Sanding My Ball

[Bigjohn7447]

Ive been bowling with the black widow for about 5 weeks and it was covered in lane oil and junk so i the guy in the proshop told me to sand it. After he sanded it to 4000 grit it lost its hook. Tords the end of 4 games it started to hook more. Can anybody explain to me what happened. Is it a good idea to sand the ball, and what kind or cleaner should i use after every time i bowl? thanks.

[dw800seeker]

I am not brave enough to sand my ball. I clean it with alcohol after bowling. I just got some Black Magic Cleaner XL. That made the ball pretty shiny and my BW and NM responded fairly well.

Isn't the 4000 what the BW came with? I know mine was fantastic the first time out. That was my high game and high series.

[aim2luv]

Sanding a ball to 4000 is not really sanding the ball. That is like putting a shine on it. If you had oil and stuff on your ball then the proshop should have baked it and cleaned it. Sanding is what I like. I take mine down to around 350 grit. I like it cause it has a smother arc and not a snappy back end which can leave a lot of corner pins. Plus sanding the ball makes the ball start to hook up earlier. The 4000 grit that was put on just took it back to factory finish. But why it was not hooking up I don't know, Lots of little factors could be involved in it.

[Bigjohn7447]

Ive been bowling with the black widow for about 5 weeks and it was covered in lane oil and junk so i the guy in the proshop told me to sand it. After he sanded it to 4000 grit it lost its hook. Tords the end of 4 games it started to hook more. Can anybody explain to me what happened. Is it a good idea to sand the ball, and what kind or cleaner should i use after every time i bowl? thanks.

Sorry, i ment to say that he sanded it to 1000

[Lenny360]

As a general rule, sanding the ball down will create more overall hook and it will hook earlier.

It's possible that the 1000 grit is causing too much friction early on and using up the balls energy.

Just ask your proshop to take it back to factory finish. If he/she can't then just go somewhere else that will.

As for cleaning, I use ebonite energizer after bowling session and track clean n dull(tacky) every week or so.

[Bigjohn7447]

Thanks Lenny360 for the advice. Ive been thinking about getting the track cleaner for awhile. i don't want to sound like a little girl but some of the track cleaners in the proshop say that the smell like bannana and peppermint. its it really strong?

[Lenny360]

The clean n dull smells like lemon or lime... similar to like a lemon dish soap.

Clean n tacky which I believe is just the new name for clean n dull smells like toothpaste.

The scent is noticeable but not very strong. I've never used the banana one.

[Bigjohn7447]

Thanks alot Lenny360. Do you think the clean and tacky will give the ball alittle better grip or hook when i hit the heavier oil. Im on a highschool team so we travel to different places alot.

[TenPinSniper]

What happened with sanding/resurfacing... Guess this kind of depends on the type of lanes surface you bowl on...

Wood will cause a noticeable track in the ball faster, basically lowers grit of surface... more hook potential

Synthetic lanes track is less noticeable or micro track non existent to the eye... still there... more hook potential

Plus you did not clean the ball... Dirt is grit... belt grease and dressing also add friction... all lower the grit.

Pretty sure Ebonite stance on baking the ball... is NO. They recommend Hook Again. It does a good job from my experience.

Cleaning the ball:
http://www.bowl.com/specs/products_index.aspx
Choose cleaners.

http://www.hammerbowling.com/ask_expert/index.php

http://www.morichbowling.com/Products/Cleaning.htm

http://www.ebonite.com/techcenter/RandD_index.php
Looks like it may have some good info.


Personally, have tried many cleaners... decide to stick with Ebonite’s Power House Energizer... bought a quart. Alcohol is ok for something cheap, but get 90-100%. Heard of people using simple green.

If you want to scuff a surface of the ball I have been using scotch brite grays and greens.

[Lenny360]

The cleaner by itself wont really give the ball more hook. It will however help keep your ball hooking to it's potential by keeping it cleaner and removing the oil.

I always bring scotch brite pads with me in case I come across heavier oil. If I need a little more hook I'll use some of the clean n tacky and a scuff the ball with scotch brite to give it a little more friction. It only takes a few seconds and it can make a big difference.

Remember, you can't do this once competition starts because it alters the ball surface, but you can during practice. These are the rules are for usbc sanctioned leagues, I'd assume high school would be the same, but I don't know. The best thing to do is experiment with different surfaces yourself until you get the feel of what different ones will do and eventually you'll know exactly what you'll need for different conditions.

[Bigjohn7447]

Wait when you say scotch bright pads you mean the ones you use for kitchens and stuff. Is there a certin kind i should look for like heavy duty or something.

[TenPinSniper]

Those are the one, not with a sponge on one side. Lowes has a few different colors, that would be nice to have. Different levels of course or grit.

[Bigjohn7447]

Sorry im just having a hard time with this scotch bright idea. Its ok to scuff the track up alittle with the heavy duty pad.

[TenPinSniper]

Yeah it cool. My wife could not bowl with out it everyweek. Each color is a different grit.