Bake vs Bath?

[tccstudent]

I may build one using the food dehydrator, that will hold two balls! I am just looking at all the options. BAKING A WEEK!!! Still coming out!! HOLY Oil BATMAN!!! What is the name of that ball "THE SPONGE"!! LOL

Reign of Fire I have had this ball for years and it has been thrown many many many many many many many many games.

[Ptnomore]

Hey Ice,
Go ahead and put one of your balls in the sink, then give it to me to bake in the rejuvenator. Just to see if i can get more oil out...

That's exactly what I did (using a home built rejuvinator and using a remote thermometer alarm to monitor the temp). And the home built worked much better. Much easier to maintain the ball temp to approx 130-135 degrees (key to getting oil out) and not any higher, lower is useless. Couldn't get the water hot enough with out boiling it on the stove...don't have a propane turkey fryer, but I bet that would work. Water cools quickly below effective temp requiring frequent emptying, refilling, wiping off the ball, etc.

In my rejuvinator, I set the alarm at 30 minutes/140 degrees. Every 30 minutes, I take the ball out, wipe it off with ball cleaner and put it back in. Repeat until it doesn't bleed anymore. The 140 degree alarm is just to make sure I don't over heat the ball...air temp rises before the ball, so if the air reaches 140 degrees, alarm goes off and I can get it opened up before any damage is done to the ball. IN mine, the heat is not directed on the ball from the heating element, it's drawn through the area from numerous directions at once, fairly equally.

I haven't done the dishwasher method, but I'd probably try it without detergent 1st. Dishwasher soap has detergents as well as anti-foaming agents in it that are questionable as to whether or not they will affect the coverstock. If anything, I'd be lead to a minimal amount of Dawn being used.

[Ptnomore]

As for what Brunswick recommends, here is what I found right here on Bowlingball.com ...
"...
4. If your ball has more than 50 games on it, you may be able to increase mid-lane and backend hooking action by removing oil from the coverstock. Remove the oil from the ball by cleaning it with cleaner or rejuvenating substance or visit your pro shop to have it warmed in a "rejuvenator" or "revivor" type device. * Brunswick testing has shown by combining the restoration of the factory finish, and the resurfacing of the track and oil removal, your Brunswick ball can maintain its original “out of the box” reaction for hundreds of games. CAUTION: Do not use a home oven to remove oil. Temperatures cannot be adequately controlled and the ball may crack.

5. Absorbent materials sold by other bowling ball manufacturers to remove oil can also be used on Brunswick bowling balls. Information to date indicates that absorbent materials have a more limited ability to remove oil than warming. You may be disappointed with results on heavily oil-soaked balls.

Note: Oil-soaked balls tend to track less in the oil and respond less to the dry boards on the lane. If you are matching-up using an oil-soaked ball on wet/dry or broken down lane conditions, removing the oil from the ball will significantly change your match-up and possibly create undesirable over reactions.


All recommended ball surface maintenance procedures require some modification developed either by your pro shop operator or through your own experimentation so you produce the most desired ball motion possible after you complete a given maintenance procedure. It is a belief that ball screening procedures recommended by other manufacturers may also work effectively on Brunswick bowling balls but it does help to discuss your surface options with your pro shop professional before engaging new screening processes."

Hundreds of games? That's not many. Regardless, They aren't too picky other than not recommending you sticking them in the wifes oven. 130-135 degrees is what the professional machines at the proshops use, so that's what I use in mine. Very easy to do, and very easy to control.

[sprocket]

I don't want to get all the oil out of my ball. I want my ball to get "seasoned" and then stay in almost exactly the same state of oil saturation for years. It is my belief that a certain amount of oil in the ball is not a bad thing. I just always want it to be the same amount of oil and I want it to be easy to maintain it at that state without risking damaging to the cover. NO, bathing the ball does not get all the oil out but it gets the SAME amount of oil out every time, or should I say it leaves the same amount of oil IN the ball every time. The ball may not hook like new but only a brand new ball hooks like new anyway. Trying to maintain a like new reaction is a losing battle. I don't fight that battle. I just want the ball to hook the same as it did last week. I want it to hook the same as it did once it first got "seasoned".

What makes you bakers think the only thing you are removing is lane oil? Isn't the resin in the ball petroleum based? And what holds the structure together? I mean, I'm no chemist and my terminology is probably all wrong but I have common sense. Something bonds things together. Isn't it "plasticizers" or what-not? How do you know you aren't baking that stuff out? Why did two of my balls die FROM baking?

[tccstudent]

I used to be a lead man in a plastic plant. The typical heats that would be set would be over 350 so if you are staying under 140 there should be no damage done with these tempetures Hell the inside of a vehicle gets hotter then that in August around here.

