Anyone bake balls?

[The KingPin]

So I have heard of baking your bowling balls to get the oil out. Has any does this and does it work?

[ThongPrincess]

I have taken equipment to the pro shop and they put it in the Rejuvenator. It is basically a mini oven and keeps a consistent temperature. They check it and wipe off oil every few hours. It definitely takes something out of the ball, the question is is it only oil or also plasticizer ?.

I don't take equipment in often, but the ball does react better after baking. I asked my coach about it and his suggestion was it shouldn't hurt the ball as long as it isn't over used, no more than once a year was his recommendation. Ebonite says not to use it ever, but other ball companies say it won't hurt the ball.

Using a home oven I would think is more risky. I believe the ball is rotating in the rejuvenator, which would not be able to be done in the home oven. In addition, not all ovens are true to temperature.

[kev3inp]

In sunnier climes like mine a black plastic bag in the yard or the trunk works fine. I wouldn't try the oven. I don't think it'd run low enough. I've heard of guys using a cardboard box and using a hairdryer through a vent to heat it up. I think home baking is a bad idea. Well except for cookies, cake and pie. :)

[bowl1820]

When it comes to Home ball baking in a oven. It can work but it's risky, because it's easy to ruin a ball if you don't watch what your doing. For home oil extraction the hot water and dawn method is safer .

Liking to experiment I built my own ball rejuvenator out of a food dehydrator and a bucket.

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w89/aloarjr810/bowlingxtras/ballrejuv_01.jpg

It applies a slow gentle heat and the ball sweats good. Here's a photo of a friends ball I used it on and the oil coming out.I sanded the ball first so that the pores are really open good.

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w89/aloarjr810/bowlingxtras/ballrejuv_02.jpg

[kev3inp]

Wow, that's pretty cool. You just happened to have a spare dehydrator lying around? That fit a 5 gallon bucket? Great idea, though. I think it's time to hit some garage sales.

[bowl1820]

Wow, that's pretty cool. You just happened to have a spare dehydrator lying around? That fit a 5 gallon bucket? Great idea, though. I think it's time to hit some garage sales.

As a matter of fact I did. I haven't used it much, I've tried it on my equipment. But I keep my stuff very clean after every use and I don't get any oil build up. But I have used it on others balls and they sweated like pigs.

[mike-boogie]

had a ball baked by local pro shop. brought life back to the ball, and would recommend it to anyone thinking about it. plus it was a very inexpensive investment for my equipment!!

[dougb]

When it comes to Home ball baking in a oven. It can work but it's risky, because it's easy to ruin a ball if you don't watch what your doing. For home oil extraction the hot water and dawn method is safer .

Liking to experiment I built my own ball rejuvenator out of a food dehydrator and a bucket.

It applies a slow gentle heat and the ball sweats good. Here's a photo of a friends ball I used it on and the oil coming out.I sanded the ball first so that the pores are really open good.

I've seen pics of other homemade rejuvenators, but this is the first I've seen using a dehydrator. This is great! Heat control and a fan built in, and you can pick these up pretty cheap on Craigslist.

How often do you rotate the ball while you are doing this?

As for the original post, a lot of people have had bad experiences in the oven with balls cracking. My recommendation is to give it a hot water bath if you can't afford/don't have a pro shop with a rejuvenator.

[Stormed1]

The biggest reason to not use your home oven is due to the multi densities used in todays bowling balls.These different densities absorb heat at different rates. The oven will heat thins too fast and can cause core seperation or cracking. Speaking with one of Brunswicks long term reps about it we were told 130 degrees is the magic number for oil extraction. The lower heat temp will heat the balls slower and more evenly and therefore lessen the negative things that can occur..

[kev3inp]

And wouldn't you know that since I saw the one Al made I can't find a dehydrator the same shape? They're all square or rectangular that I can find locally. The quest continues.

