Cracks forming around finger hole? Or....? (With Pic)

[Gordon325]

I just used reactashine on my ball, for those that don't know it leaves a slight residue that you are supposed to wipe off after it dries and thats what causes the "abrasive" polishing now i do have a scuff about the size of a pea on the bottom of my ball (out of track line) and I noticed since after I wipe the residue that spot remains a white-yellow color (same as the reactashine)

Now to the point...after wiping my ball down I noticed these lines around my middle finger hole... the residue remains meaning they are slightly recessed...has anyone seen this before is my ball cracking? The ball is only 1 month old and only has about 25 - 30 games on it.

Ball 15lb Storm Crossroad.

Here is a picture of the Ball.

474

[Gordon325]

sorry pic didnt work..here you go

http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u519/Gordon_Grant/crack.jpg

[bowl1820]

Now to the point...after wiping my ball down I noticed these lines around my middle finger hole... the residue remains meaning they are slightly recessed...has anyone seen this before is my ball cracking? The ball is only 1 month old and only has about 25 - 30 games on it.

Has anyone seen this before, virtually everyone has and yes they are cracks.

It's a common occurrence among today's ball's, though happening after only 25-30 is a little fast.

As for the cause, well that's a point of discussion on the boards. The current theory is that it's do to the glue used on the grips. It's that the super glue cause's a exothermic reaction (generates heat), which makes the coverstock brittle around the holes.

Long winded explanation:

The cyanoacrylate which is the main bonding agent or "resin" in super glue creates its bond with the use of hydroxyl ion bonds from water or moisture from the air itself. As the liquid substrate in which the cyanoacrylate begins to evaporate or bond with whatever surface it is adhering to, it uses more moisture or requires more from the air or the material in which it is bonding to. All coverstocks (plastic or reactive urethane) contain moisture or hydroxyl ions of some form. When these are removed from the coverstock during the curing or bonding phase of the super glue, it makes the coverstock more brittle or less elastic.

Another theory had to do with heat/pressure from the drill bit doing about the same thing.

Also the thinner coverstocks used on a lot of balls. Plus if you track or flare close to the finger holes will put more stress on that area.

As for what you can do about it, well not much. If it get's real bad fast, they might replace it under warranty, might not.. A typical fix is drilling out the holes and plugging them and then redrilling. Which works well, the plug material holds up better than the coverstock material. in fact some do this to a new ball before using it.