Author Topic: Plastic Ball Cleaning & Polishing: Question (Read 18099 times)

da Shiv · « **on:** September 12, 2006, 10:43:05 AM »

I'm well versed in the cleaning and maintenance of reactive bowling balls, but I'm pretty well out of it when it comes to plastic balls. I skipped plastic balls back in the day, going directly from rubber to urethane. I only recently started carrying a plastic ball with me, when my bowling center started offering oil-free lanes once or twice a year--usually on lanes 1 & 2 and occasionally on 3 & 4 as well.

I bought an XXXL Buzzsaw late last winter and had no occasion to use it until last Saturday. I had prepped it by polishing it with Track Magic Clean'N'Polish--the highest shine polish that I've ever used. It looked like a mirror, but felt vaguely tacky; although nothing like the way a reactive ball feels tacky. This concerned me a bit, but I put it aside.

Anyway, the lanes were totally toasted and this ball was way too much for the condition. I was pretty much helpless. The ball ended up covered with belt burns, which I normally take off by dabbing acetone on a paper towel and rubbing the belt burn with my finger tip. This removes belt burns quickly and easily. I was afraid to risk acetone on a polyester ball, however--even for a few seconds. Maybe that was over-cautious--I don't know.

I used Dawn dish soap on a sponge and scrubbed away at those belt burns until my arm was about to come off. I finally got the ball clean without having to use anything abrasive on it, so it's still shiny.

Please help me in my ignorance about plastic balls. I have two questions. The first is what is the best way to clean a plastic ball--especially one covered with belt burns? Surely there must be an easier, non-abrasive way to clean these balls. Should I just use my usual reactive ball cleaner, namely Clean'N'Dull?

My next question is what can I use to put a high, slippery shine on a plastic ball? I'm guessing some kind of wax from an auto parts store. For this sort of purpose, I like the slick, slippery finish that one can get from a Lustre King machine, but I don't trust those machines. I've seen them only do part of a ball, and besides these days you never really know what's in them anymore.

I haven't been on the site much for several months because I've been recovering from major hernia surgery and haven't done any bowling for almost 4 months. Since I haven't been bowling, I kind of checked out of all discussion of it as well; but now the season has started and I'm easing back into it.

Help me out--all advice will be appreciated!

Shiv
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Listening to the monotonous staccato of rain on my desk top

charlest · « **Reply #16 on:** September 13, 2006, 12:58:26 PM »

quote:
Is delayed reaction more slippery than Neo Tac's Control It?
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I mean what's next, WRW in a Codpiece if the mens tour suffers? - Nodsleinad

Neither is slippery; they add skid and reduce backend by lightly clogging the resin pores. Both do the job if want both length AND reduced backend.

Warning: if you want the ball restored, you need to do a deep surfacing, like down to 320 grit, roughly and then bring the ball back to whatever finish you want/need.
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"None are so blind as those who will not see."

Fluff E Bunnie · « **Reply #17 on:** September 13, 2006, 12:59:31 PM »

quote:
Use the finest sanding grit you can get - probably 4000 grit, IF YOU REALLY WANT THIS BALL TO GO STRAIGHT, and then polish with a gritless polish (because you don't want to change the grit (Brunswick's high gloss or Track's Magic Shine or Ultimate's Black Magic).

What about Storm's XTRA Shine? Is that the same thing?

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I mean what's next, WRW in a Codpiece if the mens tour suffers? - Nodsleinad

Edited on 9/13/2006 12:53 PM

charlest · « **Reply #18 on:** September 13, 2006, 01:32:59 PM »

quote:
quote:
Use the finest sanding grit you can get - probably 4000 grit, IF YOU REALLY WANT THIS BALL TO GO STRAIGHT, and then polish with a gritless polish (because you don't want to change the grit (Brunswick's high gloss or Track's Magic Shine or Ultimate's Black Magic).

What about Storm's XTRA Shine? Is that the same thing?
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While it is a great polish that I use a LOT, it does have abrasive grit in it and it can change the level underneath the polish. The polishes I specified above, I know do not contain any abrasives in them; so the level you sand is the level that's underneath the polish.

I generally use Xtra Shine this way -
If you sand a ball to, say, 1000 grit and apply Xtra Shine, it will do a great job on resin and many particle balls, taking the polish level up fairly high, the more pressure for longer periods of time applied, the higher the gloss will be and the finer the grit level underneath.

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"None are so blind as those who will not see."

Edited on 9/13/2006 1:27 PM

Fluff E Bunnie · « **Reply #19 on:** September 13, 2006, 01:43:32 PM »

quote:

While it is a great polish that I use a LOT, it does have abrasive grit in it and it can change the level underneath the polish. The polishes I specified above, I know do not contain any abrasives in them; so the level you sand is the level that's underneath the polish.

I generally use Xtra Shine this way -
If you sand a ball to, say, 1000 grit and apply Xtra Shine, it will do a great job on resin and many particle balls, taking the polish level up fairly high, the more pressure for longer periods of time applied, the higher the gloss will be and the finer the grit level underneath.

Excellent. Thanks for the tip!

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I mean what's next, WRW in a Codpiece if the mens tour suffers? - Nodsleinad

Robadat · « **Reply #20 on:** September 15, 2006, 09:18:24 PM »

For cleaning and polishing my plastic ball, I use Ebonite Powerhouse Ball Cleaner, not the Powerhouse Energizer Cleaner. It cleans belt marks off fairly easily and the ball does not get that tacky feeling when you're done. I use Nu-Finish car wax to polish it up every month or so. I always had a problem with the plastic ball hooking when I shoot at the seven pin (lefty), since I've been using the Nu-Finish on the ball, I have been making the seven around 80 to 90% of the time.
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The facts expressed here belong to everybody, the opinions to me. The distinction is yours to draw...

Enjoy,
Bob

da Shiv · « **Reply #21 on:** September 19, 2006, 09:03:37 AM »

I finally ended up polishing the XXXL with Dupont Teflon Car Wax. After I finished, I held a magnifying glass up to the ball and I could read the reflection of the instructions on my fuse box on the other side of the basement. I compared the feel of the ball with the feel of my old White Dot (wrong weight for me these days) that had last been polished in a Lustre King machine. The White Dot has always felt very slick--no trace of tackiness in the feel of it at all. Well, the White Dot now feels tacky compared to the XXXL. I'll have to be careful not to drop the XXXL now--it's like a wet bar of soap.

Of course, having done that, I'm sure that I have virtually guaranteed that I will not see totally oil-free lanes again for the rest of the year. That's okay--better to have the ball ready and not need it than to need it and not have it.

Shiv
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Listening to the monotonous staccato of rain on my desk top

Author Topic: Plastic Ball Cleaning & Polishing: Question (Read 18099 times)

da Shiv

Plastic Ball Cleaning & Polishing: Question

charlest

Re: Plastic Ball Cleaning & Polishing: Question

Fluff E Bunnie

Re: Plastic Ball Cleaning & Polishing: Question

charlest

Re: Plastic Ball Cleaning & Polishing: Question

Fluff E Bunnie

Re: Plastic Ball Cleaning & Polishing: Question

Robadat

Re: Plastic Ball Cleaning & Polishing: Question

da Shiv

Re: Plastic Ball Cleaning & Polishing: Question