Anybody ever hear of using kitty litter to extract oil from a bowling ball, in much the same fashion as the "hot-water bath"? A reputable pro-shop guy (my driller) mentioned this as an alternative, less labor-intensive method. He said to just place the ball in any container big enough to hold the ball, surrounded by a thin layer of litter, or gas station type absorb-all sweeping compound, and leave it overnight. It SEEMS to be sensible, or is he just yanking my chain?
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r.k.wolfe

Edited on 1/31/2007 0:52 AM

I do this every other week. Dump about an inch into a 5G bucket, insert ball, fill the bucket. Add a heat source like the sun or portable heater. Remove ball after X amount of hours. Rinse off in hot water. Spray with favorite degreaser (409). Rinse again. Wipe dry.

These things you buy will last the whole season (if not longer). Cheaper than rejun @ pro shop.
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14lb Animal | 13lb polyester

Heat should be there!

Let me explain:

The coverstock is like a sponge and the oil is absorbed into it.
 So if there is no force to draw it out it will only "diffuse" (meaning a self induced/triggered movement that is rather based on differences in concentration and that will also go into any direction) but that effect is little to nothing and takes time!
If heat is applied the movement of the oil molecules will increase... a lot!
 So the chance of the oil moving to the outside of the ball and getting into contact with a "kitty" particle is higher.

Also if the concentration of oil on the outside is smaller oil from the inside of the ball can "flow" there and might be drawn out...

I also tend towards the water methods the ball is covert totally with water ... the "kitty" has only small contact areas.

And people that state their ball worked great after leaving it in the closet and not using it for some time have experienced this:
The oil from the outer shell diffused deeper into the ball making the surface less oily and giving more friction... but the deeper the oil is soaked into the ball the harder it is to get it out.
KEEP YOUR BALLS CLEAN (all of them )
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I have done the kitty litter method. It will pull some oil out.
I let the ball sit a few days in the litter.
Heating would help, but first the ball has to get warm.
but with the litter around the ball its insulated.
so the litter has to get hot first then the ball.

The hot water and dawn I think is faster.
Kitty littering the ball would be a good long term storage option.