*Update* Homemade Bowling Oven

[edpup316]

After some trial and error I managed to succed at creating my homemade ball oven . The only thing I need now is a fan to circulate the air in order to maintain a more even surface temperature.

set up.jpg

set up 2.jpg

This is my newest setup. I've added an additional lamp and the ball sits in between them underneath a piece of wood that I wraped in insulation.

no oil.jpg
oil ball.jpg

Here is the before and after of Roto Grip Rising Star. The oil was just pouring out of this ball.

temp.jpg

This here is the laser thermometer that I use. Even when I left the ball in there for over 20 mins it never got much above 130 but I am still going to get a fan to get better heating all the way around the ball.

Any comments and questions would be apprciated!

[75lockwood]

Good stuff! i would also say that rotating the ball once in awhile just so the same part of the ball isn't constantly getting the more direct heat source.

[edpup316]

Good stuff! i would also say that rotating the ball once in awhile just so the same part of the ball isn't constantly getting the more direct heat source.

Yes Of Course. I Turn It Every Time I Take It Out To Clean Off The Oil.

[Keithalw]

Keep us updated on it... I think your on to something and now gots me to thinking of it

[unclemantis]

You are nuts. Keep it up! I will settle for my pro-shop!

[e-tank]

lol im honestly thinking about giving this a whirl

[Greenday]

This is about as badass as bowling gets.

[Big Nick]

The pro at my local alley and one of the mechanics cooked up something similar a few weeks ago. They used a speaker box, a heat lamp, and a small fan; their idea was to emulate the trunk of a car on a hot day. They set it up so that the heat lamp doesn't shine on the ball, and they're using the fan to circulate air through the box. He said that the temp in the box only gets up to about 135ºF or 140ºF. I left a ball with him so he could test their sweatbox, as he's calling it, and it seems to have worked very well. He said that the ball I left with him spent four hours in the sweatbox before it quit bleeding oil. After that, he refreshed the surface and put a coat of polish on it, as well. I threw a few shots with it during my last lesson, and I haven't seen that ball hook that much since it was new. I'm considering building something similar to use at home. I just need to get a ball spinner and some abralon pads so that I can refresh the surface on my own, too.

[got_a_300]

Now I'm very tempted to try my luck at building one
of these oven boxes also. At the moment I'm using a
small portable electric heater with a fan in it to bake
the oil out of the ball.

[americantrotter]

I gotta say this idea is pretty awesome. So much cheaper than official equipment yet if simple steps are followed there is limited risk to the ball.