[Ptnomore]

If ALL ball manufacturers recommend removing oil using a heated method, why wouldn't you? Yea, I know, they are in business to sell bowling balls, blah blah. Everything is a conspiracy. But if they recommend that method, I'd think that they are in jeopardy of getting alot of balls returned on warranty if it was a danger to the ball.

I don't know what method you used when you baked your ball, but if you put it in your home oven, it got hotter than the recommended 130-135 degrees. Certainly higher than 145-150 degrees, your ball will die. If you used a thermometer, where was it in relationship to the top/bottom of the ball vs the heating element top/bottom, both)? Might make a difference, might not. I would think it would.

Even Brunswick mentioned the differences experienced, before/after de-oiling, resurfacing, etc and that a maintenance schedule is to be modified based on your own personal desired ball motion. Sounds like you found what works for you.

But I can't get too excited about my ball, or any one else's for that matter, getting replaced after 2-3 years when most manufacturers are only recommending certain maintenance techniques to get the ball to perform for up to 200-300 games anyway. Knowing that that is all that is expected, I like to work to keep the ball working as hard as it did on day one, until it can't work any more, without shortening it's life any further. For me, it was a night/day difference, that quick. Tuesday it worked, Friday it didn't. De-oiled, resurfaced, still no worky. Got 3 years, 6-1/2 30+ week seasons and three 9+ game tourney's out of it. I'm not complaining. I don't think my maintenance schedule/methods did anything to shorten it's life. But until I see some strong scientific research/proofing to the contrary, it's just an opinion based on my own experience.

[swingset]

I don't want to get all the oil out of my ball. I want my ball to get "seasoned" and then stay in almost exactly the same state of oil saturation for years. It is my belief that a certain amount of oil in the ball is not a bad thing. I just always want it to be the same amount of oil and I want it to be easy to maintain it at that state without risking damaging to the cover. NO, bathing the ball does not get all the oil out but it gets the SAME amount of oil out every time, or should I say it leaves the same amount of oil IN the ball every time. The ball may not hook like new but only a brand new ball hooks like new anyway. Trying to maintain a like new reaction is a losing battle. I don't fight that battle. I just want the ball to hook the same as it did last week. I want it to hook the same as it did once it first got "seasoned".

What makes you bakers think the only thing you are removing is lane oil? Isn't the resin in the ball petroleum based? And what holds the structure together? I mean, I'm no chemist and my terminology is probably all wrong but I have common sense. Something bonds things together. Isn't it "plasticizers" or what-not? How do you know you aren't baking that stuff out? Why did two of my balls die FROM baking?

If 140 degrees of radiant air will break down the resin (it won't, btw), what do you think the heat from hot water will do any different?

To the molecules in that resin, heat is heat. The only difference between the two methods is the force of the water acting against the oil to leach it (which slows it down somewhat, but does not prevent the ball from seeping oil). All things being equal, you should bathe a ball a bit longer to get the same amount of oil out.

If you had a ball die from baking, you had too much heat....or woefully inadequate heat and thus the oil was never purged and the balls never got their life back.

I've baked a dozen balls and some multiple times, I've never had anything but great results by doing so. How is that possible if it kills balls?

[bowl1820]

