polishing a bowling ball

[tracy]

i am wondering if you can over polish a reactive resin ball? the reason i polish it is to have it carry farther down the lanes . if i don't, it snaps at the end. also i sand the same ball with 1000-2000 grit sandpaper some times for a morning league that has fresh oil. am i on the right track or is this not the right thing to do?

[Stormed1]

You can use sanding to alter many aspects of ball reaction. If for example you want the ball to get down lane but not snap as much as when polished , sand it 1k,2k and then finish with a 4k pad. This will smooth out the backend reaction while still getting length. Lower grits under polish will cause earlier and some smoother reaction than higher grits plus polish. It's a matter of what matches up to you

[mrbill]

I tryrd resanding my JigSaw with 500 then 4000 then heavy polish, I played the Twig with it and did well...

[tracy]

i have been sanding with the 1k and then 2k but have'nt gone to the 4k yet. also i have been doing the hot water soak with dawn for 1/2 hr and get a real good cleaning with that proceedure and then a light polish. i'll have to order some 4k and give that a try someday. i was talking to some bowlers the other day and made the coment about "what happened to the days when you would or could walk into the bowling center with "1" ball" and do just fine? although i carry a spare ball with my primary ball , i don't use it all that much. i try to adjust with speed,hand and foot adjustment. what's your opinion about trying to stay with the very basics of bowling or do you think it's a good idea to carry several balls for today's conditions?

[Stormed1]

Nowdays it seems to be more about the ball than the bowler. People will make ball changes instead of adjusting hand positions, lines, etc.As for the original post surface is still the main factor concerning ball motion.

[JAnderson]

Unfortunately, there isn't a hard and fast answer for this, but there are some general statements that can be made that will hold true most of the time. The good news is, that adjusting the surface of a ball is much less intrusive, expensive, and time consuming that changing layout, buying new equipment, etc. You can even experiment in the middle of practice.

Generally speaking, (all other things being equal) a polished ball will delay the hook which should not be confused with hooking "less". Because the ball goes straighter, longer, it saves its hook potential for the back end of the lane. Because the back of the lane is generally free of oil, the ball will make a bigger move on the back end. So the hook shape is typically more angular like a hockey stick.

Again, generally speaking, (all other things being equal) a sanded ball will hook sooner which should not be confused with hooking "more". Because the ball will hook sooner, it expends more of its hook potential in the front and middle parts of the lane which means it has less hook potential on the back end of the lane. So the hook shape is typically smoother, like a banana.

I'll admit that I don't fully understand all of the ramifications of sanding and then polishing a ball. What I can tell you from experience is that while polished balls seem to "jump" off the spot, sanded them polished balls seem to have the same length, but make a smoother move with a greater chance to "stop" (hook-out, not to be confused with roll-out). So, like a banana on a stick.

[jakester]

Tracy if I were you I'd buy another ball. If you have to adjust the surface every time you bowl, I think that's a little too often You have the option of buying a duller ball for the oily condition or keep samding your current ball and buy a ball for medium conditions.One ball doesn't give you a lot of options.

[tracy]

i have a resin ball which is 15# "dry zone" that is polished. it's a little heavier and it keeps my speed down a bit and then i have a 14# urathane " storm natural" which is sanded (1200 grit) to where i can get the speed and still maintain a solid drive into the pocket. now that we ( the guys on the board and i ) figured out my release problem, i think i'm on the right track with the moves i make for oil carry down. the only other move i might make would be a 14# resin since i am getting older (65) BUT getting better.loll