Ball damage explained

[Phonetek]

Today I found a note written to me by my mechanic because I inquired. Here is what he says. Mind you he's a veteran mechanic with decades of experience and he took the time to write this for me to answer the question specifically for this forum.

Ball Damage

1. Circular or arc scratches
a. These happen inside the ball door from an incorrect or loose screw
b. The also happen inside the front return from foreign objects being inside

2. Straight scratches or gouges
a. Anywhere in ball travel
*gutters
*flat gutters
*pin deck is either higher or lower than end of lane
*contact with machine
*debris stuck to curtain / cushsion
*contact with underlane
*front ball return
*hitting kickbacks X2
*foreign matter (nuts, bolts, screws etc)

3. Synthetic Lanes Only
*Contact with foul lines
*Contact with lane joints
*Lane dots (plugs that aren't flush)

Keep in mind, this does not cover every contingency but this is the most common. Others are caused by poor lane and machine maintenance. I hope this helps

Signed Ron W.

[GrumpyCatFace]

Very cool. Thanks for looking into it!

[bdpeters]

great information. how about gunk on the ball, not damage just black sticky gunk? and it is only on the reactive resin ball and not the polyester ball. I don't know much but kind of assumed it was oil picked up from the lane and then getting gunked up with crud from the ball return.

[panbanger]

Others are caused by poor lane and machine maintenance. I hope this helps




It seems to me that everything on the list is a result of poor lane and machine maintenance.

[bowl1820]

It seems to me that everything on the list is a result of poor lane and machine maintenance.

That pretty much sums it up.

There are a few things, like pin jams where a pin gets stuck or a ball takes a big bounce and hits the rack that can cause ball damage that are not related. But most issues are caused by wear and maintenance of the equipment.

[bowl1820]

great information. how about gunk on the ball, not damage just black sticky gunk? and it is only on the reactive resin ball and not the polyester ball. I don't know much but kind of assumed it was oil picked up from the lane and then getting gunked up with crud from the ball return.

Its' caused by dirty carpets, curtains and belts. If a ball gets stuck, you might get a burn mark from friction against a moving part.

You see it on resin balls more because the balls have drier, tackier surfaces, So the thing that helps the ball grip the lane also lets it pick up dirt more.

Plastic balls have harder non porous surfaces, that let the oil sit on the cover. So it's harder for stuff to stick or rub off on it, so the ball comes back cleaner.

[bdpeters]

Its' caused by dirty carpets, curtains and belts. If a ball gets stuck, you might get a burn mark from friction against a moving part.

You see it on resin balls more because the balls have drier, tackier surfaces, So the thing that helps the ball grip the lane also lets it pick up dirt more.

Plastic balls have harder non porous surfaces, that let the oil sit on the cover. So it's harder for stuff to stick or rub off on it, so the ball comes back cleaner.

thank you, that's what I thought might be happening. I did not see it as much at a different house so i thought it might have something to do with how well things are kept clean.

[Phonetek]

That pretty much sums it up.

There are a few things, like pin jams where a pin gets stuck or a ball takes a big bounce and hits the rack that can cause ball damage that are not related. But most issues are caused by wear and maintenance of the equipment.

I agree MOST are caused by maintenance. The screws and such that get sheared off, that's not necessarily a maintenance issue. Now and then things just get hit funny and they do break, it happens.

I do want to mention something I'm quite proud of. Remember in a post I said that sometimes balls keep trying to come up the ball lift and sometimes it takes them a few tries and even sometimes they don't make it because oil gets caked on the lift belt? I tried something last night. You know the Simple Green / Alcohol mixture that is illegal to use on the ball during play? Well, I suggested to the mechanic that I spray it on a rag and clean those belts with it.

I did it and it worked like a charm. They were clean as a whistle. The amount of gunk that came off was unreal. He said "From now on, once a week when we change the ball socks that is what we are doing, Great job!" I guess he was impressed. I'm glad it was able to serve a purpose. He said he'd never have thought of that. After that he turned on all the lanes and I did them all. I'm very proud of myself. =)(

[jamoke]

I hope this helps

Signed Ron W.

Thanks for taking the time to inquire and post the reply!
It does answer some questions...

[Phonetek]

It's my pleasure guys. I have a guy who knows his stuff at my disposal and there are so many questions people have. If I can pick his brain which he loves that anyway I am more than happy to ask to get them. Keep the questions coming and if he can answer them you can bet I'll post them. It'd rather be an asset to the board vs an a$$.

[GrumpyCatFace]

How much damage is acceptable before you need a ball resurfaced? I have some deep gouges where my palm would be, and just minor scratches on the track...

[Phonetek]

I would say any time the damage effects the ball performance. Light scratches generally aren't going to cause any issues and are unavoidable. If chunks are missing. long deep gouges or cracks then repair is needed. Especially cracks which could grow if not repaired. A PSO should be able to tell you if a full resurface, simple repair or if a mere scotch brite or polish on a ball spinner is needed to fix up your ball.

[got_a_300]

My Hammer Badass got its first real battle scar in 4 1/2 years of use
last Thursday night and several other balls got damaged also I got
lucky as it wasn't in my track and thank goodness for that.

I will probably bring it home and put it on the ball spinner in the next
week or so after the league wraps up and see if I can sand/buff it out
hopefully it will come out easily without having to take it in and have
a complete cut down resurface done on it.

[Phonetek]

My Hammer Badass got its first real battle scar in 4 1/2 years of use
last Thursday night and several other balls got damaged also I got
lucky as it wasn't in my track and thank goodness for that.


You say several balls got damaged, all last Thursday night? Were they all on your pair you were on? If so I hope someone reported it to the counter so they can investigate the issue. If it's a deep battle scar the center should fix it for you or pay for the repair at your PSO.

[got_a_300]

You say several balls got damaged, all last Thursday night? Were they all on your pair you were on? If so I hope someone reported it to the counter so they can investigate the issue. If it's a deep battle scar the center should fix it for you or pay for the repair at your PSO.

Yes all of the damage to the balls was on our pair of lanes on Thursday night
I think about 4 balls got gashes in them and we did tell the owner about it.

He had the mechanic look at what was causing it and then after that we had
no more damage I didn't find out what was causing it though yeah I might
ask them to repair it for me if I can't do it myself.