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Thread: I have a question about cleaning up a Columbia yellow dot........

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    Pin Crusher Hammer's Avatar
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    Default I have a question about cleaning up a Columbia yellow dot........

    Is it possible to do this. It was cherry red and turned black. The guy at our house pro shop asked me if I had a yellow dot because he said he might be able to take it back to the red color. The reason for this is because my urethane Blue Hammer hooks too much for my no approach speed which is about 8.5 mph. I told him that I need something that hooks less then the Blue hammer but a little more then my plastic Columbia Lava ball. So he asked me if I have a Columbia yellow dot and I said yes. He said to bring it in so he can see what he can do with it. The yellow dot was my first fingertip bowling ball that I bought in 1978 when my wife and I and our friends joined a mixed league. My release is way better now then it was in 1978 so it will be interesting if the pro shop guy can bring it back to the cherry red color and I can put my release I have on it now and see what it will do.
    Arsenal: Raw Hammer Orange/Black Hybrid 14lbs, Blue Hammer urethane 14lbs, Columbia 300 Lava Ball Plastic 14lbs, Highest scratch series 710 Bowling 38 years Never hit that 300 game. Highest game 276, had 11 strikes and one spare in the middle of that game.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Hammer View Post
    Is it possible to do this. It was cherry red and turned black. The guy at our house pro shop asked me if I had a yellow dot because he said he might be able to take it back to the red color. The reason for this is because my urethane Blue Hammer hooks too much for my no approach speed which is about 8.5 mph. I told him that I need something that hooks less then the Blue hammer but a little more then my plastic Columbia Lava ball. So he asked me if I have a Columbia yellow dot and I said yes. He said to bring it in so he can see what he can do with it. The yellow dot was my first fingertip bowling ball that I bought in 1978 when my wife and I and our friends joined a mixed league. My release is way better now then it was in 1978 so it will be interesting if the pro shop guy can bring it back to the cherry red color and I can put my release I have on it now and see what it will do.
    If the ball was originally a red pearl color and it turned black/dark burgundy then that's most likely a Yellow Dot Bleeder, It used to be a highly sought after ball and some places it still is. It bled resins as it aged which let it hooked more compared to other polyester balls of day, Trying to change it back would be a waste. You'd lose what little extra value it still has being a bleeder and would be most likely be a waste if time.

    Oh and if I remember right, A lot of the bleeders (if not all) would get brittle and could crack etc.
    Last edited by bowl1820; 08-07-2019 at 09:12 PM.

    Right handed Stroker, high track ,about 13 degree axis tilt. PAP is located 5 9/16” over 1 3/4” up.Speed ave. about 14 mph at the pins. Medium rev’s.High Game 300, High series 798

    "Talent without training is nothing." Luke Skywalker

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    Pin Crusher Hammer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bowl1820 View Post
    If the ball was originally a red pearl color and it turned black/dark burgundy then that's most likely a Yellow Dot Bleeder, It used to be a highly sought after ball and some places it still is. It bled resins as it aged which let it hooked more compared to other polyester balls of day, Trying to change it back would be a waste. You'd lose what little extra value it still has being a bleeder and would be most likely be a waste if time.

    Oh and if I remember right, A lot of the bleeders (if not all) would get brittle and could crack etc.
    If my yellow dot is a bleeder and turned black or dark burgundy why would it still be sought after? The guy in my pro shop called it a bleeder also when I told him that it turned black. I will take it to him and see what he thinks. I far as I can tell it didn't crack.
    Arsenal: Raw Hammer Orange/Black Hybrid 14lbs, Blue Hammer urethane 14lbs, Columbia 300 Lava Ball Plastic 14lbs, Highest scratch series 710 Bowling 38 years Never hit that 300 game. Highest game 276, had 11 strikes and one spare in the middle of that game.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Hammer View Post
    If my yellow dot is a bleeder and turned black or dark burgundy why would it still be sought after?
    Because it would hook more than a typical plastic ball , But not as much as a Urethane. There are bowlers today that find that useful for the conditions they face and would want one.