[JaxBowlingGuy]

And wouldn't you know that since I saw the one Al made I can't find a dehydrator the same shape? They're all square or rectangular that I can find locally. The quest continues.


walmart.com has circle ones for like 39.... I found one local for $20 lol

[bowl1820]

I've seen pics of other homemade rejuvenators, but this is the first I've seen using a dehydrator. This is great! Heat control and a fan built in, and you can pick these up pretty cheap on Craigslist.

How often do you rotate the ball while you are doing this?

As for the original post, a lot of people have had bad experiences in the oven with balls cracking. My recommendation is to give it a hot water bath if you can't afford/don't have a pro shop with a rejuvenator.

If it's sweating alot I'll check it about every 15-20 mins wipe it off and turn it. if it's going slow coming out about every 30 min.

[gparks]

Ive heard horror stories about baking in home ovens. ive never tried a pro shop rejuvenator, i did however tried stormbowler13's ball spa method this week and it deffinatly pulled some oil out.the dehydrator idea sounds promising.

[Mellen]

I just use the old fashioned "leave the ball in a covered bucket in the back seat of the truck during the hottest days of the summer" method.

Worked great for my original Black Widow.

[dougb]

Okay, I just got one for $20 at a garage sale. Unfortunately, the bucket I bought (like yours) sits squarely on the vents, so I need to find something with a wider mouth.

Before I do that, I have one more question: if you don't sand the ball down before hand to open the pores, do you need to polish the ball after you do this anyway?

Thanks

[dougb]

Well, I had a chance to try out bowl1820's homemade ball oven, and it's a success!

I bought a used food dehydrator on Craigslist for $20. This thing puts out a steady stream of low heat and a fan circulates the air.

Then I lined a planter with tinfoil to insulate it. No cost for the foil or the planter, which I already had.

I tested it first on a garbage ball sitting in my basement, and then did the real thing.

It's very simple: put the ball on the dehydrator tray, put the foil-lined planter over it, and let it sit for a half hour. When I come back and pull it out, the ball is covered with oil. Check out the pics if you don't believe me.

The nice thing is the ball gets warm, but not too hot to touch.

Then I simply spray it down with a simple green/rubbing alcohol mix, wipe it with a clean towel, rotate it, and put it back in for another half hour. Everything's sweated out by then.

The true test came when I took my T-Road Pearl to the lanes, and it had it's old reaction back.

You can't beat this for $20!

Pics here: http://s554.photobucket.com/albums/jj420/dougb510/Homemade%20ball%20oven/

Thanks bowl1820!!!

Doug

[bowl1820]

Okay, I just got one for $20 at a garage sale. Unfortunately, the bucket I bought (like yours) sits squarely on the vents, so I need to find something with a wider mouth.

Before I do that, I have one more question: if you don't sand the ball down before hand to open the pores, do you need to polish the ball after you do this anyway?

Thanks

Not if the surface is still the way you want it.

[venividivici526]

I used the soaking method every 15 games on my go-to ball, 130-135* water seems to make the oil pour out of the ball, its a sanded columbia300 resurgence that seems to soak up oil like a sponge!

[Maine Man]

Do not bake balls at home in an oven, ever!!! You are not able to consistently rotate the ball so the heat is dispersed evenly over the entire surface, plus it is very hard to regulate. If you get the temperature above 140 degrees, you begin to remove plasticizer from the ball, which hardens the resin. If you want to get oil out of the ball at home, stick with the hot water method. If you need further assistance getting oil from your ball, consult a pro shop with the necessary equipment to do it correctly without damaging your bowling ball. Good luck!!!

[tracy]

living in st.petersburg florida , you should NEVER leave or put your ball in the trunk to rejuvinate your ball. at our pro shop they have balls on display that are actually blown apart from the heat. i do the dawn and hot water wash about once a month especially with oily conditions on the morning leagues that i bowl.

[Zoomie]

The dishwasher works well too. Use the water heater selection and add your dishwasher soap like you would washing dishes. DO NOT USE THE HEATED DRY SELECTION. It will cause your ball to get very hot and draw more oil from the ball. Trust me but other than that it works good. On the oven I use the WARM setting. Keeps the ball around 115-120 degrees. About every ten minutes take the ball out and towel dry and put back. Do about 5 times and it should get all the oil out. Then use hot water and soap to make the ball squeeky clean. Use a timer so you dont forget the ball.....

