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

[Gunz1911]

With your analogy, Arn't you more saying "Its the device used, not the concept" that is flawed? If you have a clean towel, that is meant to absorb liquids such as oil, I am sure your taking more out/off of your ball than your rubbing in. And I don't clean my towels... My wife does that for me

I personally wipe my ball off every frame or two. I get an oil track near my index finger and do not like how it feels. I carry 3 different micro-fiber towels and switch them out when I feel one is getting dirty. I use white towels, as that is an easy way to judge how clean they are.

I do not know if it makes any difference to the ball, But it does make me feel better about getting rid of the oil, so it is not all over my hands.

[ghetto24]

in the 20+ years ive been bowling ive tried using towels. the problem with them is I tend to forget them when I go home. I stopped using them for the longest time. but in all honesty, I think im going to try to get back into the habit of using one

[billf]

Permanent marker with your name or initials will let everyone know who's towel it is. Amazing how things get turned in to the "lost and found" when they know who it belongs to.

[swingset]

Permanent marker with your name or initials will let everyone know who's towel it is. Amazing how things get turned in to the "lost and found" when they know who it belongs to.

I switched to a microfiber dusting mitt because it seems to work better have have more surface area than a towel, plus it looks so crazy/unique that I tend to see it and remember to take it with me.

I noticed a lot of Japanese bowlers use a purpose-made one that looks like these, so when I was in Walmart I saw one in the broom isle and picked it up. Works great, easy to tell if it gets dirty too.

[got_a_300]

I switched to a microfiber dusting mitt because it seems to work better have have more surface area than a towel, plus it looks so crazy/unique that I tend to see it and remember to take it with me.

I noticed a lot of Japanese bowlers use a purpose-made one that looks like these, so when I was in Walmart I saw one in the broom isle and picked it up. Works great, easy to tell if it gets dirty too.

Cool looking dusting mitt I might have to try one of them out myself.

[MICHAEL]

For what its worth, Bruce , the owner of BP Pro shop, X pro bowler, and now teacher also said: Latest research says not to wipe the ball off, that it does more damage then good.
He said even with the absorbent new towels it actually pushes more oil into the balls. This was, according to him tested and proven with scientific equipment. He pass this on to me during a bowling lesson. ((( I still wipe it off, LOL))) "everyone should WIPE IMHA!!! (something my parents passed on to me at an early age)!! (

(I am talking between shots), always clean your balls AFTER BOWLING.

[billf]

So let's take a closer look at this; the guy who makes his living selling and cleaning balls says not to wipe the ball between shots. Yet every manufacturer and the USBC say that it will help prolong the life of the ball. Huh?
Mike, can you ask Bruce what research he is referencing? I would love to read it.

[MICHAEL]

So let's take a closer look at this; the guy who makes his living selling and cleaning balls says not to wipe the ball between shots. Yet every manufacturer and the USBC say that it will help prolong the life of the ball. Huh?
Mike, can you ask Bruce what research he is referencing? I would love to read it.

Hey Bill, I was surprised!! I will get that information tomorrow if possible! I remember him saying (THEY) found that removing oil from ball with even the new bowling towels , causes the oil to go deeper into the ball. I will get back with you on that,,, I agree,,, sounds hard to believe, but then what do I know! He's the Pro!! LOL I still wipe mine LOL

[Big Nick]

While I totally understand the idea that your question originates from, I think there's one part of the puzzle that you're missing and I'm surprised that no one has mentioned it yet. Not all balls react the same way, some are designed for light oil conditions and others are designed for heavy oil conditions. We all know that the core plays a part in the reaction of a ball, but do you really think that a strong core in a plastic-shelled ball is going to read the lane the same way that an identical core wrapped in a strong cover will? I think the obvious answer is no, but why is that? Well, it's because bowling balls with strong cover stocks are designed to start reading the lane while they're still in the oil. If you soak the track with oil, then you're negating that effect and YOU WILL LOSE BALL REACTION. Also, when you're talking about the flare lines, a vast majority of those that you see occur while the ball is in the oil and if it didn't help the ball's reaction, why would ball manufacturers be designing cores that cause bow-tie flare lines instead of just a single ring around the ball? They're there so that you're rolling over a new part of the ball for every rev so you get the most out of the cover. Once again, if you let your ball soak in all the oil over the flare lines, then you're negating the effect of the cover and the design of the ball.

I speak from experience when I say that wiping a ball down after every shot, even if it's with a "dirty towel", and then cleaning the ball after every bowling session with an approved cleaner or 91% alcohol will drastically extend the life of the cover. 10 months ago I purchased a Storm Manic and I quickly put a ton of games on it, however I wasn't cleaning it like I should and before long it just wasn't making the move off the end of the pattern that it had in the past. I had the proshop de-oil it and resurface it, and it helped for about a week and then it was dead again. Then I had the proshop work on it again, and they used their ball degreasing hotbox on it, and he said it bled oil for almost 8 hours. Since then, I've used it quite a bit more but I've been very stringent on my cleaning routine and the cover is holding up far better than it did the first time around.

If you don't believe us, then you'll just have to try it for yourself. It won't take long for you to come to the realization that cleaning a bowling ball both during play and especially after will make a big difference in prolonging the life of the cover.

OK, you guys are picking on me now.

Let me give one final analogy and then I'll drop the subject. Let's say I spill some oil on the garage floor. Should I wipe it up? Yes, and I should probably follow it up with a good degreasing at some point.

How should I wipe it up? How about if a take a dirty rag I have around the shop that already has oil soaked into it. Maybe an old cotton t-shirt. How would that work? It wouldn't work well at all because it would just smear the oil around and pick very little up. It would put oil in places on the floor where it wasn't before. It just moved the oil around. I would be far better off with a clean rag specifically designed to clean up oil.

So how many bowlers use dirty towels of the wrong material to wipe off their bowling balls? When is the last time YOU cleaned your bowling towel? Is the towel made from the best material it could be for removing oil?

Using a dirty towel to spread oil around the ball makes as much sense as using a dirty t-shirt to wipe up oil off the garage floor. The results won't be very good.

[Big Nick]

Sorry for double posting, but I couldn't edit my last post. Someone also mentioned that not wiping the oil off the balls will cause trouble with the machines, and they're spot on in that regard, too. I was talking to one of the employees at the lanes where my wife bowls in a women's league about why they use a different pattern for them versus the pattern used in the men's and mixed leagues. He said it's because most of the women in that league thrown the ball straight down the center of the lane and that they don't clean the balls before throwing them. If they used the same pattern as they did with the men and mixed leagues, that the machines in the back and the belts on the ball returns would become soaked in oil and stop picking up the balls and cause them to have to do a lot more cleaning work on the machines at the end of the night after the league was finished.