    The resins that bled out and changed the color was what gave the ball a stronger reaction than a non-bleeder ball (Though there is still a debate about this depending on who to talk to.).

    So if you were able to remove the discoloration (Which I doubt, it's going to be through out the coverstock most likely.) It would remove one of the identifiers of it being a "Bleeder" and it might could affect the reaction which would lessen the extra value it had.

    I far as I can tell it didn't crack.
    Well didn't say it would, just that it could.

    If it was me and I wanted to use the ball, If it was nicked up I'd surface it and polish it and not worry about the color.


    Also unless the Proshop was going to do all this for free, You be sinking money into a 40-50 year old plastic ball.
    Last edited by bowl1820; 08-08-2019 at 12:54 AM.

    Right handed Stroker, high track ,about 13 degree axis tilt. PAP is located 5 9/16” over 1 3/4” up.Speed ave. about 14 mph at the pins. Medium rev’s.High Game 300, High series 798

    "Talent without training is nothing." Luke Skywalker

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    Not too many videos of a "Bleeder", But you can see one in action here in this one at about the 2:30 mark


    Watch your volume, this guy plays some god awful music loud.


    Right handed Stroker, high track ,about 13 degree axis tilt. PAP is located 5 9/16” over 1 3/4” up.Speed ave. about 14 mph at the pins. Medium rev’s.High Game 300, High series 798

    "Talent without training is nothing." Luke Skywalker

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    Here's another one posted by Nord (He posts on other site), he's a full roller and doesn't have squat on the ball, but he's pretty consistent. So he's laying it down the far outside.



    Right handed Stroker, high track ,about 13 degree axis tilt. PAP is located 5 9/16” over 1 3/4” up.Speed ave. about 14 mph at the pins. Medium rev’s.High Game 300, High series 798

    "Talent without training is nothing." Luke Skywalker

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    Pin Crusher Hammer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bowl1820 View Post
    Here's another one posted by Nord (He posts on other site), he's a full roller and doesn't have squat on the ball, but he's pretty consistent. So he's laying it down the far outside.


    Not a bad score for a guy that lets the ball go with his hand on top of the ball. It compares to a plane dropping bombs out of the bomb bay doors under the plane.
    Arsenal: Raw Hammer Orange/Black Hybrid 14lbs, Blue Hammer urethane 14lbs, Columbia 300 Lava Ball Plastic 14lbs, Highest scratch series 710 Bowling 38 years Never hit that 300 game. Highest game 276, had 11 strikes and one spare in the middle of that game.

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    The part number on my yellow dot is 8N54258. I am probably wrong about the pro shop guy bringing it back to it's original color. It more then likely will be a resurfacing and a cleaning. It is going to need new finger grips and the thumb hole made a touch bigger. I am a little heavier now then I was in 1978. LOL. It will be interesting to see what it does with my better release I have now then back in the day as they say.
    Arsenal: Raw Hammer Orange/Black Hybrid 14lbs, Blue Hammer urethane 14lbs, Columbia 300 Lava Ball Plastic 14lbs, Highest scratch series 710 Bowling 38 years Never hit that 300 game. Highest game 276, had 11 strikes and one spare in the middle of that game.

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    8 series Yellow Dots were bleeders and very sought after back in the day
    Still love the game but had to quit because of my left leg amptation
    High game 299 x 5 High sanctioned series 805 (1989)

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    Were the 9 series? Just curious, that's the one that got cracked while breaking wifey's foot which that was still NIB.
    Bowling Center Manager
    Arsenal consists of mainly 15# Motiv balls, I have several now and they are the bomb! Too many to list and carry. Still have a couple Hammer balls and my AMF RPM Swirl (old reliable) & 25+yr old Linds worth a mention
    Currently 535+ Rev Rate @ 19 MPH (This probably needs to be updated, I think I've toned each down a click or two these days. I'm letting the ball do more of the work as I get older.)

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