[southpaw Bob]

That reminds me, my No-Mercy ball is over do for a bake out.

It’s a good idea to get your ball baked out once in awhile. They get loaded up with alley oil. Pro shops have an oven that they bake them out in for a fee. You can also bake them out yourself if you’re a DIY kinda folk. All you need to do is get a cheap pie plate, put it in your oven and put your ball on it thumb hole down so it doesn’t roll around, then set your oven on it’s lowest setting for an hour or two. Just keep an eye on it and don’t allow it to get too hot. You’ll be surprised at how much oil comes out of it if you’ve been bowling with it for awhile without baking it out.

Putting your ball out in your garage for a week on a really hot summer week also brings out a load of oil.

[jakester]

I put mine in front of my gas firplace and keep wiping the surface with a mixture of dawn dish soap and water, you won't believe the oil that comes out. Clean your equipment asap after you bowl with a good commercial product. You can also soak your ball in hot water with dawn dish detergent.

[PSBA10]

There is a great debate about baking the ball or the hot water bath. Here is my take on the subject.

The coverstock of a modern bowling ball is designed to be porous. The lane oil is absorbed into the cover thus allowing more friction between the ball and the lane.

In order to get the oil back out of the ball something with a lesser viscosity will need to penetrate the balls porosity and displace the oil. This is why I advocate the hot water bath. Heat alone will not displace the oil. Yes, it will enlarge the balls pores and capillary action will pull some of the oil out, but heat alone will not displace the oil. Hot water with a little dishwashing soap will both open the balls pores and penetrate the surface. As we all know oil will float on water, thus the water will displace the oil.

Once the ball is removed from the soak, it needs to be wiped off and set out and the water that has penetrated the ball allowed to dry. I leave mine out for 24 hours or so before I use them.

The Revivor system works better than just heat alone for 2 reasons. First the ball is spinning. This will create centrifugal force which will tend to move the oil out of the ball and it is being continuously wiped, at least the one I saw working. Coupled with a regulated heat source it is much better than simply baking the ball. I have never compared the Revivor results against the hot water bath.

[Ryan_W]

Despite the numerous posts here and advice on the web to NOT bake a ball in your home oven, it's something I need to find out for myself. I have an old Shock Trauma that I bought off Craigslist at the beginning of this season. I've put about 100 games on it plus whatever it had when I first bought it. It's definitely due for a good oil extraction. Haven't even resurfaced it. I'm gonna try the home bake method and post pics and results. Worst case, the ball gets damaged and I'm out less than $30. It's a guinea pig.

[Zoomie]

I have ovened mine once and it pulled a crap load of oil out of the ball. I prefer the hot water myself. I just fill the sink up half full with hot water and Dawn soap. About 7 mins and then flip the ball over to get full coverage. My dad bakes his Hammer Black Widow and it makes his ball break at least 5-7 boards more. It does work but you have to be careful not to forget it. Set a timer just in case...

[Ryan_W]

Is it better to let the oven heat up to temperature then put the ball in? Or leave the ball in as the oven heats up?

[bowl1820]

Is it better to let the oven heat up to temperature then put the ball in? Or leave the ball in as the oven heats up?

Not having done it myself, I'd think you'd put it in has the oven as it heats up. putting it in after it reach's temp. would be too quick a temperature change.

I'll have to take a picture of a ball in the proshop here. One of the guys here tried it a couple of weeks ago. blowed a hole in it the size of my fist.:eek:

[Ryan_W]

I'll have to take a picture of a ball in the proshop here. One of the guys here tried it a couple of weeks ago. blowed a hole in it the size of my fist.:eek:

Sounds awesome lol

[WAC4504]

I always let the pro shop bake mine, I figure I spend to much money on a ball to take a chance of screwing it up.