Anyone bake balls?

[The KingPin]

So I have heard of baking your bowling balls to get the oil out. Has any does this and does it work?

[ThongPrincess]

I have taken equipment to the pro shop and they put it in the Rejuvenator. It is basically a mini oven and keeps a consistent temperature. They check it and wipe off oil every few hours. It definitely takes something out of the ball, the question is is it only oil or also plasticizer ?.

I don't take equipment in often, but the ball does react better after baking. I asked my coach about it and his suggestion was it shouldn't hurt the ball as long as it isn't over used, no more than once a year was his recommendation. Ebonite says not to use it ever, but other ball companies say it won't hurt the ball.

Using a home oven I would think is more risky. I believe the ball is rotating in the rejuvenator, which would not be able to be done in the home oven. In addition, not all ovens are true to temperature.

[kev3inp]

In sunnier climes like mine a black plastic bag in the yard or the trunk works fine. I wouldn't try the oven. I don't think it'd run low enough. I've heard of guys using a cardboard box and using a hairdryer through a vent to heat it up. I think home baking is a bad idea. Well except for cookies, cake and pie.

[bowl1820]

When it comes to Home ball baking in a oven. It can work but it's risky, because it's easy to ruin a ball if you don't watch what your doing. For home oil extraction the hot water and dawn method is safer .

Liking to experiment I built my own ball rejuvenator out of a food dehydrator and a bucket.



It applies a slow gentle heat and the ball sweats good. Here's a photo of a friends ball I used it on and the oil coming out.I sanded the ball first so that the pores are really open good.

[kev3inp]

Wow, that's pretty cool. You just happened to have a spare dehydrator lying around? That fit a 5 gallon bucket? Great idea, though. I think it's time to hit some garage sales.

[bowl1820]

Wow, that's pretty cool. You just happened to have a spare dehydrator lying around? That fit a 5 gallon bucket? Great idea, though. I think it's time to hit some garage sales.

As a matter of fact I did. I haven't used it much, I've tried it on my equipment. But I keep my stuff very clean after every use and I don't get any oil build up. But I have used it on others balls and they sweated like pigs.

[mike-boogie]

had a ball baked by local pro shop. brought life back to the ball, and would recommend it to anyone thinking about it. plus it was a very inexpensive investment for my equipment!!

[dougb]

When it comes to Home ball baking in a oven. It can work but it's risky, because it's easy to ruin a ball if you don't watch what your doing. For home oil extraction the hot water and dawn method is safer .

Liking to experiment I built my own ball rejuvenator out of a food dehydrator and a bucket.

It applies a slow gentle heat and the ball sweats good. Here's a photo of a friends ball I used it on and the oil coming out.I sanded the ball first so that the pores are really open good.

I've seen pics of other homemade rejuvenators, but this is the first I've seen using a dehydrator. This is great! Heat control and a fan built in, and you can pick these up pretty cheap on Craigslist.

How often do you rotate the ball while you are doing this?

As for the original post, a lot of people have had bad experiences in the oven with balls cracking. My recommendation is to give it a hot water bath if you can't afford/don't have a pro shop with a rejuvenator.

[Stormed1]

The biggest reason to not use your home oven is due to the multi densities used in todays bowling balls.These different densities absorb heat at different rates. The oven will heat thins too fast and can cause core seperation or cracking. Speaking with one of Brunswicks long term reps about it we were told 130 degrees is the magic number for oil extraction. The lower heat temp will heat the balls slower and more evenly and therefore lessen the negative things that can occur..

[kev3inp]

And wouldn't you know that since I saw the one Al made I can't find a dehydrator the same shape? They're all square or rectangular that I can find locally. The quest continues.