Sticking in thumb....

[billf]

To all others that posted I have to look for that tape I guess, but doesn't all that stuff on your hand make the hole too small? Do you need to enlarge the hole to fit the tape in?

They are designed so that if you pull tight the hole won't have to be enlarged.
I use Turbo red protection tape on the entire thumb and my size was done without the tape.

The previous post about the tiered taping Joe Slowinskki has made somewhat famous works great but does take some time finding the correct combination when first starting with it. Joe also has a whole series of drilling a tiered thumb slug but I've yet to find a shop that does them.

[LOUVIT]

So I lightly sanded my thumb plug with up and down strokes and wow no more sticking. I also stopped bending at the waist so much and stood more upright and so far I am not pulling the ball half as much as I was. I was bending a lot at the waist since I really cannot bend my knees on release.

[Tony]

They are designed so that if you pull tight the hole won't have to be enlarged.
I use Turbo red protection tape on the entire thumb and my size was done without the tape.

The previous post about the tiered taping Joe Slowinskki has made somewhat famous works great but does take some time finding the correct combination when first starting with it. Joe also has a whole series of drilling a tiered thumb slug but I've yet to find a shop that does them.

Would the tiered thumb slug sometimes be called a tapered thumb slug or are those two different things ? One of the local drillers to me does the tapered hole and it seems to really make a difference for me.

[fordman1]

google Turbo Shur Cushion give them a try Like Mikey said "Try it you'll like it" No more sticking in the ball and no more dropping. Just back it up with black thumb tape and make it as tight as possible.

[Amyers]

So I lightly sanded my thumb plug with up and down strokes and wow no more sticking. I also stopped bending at the waist so much and stood more upright and so far I am not pulling the ball half as much as I was. I was bending a lot at the waist since I really cannot bend my knees on release.

Glad to hear that helped. When it comes to thumb issues there isn't much I haven't tried. Some people's thumbs are just more sensitive to things than others.

[Mike White]

google Turbo Shur Cushion give them a try Like Mikey said "Try it you'll like it" No more sticking in the ball and no more dropping. Just back it up with black thumb tape and make it as tight as possible.

Thats not what Mikey said.....
Mikey didn't have any lines in that commercial.
His two brothers did all of the onscreen talking.

[billf]

Would the tiered thumb slug sometimes be called a tapered thumb slug or are those two different things ? One of the local drillers to me does the tapered hole and it seems to really make a difference for me.

I'm not sure. The tiered thumb is only on the pad side. It sounds like a tapered thumb would be all the way around.

[bowl1820]

I'm not sure. The tiered thumb is only on the pad side. It sounds like a tapered thumb would be all the way around.

There's a:
Tapered Thumb Hole- That's pretty old and was a lot of work to make one.

Then came the easier method, the Tapered Thumb insert. My ex-brother in-law used a tapered insert for a time until he went to the insert with the nub in it.

Might take a look at one of Duke Hardings old posts here:
http://www.bowlingboards.com/threads...=1730#post1730

The part about thumbholes and bevel

Then you have Slowinski's TOP'S "Tiered Oval Process" which is more of a custom fit tapered oval hole.(kind of similar to what Duke had with his customized a tapered insert.)

These tapered holes were smooth and went around the hole front and back, not just pad side.

Next is Slowinski's Tiered Taping which is basically pieces of tape, stacked like stair steps. To hold your thumb straight, like what the plastic "Thumbs Up" does.

This was just on the pad side of the thumb.

(Note: these will add a slight amount of reverse pitch, so you might have to compensate when drilling a hole and using one)

[okfoz]

When my thumb starts sticking, I will look in my thumb hole to see if it is shiny, I have had lane oil has gotten in the hole, just the oils from my thumb has clogged up the surface or the hole itself has become polished from use. I will take some fine sandpaper (IE 1500 or 2000) and quickly sand the thumb hole surface, not enough to change the size, but enough to just get the shine out. Sometimes This fixes my problem.

Granted, over time the hole will get bigger because I am using sandpaper, but it works, and I find it more reliable than using easy slide.

John