Dumb Question #485: Ball Polish

[santos314]

Would auto polish work on a bowling ball?

[J Anderson]

Would auto polish work on a bowling ball?

If it's actually polish and not a wax it might work.

[got_a_300]

If it is something like turtle-wax and just as long as it doesn't contain
a real wax compound you should be ok. Another route you can take is
to buy a quart of Finesse-it but it is a bit expensive but works great
and I do believe it lasts a lot longer than regular polish.

You can find it at a auto parts store and you only have to use about
half as much of it at a time compared to regular ball polish.

If you use something that contains a wax based compound it can and
most likely will clog up the pores on the ball and kill the performance
of the ball.

[Edit]

Here is a link to what I use to use all of the time a bottle of it lasted
me a loooooooooooooong time but as I said it is a little bit expensive
3M Finesse-It II Glaze (http://www.ebay.com/itm/3M-Finesse-It-II-Glaze-3M-05928-/230425105996)

[santos314]

Awesome, thanks for the help amigos!

[Amyers]

technically auto polish is illegal as it isn't USBC certified although it'll never be tested. The bigger worry is their maybe chemicals that could effect you ball reaction in some polishes that may not be easily removed. Buy a bottle of ball polish.

[bowl1820]

technically auto polish is illegal as it isn't USBC certified although it'll never be tested. The bigger worry is their maybe chemicals that could effect you ball reaction in some polishes that may not be easily removed. Buy a bottle of ball polish.

Actually there are some auto compounds approved for before after use, such as finese it ll and perfect it ll.

The main thing with auto products is you dont anything with silicone or wax in it, you want just grits. Most of the original ball polishes, were just auto polishes that had been repurposed and relabeled.

Another off the shelf product is plain soft scrub without bleach, it works as a fine polish.


Heres one to ponder:
While Abralon, Siaair, sandpaper, etc. are tacitly approved for use before and after, they are not on the approved products list. So could conceivably be considered illegal for use anytime.

[jamoke]

Heres one to ponder:
While Abralon, Siaair, sandpaper, etc. are tacitly approved for use before and after, they are not on the approved products list. So could conceivably be considered illegal for use anytime.

I always assumed that any kind of surface change was a no-no once competition starts. This would include rolling a ball across the parking lot between frames.

[bowl1820]

I always assumed that any kind of surface change was a no-no once competition starts. This would include rolling a ball across the parking lot between frames.

True you cant alter during competition.

When I said illegal for use anytime I meant ANYTIME, you cant use it before during or after.

[Grizzly Adam]

I have heard the silver polish works really well. Not sure if it's legal or not.

Also, is there any truth to soaking a ball in hot water and dish soap to clean the pores before polishing? If so, had long is sufficient?

[Aslan]

I use an automotive resin polish that contains some wax. But, I only use it on certain balls where I want the ball to go longer and/or delay the reaction more than can be accomplished with sanding pads and buffing compounds.

It depends what you're using the "polish" for. Many bowlers use "polish" to make their balls shiny. To me...you can get the ball to look more shiny by cleaning it...or by using a buffing compound after using sanding pads. The polish I use doesn't make the ball much more "shiny" than it is after using a buffing compound.

I think most bowlers make a mistake in surfacing because surfacing is a multi-step process. You need to sand the ball down enough to get the oil out of it. You need to de-oil. Then you need to apply a surface using sanding pads...which usually involves going down to a certain grit and working your way up to the desired grit. Then, you have to decide if you're going to leave the ball sanded or apply a buffing compound...and if you decide on a buffing compound (kinda like a liquid sandpaper)...what level do you use? There are buffing compounds that are like gooey sand and buffing compounds that are closer to watery polishes.

Then, the last (and least significant) step...do you want to apply a polish? The automotive polish I use is very similar in consistency to Storm Step 3 or Storm's polish. It's just less expensive than Storm's little bottle. I usually apply a very thin layer by hand, let it dry, then use the ball spinner to buff it off.

[Tony]

Would auto polish work on a bowling ball?

Automotive buffing, cutting, and polishing compounds with abrasives in them are "essentially" intended to do the same thing as bowling ball compounds, however judging by the prices of some of the 3M products I've used I don't see that you would realize any savings advantage by using automotive products, and as has been noted they are not generally
approved products, with the possibility that some additives intended for polishing clear coat finishes might not be perfectly suitable for bowling balls I would and do just stick with bowling specific products for bowling balls, and automotive products for cars......just seems to make the most sense to me.

[Amyers]

I have heard the silver polish works really well. Not sure if it's legal or not.

Also, is there any truth to soaking a ball in hot water and dish soap to clean the pores before polishing? If so, had long is sufficient?

There are a million methods for de-oiling bowling balls out there. I've heard everything from dawn soap to kitty litter. Personally I sit mine out in the sun and wipe them off every 30 min. or so on warm days. Silver polish if your talking about actual silver polish intended to polish silver I would never let it anywhere near my ball. Silver polishes aren't just an abrasive but have a chemical reaction. It's not like ball polish is that expensive not sure why people feel the need to look for substitutes that bring unknowns to the table. Life and bowling is complicated enough why bring in the question of did I mess my ball up with that into question. I can screw my games up just fine without having to worry if I damaged my ball.

[bowl1820]

I have heard the silver polish works really well. Not sure if it's legal or not.

Go to the Ball Cleaning and Maintenance thread, It has the links to the approve/nonapproved product lists.
http://www.bowlingboards.com/threads/10288-Bowling-Ball-Cleaning-and-Maintenance



Also, is there any truth to soaking a ball in hot water and dish soap to clean the pores before polishing? If so, had long is sufficient?

Yes, But it's more to remove oil than to clean the pores. See above link for instructions on the Hot water & Dawn Method of oil removal.