can balls really die?

[stretchmike]

hi guys have u had a ball supposedly die on you and can this really happen? I think my black widow bite doesnt roll as well anymore but not sure it is "dead". A friend of mine got a virtual gravity last season and he was loving the ball but he says its dead now like throwing a spare ball. i dont know for sure if it was cared for properly but he said it was and he said pro shop guys told him it was dead. shouldnt a ball last alot longer than that? any personal experiences,thoughts/ideas on this add to this thread. thanx :rolleyes:

[idlehourlegend]

They dont die if you take care of them properly, they wont last forever but they will last a very long time if you have a good maitenence regimen.

[RedMan3]

Some proshops have this pamphlet by ebonite's powerhouse (cleaners). They pretty much layout a good way to maintain/clean your equipment.

I personally would just use their energizer spray (on pearls) and their clean n dull (on solids), then after 100 or so games do an oil extraction process (baking, bath, etc).

I've heard some guys using balls for over 500 games. BTW i have heard of the virtual gravities dying after 200 and proshops not being able to do anything about it. oh well.

[Walkin Kamikaze]

Some proshops have this pamphlet by ebonite's powerhouse (cleaners). They pretty much layout a good way to maintain/clean your equipment.

I personally would just use their energizer spray (on pearls) and their clean n dull (on solids), then after 100 or so games do an oil extraction process (baking, bath, etc).

I've heard some guys using balls for over 500 games. BTW i have heard of the virtual gravities dying after 200 and proshops not being able to do anything about it. oh well.

my virtual lost quite a bit by the time i was done with KEGEL! cuz at kegel i bowled at least 30 games with it in one day. the virtual need to be maintained (sp?) very regularly.. Its a shamwow of bowling balls..

[Dave34]

I'm going to agree with Idle, I've yet to have a ball die on me that wasn't my fault (No Mercy was my first high-performance ball, and I cleaned it once or twice a month, lol). Even then all I had to do was put it through the hook again chamber and it was as good as new. I have experienced that there is some friction creation lost through use (even after resurface/oil removal) but that may be due to difficulty in replicating exactly how the ball was finished at the factory. I think it wouldn't be enough of a friction loss to rule the ball dead, maybe hook 1-2 boards less, but not turn a hook monster into a spare ball unless there was some maintenance issue.

I'm sure someone who "has religiously cleaned" their bowling ball only to have it "go plastic" on them who will say I'm wrong, but this is just my experience.

[Flessan]

Heh.. I've never had a ball die. Keep it drained, keep the surface maintained and nothing should go wrong.

I've had well over 1000 games bowled on my bite, and it still cracks some pins.

[can-ham]

Try looking for an IBPSIA certified pro shop that has a Revivor. This little machine is gold, it will sweat the oil out of the ball at a controlled heat while rotating it with a wipe. If your proshop has this they should be able to help you out. For better results get them to sand your ball down to 400 or 800 before putting it in.

http://ep.yimg.com/ip/I/bowlersdream_2060_73783409

With regular cleaning and either hot water baths or the revivor, I've had great results with all my equipment keeping their reaction. This also includes regular resurfacing...

[Old Scratch]

I had a Storm X-Factor Ace that went plastic on me after about 60-70 games. Nothing I or the pro shop did could bring it back to life again. It was weird; almost like someone flipping a switch. Never did figure that one out. It was the only time I've ever had that happen to me, and I've used balls a lot spongier than that one. Maybe that was the one ball I didn't take care of properly.

[idlehourlegend]

I had a Storm X-Factor Ace that went plastic on me after about 60-70 games. Nothing I or the pro shop did could bring it back to life again. It was weird; almost like someone flipping a switch. Never did figure that one out. It was the only time I've ever had that happen to me, and I've used balls a lot spongier than that one. Maybe that was the one ball I didn't take care of properly.

I had the X Factor Ace and put about 300-400 games on it and never had a problem with it at all, had my 800 with it after there was around 200 games on it already.

[Ray1010]

Over 1000 games with my first BWS and this is "the" ball everyone is talking about that dies after 200 games no matter how u clean it,I do religiously take care of all my equipment and it still hooks like it always has

[Old Scratch]

I had the X Factor Ace and put about 300-400 games on it and never had a problem with it at all, had my 800 with it after there was around 200 games on it already.

