BallReviews
General Category => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: Effybowler on May 21, 2012, 01:36:29 PM
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About 4 years ago when I started bowling more competitively and drilling more equipment, I started using thumb holes poured around a silicone mold of my thumb hole. Vise's name for the product is the "exacticator" and I do the same thing but use Wizard quick plug material. Up until recently this was great. But now, I've started having issues with the adhesive material on my tape gumming up over time, where it can't be removed cleanly from the hole, leaving a very thick, nasty layer of goop behind and have to attack it with rubbing alcohol or acetone to get it out. This wouldn't be a huge problem, as I rarely have to take ALL the tape out of my equipment. But as more time passes, the tape will begin to actually move around in the hole as the adhesive continues to deteriorate. Once, I actually had a ball fall off my hand while I was just carrying it because the tape slid completely out of the hole.
This issue started back around november of last year. I had recently changed to Brunswick/KR tape, and thought maybe the adhesive on that tape was the issue, so switched back to Ebonite tape, and still have the issue.
I have in the past left my equipment in the car and it has gotten hot. The pro shop operator is convinced that the heat is causing it. Now I've taken great care to take my balls directly from bowling center to back seat of air conditioned car to indoor closet, never getting above room temperature, and after a few outings, it's still happening. The heat seems to accelerate it, but over time its still the same GUMMY result.
Has anybody else using Wizard plug for this purpose noticed this issue? I have older balls that use the same material that aren't having any issues, regardless of brand of tape, heat, etc.
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I don't think your issue is the ball plug, it's the tape. There has been some bad batches of tape going around. The plug itself wouldn't affect what is going on with your tape. It's a tape issue.
Take just seems to get gummy in holes these days. No matter how or what your doing with your thumb holes.
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It only happens in balls drilled after about november of last year though.
Consecutive pieces of tape put into an evil siege drilled 2 years ago and into a Versa-max drilled 2 weeks ago. the balls have been in the exact same bag since I started trying to identify the cause. have thrown both balls often in the last 2 weeks. I peel back the tape a bit in the evil siege to see if anything is happening and its fine. Checked the tape on the versamax and it was pretty gummed up, only 3 days after I put the tape in.
Both balls have thumb slugs made with Wizard plug material. When I get back home I want to try some of the same experimentation with a thumb made of the Vise plug material and with a drilled out urethane slug.
I've never actually tried the vise material, but I've heard that it does not feel as smooth on your skin and has some inconsistency to it.
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Ultimate had an issue with their ball plug a while back. The balls that you are having the issues with will have to have the thumbs redone. I had issues with a few of mine as well. You can talk to your driller and have him call to make sure he has the correct mixture now. He just has to check his batch numbers with them.
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Thats what they said had happened, and the most recent stuff should have been done with the "correct" plug.
I want to find a for sure answer now because I'm to the point where I need like 4 balls that I like to throw redone, and I'm heading to Baton Rouge in less than 2 weeks.
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I had the same problem with one of my thumb molds. Somebody else came into our shop saying the same thing. It definitely is the wizard plug, but it doesn't happen every time. All the rest of mine are fine...it's just that one. I made them all exactly the same way and same color. What I did was just crazy glue the first piece of tape in and it's fine.
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One of my customers is having the same problem with tape on a few "newer" inserts from the Wizard plug that the part "B" is a clearer compound that colors really good but I'm not sure if it is "bleeding" something that affects the tape.
I did try the Vise brand and was not comfortable as it does not seem to harden as much as Wizard. It is soft enough to change the shape of the exactacated thumb just by hand squeezing. I have only 1 customer with the problem as all the others using the molded thumb have molds with tape molded in! I would be very interested to hear from someone who has contacted Ultimate Products to hear what they say.
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Since it started happening, I have not had a ball that simply does not have any issues. A friend of mine works in the local shop and has been putting in some real effort to try and solve it. He has check to make sure both the resin and the hardener are well shaken up before mixing, well mixed, and done at exactly the correct ratios, and nothing has taken care of it. Is there any possibility it is the coloring dyes that are used? I'll have him try one with no color and see what happens. I'm about to just figure out a repeatable drilled oval that works for me instead of molds. I can't deal with having to re-tape my equipment every time I throw it and remove the tape after I'm done just to keep this from happening.
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wizard has an issue with their ball plug. it has been going on for some time since they made changes to the product. one issue was the texture of the plug which allows for a different feel. Tape has not been sticking. No consistency making slugs. Never had an issue but it has been going on for some time.
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I was just about ready to buy some Wizard to make thumb molds. I guess I will hold off now. I heard there was some tape problems with some of the tape being made, that has been sent back to the manufacture. I guess Ultimate has problems too.
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Go to the web site for Smooth On. Some pro shops are using their product to make molds and thumb inserts.
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Since it started happening, I have not had a ball that simply does not have any issues. A friend of mine works in the local shop and has been putting in some real effort to try and solve it. He has check to make sure both the resin and the hardener are well shaken up before mixing, well mixed, and done at exactly the correct ratios, and nothing has taken care of it. Is there any possibility it is the coloring dyes that are used? I'll have him try one with no color and see what happens. I'm about to just figure out a repeatable drilled oval that works for me instead of molds. I can't deal with having to re-tape my equipment every time I throw it and remove the tape after I'm done just to keep this from happening.
Mine are all dyed black out of the same batch and it only does it with 1 of them. Just a guess, but maybe if it's not exactly 1 even pump of each, maybe the tape wont stick.
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http://www.smooth-on.com/Urethane-Plastic-a/c5_1120_1206/index.html
Smooth Cast 325 I think is what is used. You will have to call them and ask.
If you want just black molds
http://www.smooth-on.com/Urethane-Plastic-a/c5_1120_1325/index.html
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Now that I'm sitting here thinking about it...we have more than 1 tubes of black dye, so maybe it is old or bad dye. It's hard to know because we mostly use it to plug balls. Normally we always used Pro Edge M.A.P. for the thumb molds.
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Its not that, the new wizard plug does not work as well when the temp goes up. I have used the system for nearly 10 yrs now and just started having trouble since the new formulation of the wIZARD. I have been using a 500 piece roll of Storm tape for 2-3 yrs now with no problems whatsoever until I got a new batch of Wizard and thats when the Storm tape started to gum up. I too don't know exactly what to do about it.
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It's definitely annoying. The last time I used it before I tried gluing the first piece of tape in, I was bowling the states in New Jersey and the only good look I had was with that ball. It's rough to repeat shots with a sticky thumb hole.
I'm gonna shoot Ultimate an e-mail and see if I can find something out.
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I have talked to the owner several times and he was helpful but there was nothing he could do when one of his suppliers went out of business.