Would a hair dryer be good for getting oil out of a bowling ball...........

[Hammer]

People have posted different ways they use to get oil out of a bowling ball. Did anyone ever try a hair dryer? The hair dryer has three settings which are low, medium and high. High of course is the hottest. Some folks use hot water baths or leave them sitting in the hot sun. So has anyone tried a hair dryer to get oil out of a ball? To me it seems like it could work. Let me know what you folks think about this.

[bowl1820]

People have posted different ways they use to get oil out of a bowling ball. Did anyone ever try a hair dryer? The hair dryer has three settings which are low, medium and high. High of course is the hottest. Some folks use hot water baths or leave them sitting in the hot sun. So has anyone tried a hair dryer to get oil out of a ball? To me it seems like it could work. Let me know what you folks think about this.

Of course it's been done before for years, there are several threads that talk about it.

While it can be used, it's not as Efficient as it could be and doesn't evenly heat the ball surface when just pointed at the ball which can be a problem.

Most typical DIY will place a ball in a box with the hair dryer mounted in a hole in the box in such a way as it doesn't blow directly on the ball, this is so the heat is trapped inside and circulates around the ball more evenly.

[Ryster]

Yes, I have tired the hair dryer method. It works OK, but doesn't allow you to do a wide swath of the ball at any given time. You have to hold the dryer on a particular spot, then when it starts to "bleed oil" wipe it down with cleaner or alcohol, and then keep repeating the process. It takes a very long time to do an entire ball.

Another method I have tired is putting a ball in front of a space heater and just letting it sit there. It lets you do a much larger area at a time and you don't have to physically sit there with the ball like you do with the hair dryer. Just check it every 10-15 minutes, wipe it down, and move it to a new area.

Another method also tried is putting a bowling ball outside in the direct sun on a warm/hot day. That worked the best. Leave it out there for 30-45 minutes, then wipe it down and you are all done.

Ultimately, I gave up on oil extraction as I never saw any benefit to it in the long run. Simply cleaning my ball immediately after league with a quality bowling ball cleaner and before putting the ball back in my bag has been the most effective.