Yeah. Great ball. I shot some stratospheric numbers with mine. Just couldn't figure out what happened with it. I was somewhat irked with it, but then it got stolen and insurance paid for a replacement. That's how I got my first Hammer, actually.

[nu2]

I also had a bwp which I own ever since the first day it release and have put average 30 games on it each week. At one point I thought the ball was dead also and have tried all sort of things to bring it back. From hot water bath to hook again chamber, even a total resurface cannot revive it back. It was not until I went to another pro shop and they suggested I have a miss fit on the finger insert, causing inbalance tightness between 2 holes. Once he did some proper adjustment to both the inserts and my bowling style, the ball was back again and stronger than before. Ever since then I just continue with the normal polish, hot water bath schedule and my ball just continues to be a hooking monster.

Just some personal experience, hope it helps.

[Hammerhead1987]

It was not until I went to another pro shop and they suggested I have a miss fit on the finger insert, causing inbalance tightness between 2 holes. Once he did some proper adjustment to both the inserts and my bowling style, the ball was back again and stronger than before.

Is that why my BWP was a dud when i got it. I could not get this thing to move when the lanes were bone dry. I got new power lift inserts, glued them in myself, and man the thing finally works for me. I was shocked the first time it hooked going for a 10 pin, I almost fainted.

[DSOTM]

I also had a bwp which I own ever since the first day it release and have put average 30 games on it each week. At one point I thought the ball was dead also and have tried all sort of things to bring it back. From hot water bath to hook again chamber, even a total resurface cannot revive it back. It was not until I went to another pro shop and they suggested I have a miss fit on the finger insert, causing inbalance tightness between 2 holes. Once he did some proper adjustment to both the inserts and my bowling style, the ball was back again and stronger than before. Ever since then I just continue with the normal polish, hot water bath schedule and my ball just continues to be a hooking monster.

Just some personal experience, hope it helps.

Can you explain this for a layperson?

[olie2832]

supposedly my bite just died because i went to a camp and when i used my bite and it didnt hook at all. Brad Angelo the pro i was working with asked question about my ball and he even threw it himself and said it was dead.

[nu2]

Can you explain this for a layperson?

Basically, as the proshop owner explained to me, both fingers are controlling different aspect of the ball's motion. While one of the finger is controlling the ball's rev/spin, the other is the hook ( I do not remember exactly which is which or if they control other stuff as well, someone please fill in more info). Therefore, if both fingers pressure are not even, then one of the action will dominate the other. In my case, my ball keep spinning but does not hook, which looks like the ball is losing its reaction and die. But again, a refit of the inserts fix that problem.

Another thing that I change is my old style is having too much side roll, which the ball is skit along the oil and roll into the pocket when it encounter friction. However, as I was being told again, this will make the ball's action inconsistent , as well as unable to use the core at all. Therefore I change my style to more rolling forward type, which surprisingly not only increase the hook, but also the control of the ball and hitting power.

Hope it helps

[NastyNate]

I had a Black widow it was my first ball when I got back into bowling but I really didnt know the correct maintnace and after 100 game My BWS died i had the hook again and it brought some of it back but 10 -15 games later a good spare ball, But with that said I have a Blue Vibe that I clean after every set and take care of the surface has over 300 games on it and hits like it did 3years ago.

[Donkey]

does sanded your ball down before putting it in the revivor really make a substantial difference?

[Rowdy]

does sanded your ball down before putting it in the revivor really make a substantial difference?

Jury's still out on this one. Some say yes,but some of us think that sanding the ball first clogs the pores in the ball and actually traps oil in the ball. I go with the "Get the oil out first and then resurface" crowd.

Your call.

[Donkey]

sounds good to me def go with drain then resurface

[can-ham]

does sanded your ball down before putting it in the revivor really make a substantial difference?

Interesting. While Rowdy might have a point, I think it might be the opposite as bringing the surface down should open up the pours of the cover stock. Now I wouldn't recommend bring in the surface up or polishing it first, that's a no brainer. That being said I clean my equipment so I've never had to have my cover adjusted before putting it in the reviver and have always had great results.

Moe has a great article about this on his site. (http://www.morichbowling.com/BowlingBalls/BowlingBall_Cleaning.htm) (sorry for linking to a competitors site but this method works amazing on all my Hammer, Track and Columbia balls)