How to Wash Oil from Reactive Resin Bowling Balls

[DashiCRAY]

I keep seeing Blinkie, the 3 eyed fish from The Simpsons when I look at that ball.

[HajaLanes]

@DashiCRAY Yeah, I have "Bowler's Elbow" and a dislocated ring finger. I need the index finger to get any life at all. You should try it...awesome lift!

[kevintooley]

Really? All you are doing is cleaning the surface of the bowling ball. That DOES NOT extract oil that the cover absorbs. After 90+ games, the ball will lose reaction and no amount if surface cleaning or change to the cover, will correct the issue. You need to use a rejuvenation machine to extract the OIL, using heat (don't go over 130), then resurface the ball. This is a proven fact for returning you ball to it's original OOB finish. And, this extends the life of the bowling ball.

[SlatebowlAllStars]

@kevintooley Have you tried this method?

[kevintooley]

@SlatebowlAllStars - Yes I have. If you do this on a new bowling ball or a newly resurfaced ball, this 'COULD' be an effective way to minimize the cover absorbing oil. BUT, on a ball that already have a number of games, this will not extract very much oil.

After trying this method, I placed ball 2 balls (1 with 30 games and 1 with 60games), into a rejuvenation machine and it still extracted additional oil, that this method cannot get at.

[kevintooley]

@kevintooley I am not basing my observation on speculation, but by actually testing which method works best. If a bowler does not have access to a rejuvenation machine in their area, this can be a good method, but no more effective then letting the ball sit in HOT water (no hotter than 130), with something like Dawn direct form, which works with the hot watch to extract and break down the oil as it comes out of the ball..

[SlatebowlAllStars]

@kevintooley Sorry to hear it didn't get all the oil out for you. I have been using this method for a few years now and it has been working very well for me. Of course since it's so fast and easy I wash my bowing balls every other week or after about a dozen games. When I first tried this method I had to wash the ball 3 times to get as much oil out as I could.

But your are right about the rejuvenator working better, it's just that I do not have a rejuvenator but I do have dish soap.

[kevintooley]

@SlatebowlAllStars The problem I have with this video and method, is that bowlers are being mislead to believe that just soap and a little warm water will do the trick. Dish soap with a degreaser will not by itself absorb oil out of a ball. You have to find a way to heat the ball first. For me, soaking the ball in HOT water with Simple Green, is more effective than any soap with degreaser. And, just a safe.

[SlatebowlAllStars]

@kevintooley Once again, I am sorry you feel that way. It has been doing "the trick" for me for several years now. It may not get ALL the oil out, but it does get a majority of the oil out and restores the hooking ability to a once "dead" ball.

The reason I made the video is to stop bowlers from throwing away good balls they think have died simply because it's full of oil.

This method does work, and it works well.

We will just have to agree to disagree.

[gamemeister27]

@kevintooley Be careful how hot you use, 120-130 degrees Fahrenheit should be the temp, not any more!

[goochbuntu]

this is the best way i have seen to wash your balls

[HajaLanes]

Just washed my ball again yesterday after 2 weeks of bowling. Took all of 8 minutes...so I washed it again. Now it's nice and clean!

This method works great and is by far the easiest and safest way to remove oil from your reactive resin bowling balls!

[orange7ize]

i have that ball but i have 3 holes not 4....

[HajaLanes]

@orange7ize That's too bad, you should try it with a hole for your index finger....awesome lift!

[damndaleks]

i put a virtual gravity in the oven for 4+ hours above 120 and first game straight out the oven 300. so are we not just throwing advanced balls but advanced physics down the lanes 60 feet its the bowlers fault if he doesn't hit the pocket not the ovens

[HajaLanes]

@damndaleks There is a lot of physics in the game today, but a lot depends on several other factors. The ball, the oil...(heavy,light.short long or walled), the ball surface, how the ball is drilled (pin up/pin down) and of course the bowler him/herself. I have seen walled up alleys with wahsam in the flat gutters where anyone who could control their arm and throw a decent ball would average 220+.

I have been tempted to stick one of my balls in the oven at home just to see it it cracks or not.

[SlatebowlAllStars]

@damndaleks Or, you could be rolling on walled up allyes with WAHSAM in the flat gutters.

Yeah, there is a lot of physics in bowling today...most of it seem to be trying to make as easy as possible for even the average league chucker to keep a 200 puls average with very little actual skill.

So where do you bowl dude?

[xyanide1986]

About rubbing alcohol and other solvents, yes they can harm plastics by dissolving the free chemicals in them generally making it less flexible. You can usually tell this by how the surface dulls and sometimes even white marks. This is just plastics in general though and each one reacts to it differently. With the dense plastics used on bowling balls it would take quite some washes for you to start noticing though.