PROLONGING LIFE AND BRINGING BACK
REACTION ON REACTIVE & PARTICLE
COVERSTOCK BALLS
by John Prokopec, Product Manager
and Bill Wasserberger, Director of Consumer Products R&D
Brunswick has tested and documented changes in ball reaction
with use and has come to the following conclusions and
recommendations that match up well with the conventional
wisdom circulating in the bowling community.
Our results to date include:
• Both particle and reactive coverstock balls lose some hooking
action with use.
• This effect occurs faster with high-load particle coverstocks
than reactive coverstocks.
• The primary reason for the change in ball reaction is the
absorption of oil into the coverstock.
• Brunswick’s PowrKoil™, N’Control, Activator® and Octane™
coverstock balls can be rejuvenated, to a “like new” condition
by using the oil removal warming devices found in some pro
shops.
Recommendations
• Revive high-load particle balls every 30-50 games.
• Revive reactive coverstock balls every 60-80 games.
• Brunswick anticipates that low-load particle balls will behave
similar to reactive coverstock balls, but our testing to date
hasn’t included low-load particle coverstocks.
Since Brunswick has identified oil absorption as the primary
cause of reduced ball reaction with use, it makes sense to use
techniques that reduce oil absorption.
• Wipe oil from the surface of the ball between shots.
• Use a ball cleaner to remove oil from the surface of the ball
after bowling.
Why the change in ball reaction?
The absorption of oil changes the physical properties of the
coverstock. When new, your Brunswick ball has a coverstock
free from oil contamination. With use, the coverstock becomes
‘coverstock + oil’. This new, oil- soaked coverstock has
diminished ability to traction through oil and create friction with
the lane, and diminished ability to respond aggressively to the
dry boards on the lane. Using the warming process to remove
the oil from the coverstock returns your Brunswick ball to its
original condition.
Test Setup
We created three pairs of bowling balls for our test:
• Two, shiny Raging Red Fuze® reactive coverstock balls
• Two, 320-grit dull Raging Red Fuze reactive coverstock balls
• Two, 320-grit dull Fuze Detonator high-load particle
coverstock balls
Each pair of bowling balls was tested and identical ball reaction
was confirmed for both balls in each of the three 2-ball pairs.
One ball from each pair was put aside as a control ball, the other
was the test ball. We then started accumulating games on the
test balls, 1-2 hours a day, 3-4 days a week.
We checked the test balls against the control balls every 30
games on 38 foot and 50 foot, smoothly blended 3/1 oil patterns
laid down on both synthetic and wood lanes.
30 games – No change, both reactive and high-load particle test
and control ball reacted identically.
60 games – Little or no change in the reactive coverstock balls.
The high-load particle coverstock balls showed slightly reduced
hooking action both in the mid-lane and on the back-ends
requiring a 1 and 0, or a 2 and 1 move to the outside to be lined
up to strike compared to the control ball.
90 games– Both the reactive and high-load particle
coverstocks showed reduced hooking action in the mid-lane and
on the back-ends requiring a 2 and 1, or a 3 and 1 move to the
outside to be lined up to strike compared to the control ball.
At this point in the test, we documented reduced ball
reaction with all the test balls. Our next step was to use the
available techniques that offered some hope of restoring the test
balls back to their original reaction characteristics.
Clean with a ball cleaner:
No change in the reaction of the test
balls compared to the control balls.
Light resurfacing:
1-2 minutes with sand paper and a ball
spinner. Surface finish was returned to beginning of test
condition. No change in the reaction of the test balls compared
to the control balls.
Machine resurfacing:
Test balls were resurfaced with a Haas
machine (25 minutes with diamond cutters): Surface finish
was returned to beginning of test condition. The first 3-5 shots
looked promising, but once a little oil was worked into the
surface there was no change in the reaction of the test balls
compared to the control balls.
Pro Shop oil removal oven:
Test balls were warmed in the
Revivor oil removal oven. Oil was wiped from the surface of the
ball every 10-15 minutes using ball cleaner and paper towels. Six
cycles of oil removal were required before the test balls stopped
sweating out oil. After this procedure, the reaction of the test balls was identical to the
reaction of the control balls.
Non Issue:
Brunswick’s oven-testing has included brand new, unused
bowling balls from all four of Brunswick’s major coverstock
families including PowrKoil, N’Control, Activator® and Octane™.
In each case we have not seen any evidence of the ‘bleeding
reactive resin out of the coverstock’ issue that occasionally
appears on internet message boards and post-competition
problem solving sessions.
The removal of oil from the test balls’ coverstock was by far
the most effective method for reviving the reaction of the
test balls, and in fact completely restored the test ball reaction
to their original ‘like new’ hooking action. At this point in the
test we put the control balls away and started accumulating
additional games on the test balls. The test balls were checked
against the control balls at 30 & 60 & 90 games with results
similar to the first cycle.
At 90 games since the first revival, 180 games total, we
made our second attempt to bring back the reaction of the
test balls. With our second attempt we went directly to the oil
removal process, warming the test balls using the oil removal
oven. The results were the same. The reaction of the test balls
was completely revived to a “like new” ball reaction.
Warming & Durability:
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.
Summary
After 270 games and three warmings, our test balls react
identically to the control balls that have less than 10 games on
them. The oil removal warming process revives the ball
reaction of oil soaked bowling balls with no durability problems.
The Innovative Revivor Oil Extraction Unit is recommended
for this procedure. Brunswick has no opinion on other methods at this time.
Readers should be aware that Brunswick’s results are not
necessarily applicable to the coverstocks from other companies
and differences in opinion between bowling ball manufacturers
may simply be due to the use of different coverstock materials.
In reading and absorbing the information published on this
subject, Brunswick encourages readers not to try to decide which
company has the correct answers, but accept the advice given by
each company as the best advice for their products.

[MICHAEL]

Reign of Fire I have had this ball for years and it has been thrown many many many many many many many many games.

I think if you would have held a match next to it, you might have had a candle-ball!! LOL

[MICHAEL]

thanks 1820,,, that pretty much says it all! Sounds like de-oiling works! Working with the surface of an oil soaked ball, NOTHING!

I guess I will be building a two ball oven! It seems heat, as long as its not too hot, over 140, is a good thing, and does rejuvenate a ball to near new movement down the lane. Its good to hear from the manufacture their scientific expert advise!