Is wiping the oil off the ball after every shot overrated?

[Greenday]

I never wipe it down on the second ball, BECAUSE I do want to take advantage of less traction of the oil on the ball. Make sense ????

I get what you are saying, but that's why I use a plastic ball when I want to throw straight.

[The German Shepherd]

My track flares as the ball travels down the lane. I assume the flaring continues even when the ball is in the dry on the back end of the lane. I WANT the ball to skid in the oil and hook in the back end. What's so bad about leaving the oil on the ball to help the skid? Won't the track still be flaring in the back end of the lane where there is almost NO OIL? Won't the track therefore be flaring to a DRY PART OF THE BALL?

Doesn't wiping the ball actually have the potential to SPREAD the oil around on the ball so that there is now oil on parts of the ball where there wouldn't be if I didn't wipe it?

I'm probably wrong since all the pros seem to wipe the oil off the ball but couldn't leaving the oil on the ball have benefit under the right circumstances? Of course the ball might need a good de-oiling from week to week if I don't wipe it off. I barely wipe mine; just a slight spin on my shirt.

I also wipe my ball before every shot. It gets my mind "in the zone" and equally of importance it clears off oil rings. If you use a good micro-fibre towel, it will not spread the oil, it will absorb the oil. That is why it is important to keep your micro-fibre towel clean. I was mine every two weeks or 12- 15 games whichever comes last. My flares lines come fairly close to where I place my index finger and I do not want to feel oil under my finger as I attempt to "hit" the ball...

Jay

[BigErn32]

I've made wiping the ball part of my ritual. Even if it is overrated, which I dont think it is, it's a couple seconds for me to get in the zone before I line up and throw.

Thats how I am as well. With my Hammer, there would always be a good amount of oil on that ball after every throw. When I got my Misfit it threw me off because there was NEVER any oil on the ball. But out of habit and routine I still grab that towel and wipe it off.

[sprocket]

OK, In a perfect world I agree that wiping the oil off the ball is a good idea, but I'm not convinced everyone that wipes their ball with a towel is actually removing oil. Some may be just moving the oil around and pushing it into the pores. I mean it depends on the towel and the condition of the towel, right?

Let's say I WANTED to put oil into the ball. How would I do it? Well, I would squirt some oil on the ball and the smear it around with an oily rag until the whole ball was covered. How do we know people aren't doing just that in their attempts to clean the oil OFF the ball? Hmmmm??

[GeoLes]

It's such a simple thing to do. I figure why not just make it part of your pre-shot routine to help you focus. I grab my ball, spin it in the rag as I envision my next shot. Finish wipe as I step up. i am mentally ready to bowl. All I have to do is set up and go.

[scottymoney]

OK, In a perfect world I agree that wiping the oil off the ball is a good idea, but I'm not convinced everyone that wipes their ball with a towel is actually removing oil. Some may be just moving the oil around and pushing it into the pores. I mean it depends on the towel and the condition of the towel, right?

Let's say I WANTED to put oil into the ball. How would I do it? Well, I would squirt some oil on the ball and the smear it around with an oily rag until the whole ball was covered. How do we know people aren't doing just that in their attempts to clean the oil OFF the ball? Hmmmm??

With wiping the ball down you are at least removing the majority of the oil from the track, and putting it elsewhere on the ball. Yes the towel will absorb some of it and yes it pushes it into the ball but I would rather have the oil spread then a huge line right on the track where the ball will be contacting the lanes.

[e-tank]

With wiping the ball down you are at least removing the majority of the oil from the track, and putting it elsewhere on the ball. Yes the towel will absorb some of it and yes it pushes it into the ball but I would rather have the oil spread then a huge line right on the track where the ball will be contacting the lanes.

this. Even if none of the oil is absorbed by the towel and it was just spread over the ball(which after washing my microfiber towel i can tell you its not), you lessen the concentration of oil on your track thus less oil gets absorbed and your ball will go much longer without needed to be baked or washed.

[sprocket]

And now this topic has come full circle because we are right back to the point I was trying to make in the original post. I'm pretty sure track flare continues all the way until the ball hit's the pins. That is, every revolution is on a new part of the ball. There are revolutions that occur in the DRY part of the lane. The ball will pick up very little, if any, oil in the back end of the lane because the lane is dry there. By wiping the ball and spreading the oil around on the ball, there is now oil on the ball in areas where it wouldn't be if the ball wasn't wiped down. This includes areas of the bowler's track that are where it was rolling in the DRY PART OF THE LANE. The track does not pick up oil there! The only way oil gets in that section of the flare rings is if it is placed there by the towel.

[swingset]

And now this topic has come full circle because we are right back to the point I was trying to make in the original post. I'm pretty sure track flare continues all the way until the ball hit's the pins. That is, every revolution is on a new part of the ball. There are revolutions that occur in the DRY part of the lane. The ball will pick up very little, if any, oil in the back end of the lane because the lane is dry there. By wiping the ball and spreading the oil around on the ball, there is now oil on the ball in areas where it wouldn't be if the ball wasn't wiped down. This includes areas of the bowler's track that are where it was rolling in the DRY PART OF THE LANE. The track does not pick up oil there! The only way oil gets in that section of the flare rings is if it is placed there by the towel.

Who are you trying to convince? Yourself?

Do you honestly think letting the oil pile up on the ball represents a mechanical advantage of some sort?

It doesn't...and there are downsides which have already been spelled out.

[billf]

OK, so my flare goes all the way around the ball, end to end. Flare rings are 15 with a beautiful bowtie. What part of the ball is tracking in the dry that wasn't in the oil? Not being argumentative just curious.