[HajaLanes]

@xyanide1986 Acetone and other oil based solvent will damage plastic and resin and are banned by the USBC for use on bowling balls. Rubbing alcohol, even at 91% will not damage plastics or reactive resins themselves, it's the additives they add to the resins that may get leached out by IPA. Storm adds a scent to their balls which may get leached out with IPA...ball polish may also get leached out and make the ball look dull, but IPA should not harm the resin at all. Use a ball cleaner instead.

[xyanide1986]

About rubbing alcohol and other solvents, yes they can harm plastics by dissolving the free chemicals in them generally making it less flexible. You can usually tell this by how the surface dulls and sometimes even white marks. This is just plastics in general though and each one reacts to it differently. With the dense plastics used on bowling balls it would take quite some washes for you to start noticing though.

[TheShinigami1993]

yeah im having that issue currently with my hammer so just put some washing detergent into a bucket of warm water and then just put the ball in it it pulled the oil right out and you could see it i used about 4 buckets of warm water sigh i had bowled well over 100 games with my ball before being told to keep it reactive i gotta wash it

[HajaLanes]

@TheShinigami1993 just washed mine again last night, had a good 30 games on it. i don't like to soak it under water...afraid it will get water logged. a simple washing, like in the video, works well.

so, after 100 games did your hammer "die" on you? you should resurface after 200 to 300 games to keep it reacting like new.

[TheShinigami1993]

@HajaLanes yeah pretty much after the ball had gone through my standard home lane oil pattern and then through a tournament oil pattern it was pretty dead with in those 100 games i mentioned

[1MYERGAWD]

ahhh! dont use rubbing alcohol it actually breaks down and ruins the chemistry of the cover stock. you'll notice a decrease in your hook everytime you use rubbing alcohol.

[HajaLanes]

@1MYERGAWD I heard that before. Do you have any proof that IPA actually harms the cover stock?

The first time i heard it I sent emails to the major ball makers and none who replied would say rubbing alcohol would harm their cover stock. Jason from VBP said Isopropyl does not harm their products.

The USBC approves IPA for use any time on bowilng balls.

So if you are saying rubbing alc harms the cover stock I would like to see the proof. I have been using it for years now with no problems.

[1MYERGAWD]

@HajaLanes, sorry i should have said: Dont use alcohol on a storm bowling balls. I dont really have much proof to show but storm bowling balls do have something about there cover stock that is touchy. I started having hook issues after i cleaned it with alcohol and i took it to the pro shop just to kinda rant about how my ball is "dying" i mention how cleaned it with alcohol and he told me "oooohh noo you dont want to do that with storm" He went on how it ruins the chemistry"

[1MYERGAWD]

@HajaLanes (ran out of characters) - Anyway i should have asked him how he knew this. I'm actually gonna bowl tonight so i'll see if i can catch him and i'll reply back. But yeah like you said i cant really find anything on storms official website about not using alcohol. I can firmly say that using alcohol on my storm virtual gravity has really taken the edge off this ball. I recently bought the storm nano and i just keep it simple - bake in the oven on 200 for a few hours wipe off.

[HajaLanes]

@1MYERGAWD No No No dude! Never ever heat a bowling ball above 120 F, it will create a void between the cover stock and the core...different expansion rates dude. a void will cause your ball to crack. A simple washing with soap and water is all it takes...use a good ball cleaner if you do not trust IPA.

Remember, if it's too hot for your hands...it's too hot for your ball.

Resurface the ball after 200 - 300 games.

[HajaLanes]

@1MYERGAWD Also dude...Storm sells their own over priced Ball Cleaner. They would not answer the question when I asked if IPA will harm their cover stock....they replied they will only recommend the use of their products on thier balls.

I don't care what they recommend, all I wanted to know is if IPA will harm their cover stock. Since they will not reply to that question I recommend buying VBP balls who are up front and honest and do make very good bowling balls.

[RollingFX77]

This is how I clean my balls.  ;))

[louisdiaz316]

wait how many holes did that bowling ball have?

[HajaLanes]

@louisdiaz316 Just enough. Yeah, I use my index finger for lift. I kept popping the joint on my ring finger. The more fingers you have in the ball the more fingers you will get On the ball.

Try it, once you get used to it I think you will really like it.

[gamemeister27]

@HajaLanes Lot of people have started with the extra finger holes for additional wrist support. If you can't keep a strong wrist or have pain when you do, an extra hole is a great option. Yon Jin Gu (I think I spelled that right) from South Korea has a pinky hole, he won the 2010 Scorpion Championship.

