs water in the gas tank, removing it from the gasoline.
Actually, it looks like there's more than one denaturing agent. Seems like the purpose was to make it non-drinkable. I know methanol is poisonous to humans.
See Wiki's "denatured alcohol" essay Here's a quote from it:
"The main additive has traditionally been 10% methanol, giving rise to the term "methylated spirit." Other typical additives include isopropyl alcohol, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, and denatonium. ... Methanol is commonly used both because its boiling point is close to that of ethanol and because it is toxic."
"None are so blind as those who will not see."
Post by: avabob on March 22, 2012, 05:42:33 PM
Not sure about the chemical differences, but acetone and denatured alcohol have a very harsh impact on both polyester and reactive urethane balls surfaces. They dractically soften the surface if exposed for a signifcant amount of time, and may pull the resin additives out of the urethane.
Post by: ithinkican on March 22, 2012, 05:46:19 PM
just put some soap and water to the test. bet it works
Post by: Aloarjr810 on March 22, 2012, 05:51:06 PM
In the current USBC approved cleaners list. Denatured Alcohol is now approved for use Anytime.
Aloarjr810
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Click For My Grip
Edited by Aloarjr810 on 3/22/2012 at 3:52 PM
Edited by Aloarjr810 on 3/22/2012 at 3:54 PM
Post by: charlest on March 22, 2012, 06:14:23 PM
Denatured alcohol USED to be on the "do not use any time" list, but recently it was removed. No idea why, ESPECIALLY given what avabob says.
Actually avabob, acetone dissolves plastics, but is used up in the process. So it takes quite a bit to actively change a resin/urethane/polyester ball's surface. I guess you could create a crater in a bowling ball if yo keep rubbing one spot with a rag soaked in acetone. Of course if you did that, you'd probably cause yourself cancer at the same time. 
Also denatured alcohol used to be a listed ingredient on many of Storm's bowling ball cleaners. But I have not seen it listed in a few years now.
"None are so blind as those who will not see."
Post by: kidlost2000 on March 22, 2012, 06:26:29 PM
I have had a lot of luck contacting a manufacture when it comes to simple question we don't always know.
Pick your favorite ball and contact them. They should be able to help you out in a matter of minutes over the phone or through an email.
"1 of 1."
Post by: Strapper_Squared on March 22, 2012, 10:21:41 PM
The term "denatured" is typically used when one talks about ethanol (drinking alcohol). Denaturing means that something unfit for human consumption (gasoline, methanol (wood alcohol), etc.) is added to the ethanol so people can't drink it (and so the government doesn't lose out of collecting taxes). This is the case with gasoline grade ethanol. Typically it is 97% ethanol and 3% methanol or gasoline.
Isopropanol is a different type of alcohol, and is completely unfit for drinking. When the bottle says 90% rubbing alcohol, typically the other 10% is water. It is possible for a small quantity of the other alcohols and possibly acetone to be present, but they are not intentionally added. Like the other alcohols (methanol and ethanol), isopropanol is very volatile (evaporates easily). It is a popular component in cleaners because it is cheap and it helps the cleaner dry relatively quickly.
Scott
*edited spellings*
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Edited by Strapper_Squared on 3/22/2012 at 8:25 PM