*Update* Homemade Bowling Oven

[edpup316]

This is awesome. It looks great too. What are you using to get the oil off when your rotating the ball? Just wiping it off or using some sort of cleaner?

Thanks chris. I used to work in a proshop and when we baked balls we would use acetone to clean the oil off. I start off though using just a basic brunswick ball cleaner mixed with a little bit of acetone cause i know to much acetone isnt going for your coverstock. But the mixed just didnt work very well, so i switched back to just acetone. I figure that im not cleaning my ball with it on the daily and i never heard any complainets from customers so alittle bit cant hurt.

[unclemantis]

Thanks chris. I used to work in a proshop and when we baked balls we would use acetone to clean the oil off. I start off though using just a basic brunswick ball cleaner mixed with a little bit of acetone cause i know to much acetone isnt going for your coverstock. But the mixed just didnt work very well, so i switched back to just acetone. I figure that im not cleaning my ball with it on the daily and i never heard any complainets from customers so alittle bit cant hurt.

Just as long as you apply onto the towel first and not directly on the ball and not leave the acetone on the ball for more than a few seconds.

My thoughts.

[panbanger]

Today I'm doing the classic "leave the ball in the sunlight on the carpet" technique. Amazed at how much oil is coming out. Not as much as with this oven I'm sure, but still better than nothing :-)

[ChrisB]

Thanks chris. I used to work in a proshop and when we baked balls we would use acetone to clean the oil off. I start off though using just a basic brunswick ball cleaner mixed with a little bit of acetone cause i know to much acetone isnt going for your coverstock. But the mixed just didnt work very well, so i switched back to just acetone. I figure that im not cleaning my ball with it on the daily and i never heard any complainets from customers so alittle bit cant hurt.

Cool. Thanks for the info. I might have to try this. I have access to electric forced draft (indirect heating) ovens at my work. I might try this on one of my older balls as a test, and then follow it up with the acetone.

[tracy]

i put my ball on the middle rack of my oven and turn the temp down to 140 ,turn it on and as soon as it hits 140....i take it out and it's soaked.i woudn't go any higher with the temp.sometimes it gets bleeding before it hits the temp too.

[ecub]

I would be careful and not even go above 140° F. I did extensive research prior to buying my Innovative Revivor Oven and temps between 120° F and 130° F is recommended.

http://ezinearticles.com/?How-To-Rem...all&id=1203103

Also, recent Brunswick research shows that a controlled system to sweat balls of oil has merit. Be careful, opinions vary. The Ebonite company doesn't sanction any heating of the covers of their bowling balls (as in sun, oven, etc.) as a solution to oil absorption and reaction loss.

Storm/Roto Grip and Ebonite/Hammer/Columbia/Track point out that warming a ball too quickly creates problems, the least of which is a voided warrantee. Oil comes out but so does some of the chemical structure of the cover (plasticizers), causing (they feel) brittleness and loss of structural integrity.

Warm coverstock surface and cool core occasionally split apart, called core separation.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1203103

http://www.innovativebowling.com/pro...0research.html

Caution – Do not warm the ball over 150°F. Brunswick also conducted a separate test on the effects of warming and coverstock durability. This test involved creating unwarmed control balls and warmed test balls, all with zero games, which were tested in Brunswick’s durability testing lab. These tests showed no differences in coverstock durability (resistance to cracking) between the test balls warmed five times and the control balls never warmed.

http://bowlingballexchange.com/showt...92&postcount=7

I have read that this doesn't release the oil that the ball absorbs, but the ball excretes resin.

A Polymer Chemist:

" I baked some 'oil' out of an SD73 by sitting it on a plate in the sun. Did an analysis on a state of the art gas chromatograph/mass spec combo of the slop out of the ball and a sample of lane oil, and they were totally different chemically. Further, the slop matched the resin additives in a Columbia patent for a reactive coverstock.

What bleeds out is not oil. It is resin. It didn't even have detectable amounts of oil in it. Which surprised me, because up until then I thought the resin bleed story was garbage.

So, why? Resin balls are thermoset urethane, and continue to cure for (in some cases) years, very slightly shrinking as they do. This, plus the effect of surface heat (which accelerates the surface cure) and the continual pressure of the ball on the lane forces too much plasticiser to the surface of the ball. A VERY fine film is needed to enhance friction with dry lane - too much acts as lubricant. It is a shear effect. Remove the excess, fix the ball. All the hook again system does is do it really well. Well maintained balls that are washed and resurfaced regularly, last for many, many games more than poorly maintained gear, and are much easier to rejuvinate when necessary.
On resurfacing, more often is better, usually. A ball given a very light sand and repolish (for shiny stuff) every 2-3 months will outlast a ball that is used for a year then needs 120 grit to get the track out by 2 or 3 to 1 and perform better as well.

You CANNOT remove all the resin from a ball in anything like normal use. Resin coverstocks, according to the Columbia patent, are from 5% to 25% resin additive. Say 100 grams to half a kilo for a 15lb ball. That's a lot of resin to bleed out. - you'd need a hi-vacuum oven or a week in a dioxane bath (that did work, incidentally) to get that much out.

FWIW, i think that the reduction in 'hit' (as opposed to 'hook') in older balls, could be due to microfracturing of the coverstock over time. No evidence either for or against, just the opinion of a polymer chemist (me). Need a microtome and a phase contrast microscope to find out - anyone got one handy "

Also, if you use the oven, wouldn't that effect the next thing you cook in said oven?

I'm trying to look for the actual Brunswick research regarding oil extraction.

[Greenday]

Didn't know Innovative also has a rejuvenation oven. Figured it'd be a good investment then I saw the price. Nevermind.

[ecub]

Check with your pro shop. Most pro shops use the Innovative Revivor oven.

There's also the Alley Cat Bowling Ball Oven. Just under $500 (USD), it's about $1000 cheaper than Innovative Oven. Unfortunately, at such a low price, it doesn't look like it's a popular device. The only post I saw regarding it, stated it uses incandescent bulb to generate heat, so it will probably take awhile. Think of it as an Easy-Bake oven for bowling balls...

http://forum.bowlingchat.net/viewtop...p=54091#p54091

I know someone who purchased one for home use, and he was not satisfied with the product.

They use an incandescent bulb to generate heat, so it takes a long time to get up to temp. When the interior finally gets up to temp, it lacks the throughput to push that heat deep in the coverstock to remove the oil the way a Pro Shop oven would.

Powerhouse also has "The Wave", which is like using washing machine for bowling balls. Price is about $1900 (USD), but from research, it seems messy, since you constantly need water and chemicals. Plus lighter balls will float.
http://powerhousebowling.com/product...etail/the_wave

[unclemantis]

Check with your pro shop. Most pro shops use the Innovative Revivor oven.

There's also the Alley Cat Bowling Ball Oven. Just under $500 (USD), it's about $1000 cheaper than Innovative Oven. Unfortunately, at such a low price, it doesn't look like it's a popular device. The only post I saw regarding it, stated it uses incandescent bulb to generate heat, so it will probably take awhile. Think of it as an Easy-Bake oven for bowling balls...

http://forum.bowlingchat.net/viewtop...p=54091#p54091


Powerhouse also has "The Wave", which is like using washing machine for bowling balls. Price is about $1900 (USD), but from research, it seems messy, since you constantly need water and chemicals. Plus lighter balls will float.
http://powerhousebowling.com/product...etail/the_wave

Unless you are opening a Pro Shop I don't find it cost effective to buy or build one.