[HajaLanes]

@gamemeister27 yeah, as we get older we need all the help we can get. I turned 65 in July. ..just dropped down to 12 lb balls...it's an OCD thing. 8)

Wish I had started with the index finger hole 20 years ago...just may not have developed the tennis elbow I suffer from now.

You get a hell of a lot more lift with the index finger in the ball and it's a lot easier on the arm.

[gamemeister27]

@HajaLanes I just remembered! You should start considering morich bowling balls with a ball weight that low. They don't switch to a generic type core when you get below 14 pounds.

[HajaLanes]

@gamemeister27 Thanks dude. I will keep Morich in mind if I get another 12 lb ball. Steve got a Pure Phyics for me at a low sale price. Just wanted to see what 12 lbs would do. I like it really so had him drill up a 12 lb WD for a spare ball. Only rolled a few weeks with them, but think I'll try and stay with just the 2 this season. Hoping I'll be able to go back to 14 lbs next season...maybe. Depend on how well the 12 lb balls work out. They really feel good to throw.

[Pacoelo]

some problem if i clean my bowbling ball whit Turtle Wax Liquid Polish?

[HajaLanes]

@Pacoelo Go to Bowl(dot)com and check the equipment list for products that are approved/disapproved for use on bowling balls. bowl(dot)com/equipandspecs/app­rovedballcleanersandpolishes.j­sp

I did not see Turtle Wax on the list.

I have no idea if turtle wax will harm a reactive resin ball or not. But if it contains a petroleum product or acetone it may NOT be used for USBC leagues.

Orange Glow and Simple Green are approved and I have used both with no problem.

[gamemeister27]

@Pacoelo Sounds like that would clog the pores and not actually remove any oil.

[HajaLanes]

@gamemeister27 That's a good thought. Don't think I would want to use turtle wax on a reactive resin ball...maybe a plastic spare ball.

[gamemeister27]

@HajaLanes Eh, they have ball polish for that. I have Brunswick Pro Shine, mainly because I don't have a ball spinner. According to the reviews I read it would be easy to apply by hand evenly. Those reviews were spot on! Easy to apply by hand, and it is cheap too! Shine up that plastic or push your breakpoint down lane with it. Of course polish does clog the pores, so I would say moving up grits before polishing for consistent reaction.

[HajaLanes]

@gamemeister27 good tip dude...thankee

[HajaLanes]

@eyemanidiot LOL! You certainly picked the right name for yourself!

Thanks for your opinion dude!

[gamemeister27]

Well that method also recommends a good 15 minute long soak in warm soapy water along with the massage. That gentle, even, heat of the water brings out the oil which is broken down by the soap. Morich actually recommends a similar method on their website, one of the few ball manufacturers that recommends using a non ball cleaner method.

[HajaLanes]

@gamemeister27 Thanks for the comment dude! I do not like soaking the ball that long for fear it may get waterlogged. The way I do it, very little water gets into the finger and thumb holes which can be removed quickly. I also poke the rolled end of a paper towl into the holes to absorb what little water may remain. I've been using this method for years with no problems. It does work!

The whole point is to get bowlers to wash the oil out and now just buy a new ball when it dies.

[gamemeister27]

@HajaLanes Yeah, I don't submerge the finger holes usually when I soak it, but I tried putting paper towels in the hole when I submerged them and they came out pretty dry.

I don't want to try it again though, makes me nervous.

[HajaLanes]

@gamemeister27 I heard of people using puddy and/or duct tape but have not tried it myself. I tried many different things including heating the ball with a hair dryer,Goop waterless hand cleaner, and covering the ball with Oil Dry over night like the Ebonite system, but this simple washing with dish soap and warm water works very well so I have stopped looking.

This method is simple and fast so I usually wash them every other week then since I have a ball spinner I resurface every so often.

[gamemeister27]

@HajaLanes I tried using an old space heater I have, placed the ball at the point where the air temp reached about 120 degrees. The amount of oil that came out was astounding.

[HajaLanes]

@gamemeister27 Never thought of a space heater dude, but a friend from Florida uses a box with hole in it for the nozzle of a hairdryer. He claims it removes a lot of oil too. I'll keep washing my bowling balls like in the video. Just did them on Saturday. Took all of 10 minutes. Been doing this for a good two years now with no damage to any of my reactive resin bowling balls.

BTW, I tried the bucket method the other week, didn't care for it. Rub in dish soap wash out with warm water, dry...done

[SlatebowlAllStars]

Nice video. Thanks dude.