BallReviews
Equipment Boards => Storm => Topic started by: beeker on January 23, 2014, 03:49:16 PM
-
When I first got the Lucid it was WAY too strong in stock condition. After I polished it some it was still very strong but usable. After a hundred games or it was perfect for the THS. Now that is well over a year old it is no where near as strong as it once was. I had it scuffed using Storm's Reacta Skuff but it didn't help much. I don't know what I should try next. I wanted it to be my main heavy head oil ball but now it doesn't fit that purpose at all!
I imagine I could sand it down, try to remove oil build up, etc. but I don't know if it is worth the effort.
How long do Storm balls usually last? I have a IQ pearl and Hyroad pearl and they are both much stronger than the Lucid is now. When the Lucid was new it was the earliest and strongest ball I owned. Now it the weakest of my three Storm balls.
-
Have you de-oiled it? Taken surface down and soaked it or taken it to a pro shop with a rejuvenator?
-
Have you had it rejuvenated yet? It's deff due
-
All I have done since I got it was wipe it down with cleaner after using it. I had it polished after every 50 games. I recently had it cleaned using the Reacta Skuff that I mentioned above.
That is all I have done so far.
-
Rejuv , bake in an oven, or my personal fav, HOT water and soap in a bucket for about 20+ minutes, dump the water, new HOT water and soap for another 20+ minutes, then rinse and wipe off. this will help get the oil to the surface with the heat, and the soapy water with help dissipate it.
I use Qwik Strike from Bio-Kleen Products (USBC Approved) as a pre-soak, and then I use their Super Suds in the hot water. works great for me
-
Should I ask my pro shop about this or should I just do it myself? Nobody every told me what I should do to maintain my equipment besides clean and polish it.
-
Go to your pro shop or call first. Mine doesn't even charge me to use the revivor oven since I give him good business
-
A ball can only be labeled as dead when you've made every effort to revive it. Since you have done next to nothing to it, how can you even think it might be dead? Do a total resurface, then deoil it then bring it back to your favorite surface and see how it reacts. If it's not worth your effort, throw it away and spend another $200 every time a ball loses reaction...
-
Relax! I didn't call it dead I asked if it was. This is my first time using Storm balls and nobody told me how to maintain them. People need to lighten up a bit around here! I am just looking for some friendly advice.
-
Do not bake it yourself. Have the pro shop rejuvenate it
-
Well, you admitted that you knew about the procedures necessary, but didn't perform them. ALL balls lose performance over time. Even within a brand some balls lose it faster than others. If you know that performance loss happens over time, and you know what to do about it, the question seems kind of moot.
Like I said, you can't tell if a ball is dead - your question - until you've done the maintenance. So the question can't be answered yet... I maintain all of my equipment the same no matter the brand.
After 50 - 100 games most every ball will need to be deoiled. Usually duller balls made to handle heavy oil conditions need the most maintenance. Even though you had it polished some, over 100 games and a full season as your main ball is a lot og games for any performance ball.
-
My Lucid is a year old, and in perfect condition, having made sure to keep up the maintenance of the cover stock by properly refreshening it to 4000 grit using Storm's proper steps, as well as rejuvenating it in a Revivor regularly.
And, it's just as strong as it was the day I got it. One of my favorite balls of all time.
-
I dropped it off with my proshop. They have the rejuvenator thingy. Lol. He said that will help remove the oil. Thanks for the help guys.
-
Just curious as to what you did when you polished the ball multiple times? I am not sure why this happened, but I know of two people who kept running balls through the polishing machines that one particular alley has and they both thought that the particular polish that was being used caused them to hook less and less and less due to polish buildup.
I may be crazy to even suggest it, but if all else fails a good resurface might solve the problem
-
My proshop polished the ball each time. They told me to never use the machine polisher. They said it clogs the pores of the ball and can cause what you described above.
-
BTW, Please don't think I am unhappy with the Lucid. I love it! It just isn't as strong as when it was new. Not even close actually. It still hits a ton and is very controllable. Instead of swinging it I need to play much straighter with it. I hope removing the built up oil and getting it back to factory finish will wake it up.
-
beeker,
Quit letting people get you down. There are always going to be those who jump first and ask questions later. If that is all they are offering you, then pay them no mind, as they add nothing constructive or helpful.
On the original subject. The ball is, most likely, NOT dead.
Dead would mean that it is gone, and nothing can be done to fix it. If what you say above is the truth, this one MIGHT be fixable to some extent.
Since you have already taken it to the shop, I will add no further advice, but there ARE other alternatives that have been used by many members on here that are both simple, AND effective.
Good luck with it. New balls are very expensive. Don't need to replace anything you don't have to.
-
Thanks Juggernaut.
With my previous balls, Visionary, I use to soak them in hot water and soap every few months. I would also scrub them with a sponge, the blue non scratch type. Then I would bring them to the pro shop and have the polished balls repolished. Doing that seemed to help remove some of the oil. I never tried baking them in the oven but I had heard about trying that.
Regardless I didn't know if I could do the same thing with Storm balls. I assumed I could but I wanted to ask before I did something I shouldn't do.
Regardless my pro shop has it now and I'm sure they will handle it properly. Monday nights league is on Beaten Path. Usually there is a ton of head oil early on. The head oil doesn't last long but the Lucid should give me a good look for the first game or so. Once there is carry down and the head oil goes away a weaker ball is necessary to clear the heads and still turn the corner. If I get it back on Monday I will post my results.
-
Well the rejuvenator thingy worked! He used it to remove the oil and returned the cover to stock finish. The Lucid is a beast again! In fact it was too strong to use last night even in the first game. It was reading way too early to clear the heads. Which is the way it was when it was new.
Thanks everyone for your help. My strongest/earliest ball is back to the way it was when it was new. I don't often need a ball that strong but when I do I'll be happy it is in my bag!
-
Glad that your pro shop was able to get it back to oob for you. Remember for now on, clean immediately after every set, touch up the finish via abralon every 15-30 games and rejuv every 50-100 (depending on what line you play) and youll make your ball last.
-
When my Lucid was new, it really didn't get good for me until it got polished up from the lane after about 30 games. I just had mine de oiled and finished at 4000. I had the guy buff a tiny bit of polish on it to try to simulate a few games on the lane. Shot about 930 for 4 on last years USBC pattern with it right after resurface.