Question using Abralon sanding pads..........

[Hammer]

Is it possible to use a 2000 Abralon pad to sand a ball by hand or does it only work okay if you use a spinner? I saw a video where the guy said once you get to the 3000, 4000 and 5000 pads they will only work if you use a spinner with those. So I get this to mean that the lower grits from 2000 down are okay to do by hand. So what is the story on this, use a spinner with all grits or just the higher grits for sanding a ball?

[RobLV1]

You can use any abralon pad by hand. You may not know what actual surface is on the ball, but who cares? Whatever the surface is, if it works for you, if you do it for the same amount of time next time, you'll get the same result.

[boatman37]

Like Rob said, once you find a surface you like just keep doing the same thing. I have a spinner but seems like if I hit mine with a 3000 or up by hand it doesn't do much but I'm sure it does at a level I can't see. I even keep 3 levels of pads at each grit...brand new, slightly used, and a little worn...lol. I do see a difference between new and slightly worn but I keep a spreadsheet with details of when and what I used on each ball as well as how worn the pad was. I use CTD pads and only get maybe 3 sandings before I can start to feel the difference in the pad

[Aslan]

I did an informal calculation regarding this at one time when this question came up before.

The simple answer is, you can use pads, compounds, and polish with or without a spinner.

The longer answer is...spinning by hand is EXPONENTIALLY less effective than using a spinner.

The reasoning is based in physics and is quite simple to understand:

Surfacing a ball involves two things: Force and Revolutions

The more revolutions you have, the more the ball is in contact with the pad (or compound/polish).

The more Force you apply, the more EFFECTIVE the pad (or compound/polish) is at doing what it is intended to do.

So, if you spin a ball in you hand for lets say 1 minute...you might get 60 revolutions. Then, you switch sides...55 revolutions. Then, you switch sides, 50 revolutions. Then, you finish with 45 revolutions. Your revolutions go down because you get tired.

In comparison, my ball spinner is a 3/4hp 2-speed that is capable of 450rpms and 650rpms. So, it is roughly 10x more effective in terms of revolutions.

The second component is Force. You can't apply much force to hand sanding because you are generally just spinning the ball on the pad. The force is therefore the weight of the ball. So, let's say 15 pounds.

When using a spinner, you can apply a bit more force from your arms and upper torso because you are leaning onto the ball...either on a workbench or on the floor. I can't recall what we calculated that force to be, but even if it is just 30 pounds...thats twice as effective as hand sanding.

And, when you add these together, they MULTIPLY: So, in this example, a spinner would be (2x) * (10x) = 20 times more effective than hand sanding.

I believe the actual number was closer to 60 times...but I forget.

And, this also doesn't factor in that "hitting a ball" with a pad is not the same as "surfacing" a ball. If you wanted me to put a 2000 surface on your ball, I would probably:

- surface the ball 6-sided with a 500 pad at 450 rpms.
- surface the ball 4-sided with a 1000 pad at 450 rpms.
- then surface the ball 6-sided with a 2000 pad at 450 rpms.

That would better remove any deeper scratches and give you a truer 2000 sanded surface.

I also "wet sand" versus "dry sand". Dry sanding is more hazardous to your health because you're breathing in toxic dusts from the bowling ball and I've found that dry sanding leaves quite a bit of "scratching" on the ball where as wet sanding seems to give a more uniform finish.

[Phonetek]

My PSO said that how fast and how many times (on a spinner) you move your hand up and down will determine the actual finish you get. You can use a new 500 grit pad on a ball but you may end up with a 2000 grit surface if you move your hand too slowly and too many times.

So if you're trying to bring a ball down to 500, the key is to move quickly, press hard and don't keep going over the same spots. If you keep overlapping, you're creating more sanding paths, the more sanding paths then the higher the grit. Yeah you're taking more surface of the ball away but your also making it smoother with each pass which is counter productive to what your trying to accomplish. Again, hard, fast movements and 2-3 passes maximum to try get a 500 grit surface.

The smoother or higher the grit surface then go slower. Otherwise you're really just eating surface off the ball and clogging your valuable pads up for nothing. He demonstrated this to me and used a device that tells you what the surface is. Pretty cool really and it makes perfect sense.

I don't know how effective doing this by hand would be vs a spinner but for most even coverage and consistency I'd pick the machine over the elbow grease for this.

[RobLV1]

Who would have ever imagined that bowling would come to this? Perhaps some colleges and universities will add physics for bowling classes. Just knock down the pins, guys!

[Phonetek]

Anything worth doing is with doing right. If surface changes are things they feel is worth their time and they feel is helpful then let them have their cake. It's not hurting anyone and gives piece of mind. Even if it's peeing in the wind, no sense of shrinking the diameter of a bowling ball for no good reason and having the wind blow pee back on you.

Do it right and you'll be able to write your name in the snow although it will be short lived. You'll throw your freshly sanded ball a few games and realize quickly it shined back up and you'll need more snow. At least more to drink to keep your name there. Wow, never thought I'd get to use such a metaphor about bowling. LOL

[Hammer]

You can use any abralon pad by hand. You may not know what actual surface is on the ball, but who cares? Whatever the surface is, if it works for you, if you do it for the same amount of time next time, you'll get the same result.

I am going to use a 2000 grit abralon pad on my new Raw Hammer orange black that I have used for a while. That is the lowest grit that I will use on this ball.

[Aslan]

My PSO said that how fast and how many times (on a spinner) you move your hand up and down will determine the actual finish you get. You can use a new 500 grit pad on a ball but you may end up with a 2000 grit surface if you move your hand too slowly and too many times.

Your PSO is "kind've wrong".

This won't take physics knowledge...just being old enough to have had a wood/metal shop class in high school...

The "grit" of the pads (or sandpaper outside of bowling) determines the finish. You can't get a 500 finish with a 2000 pad...no matter how hard you press or how many times you spin the ball. It's physically impossible. The 2000 pad will surface the ball to 2000...then if you just continue to surface...the pad will eventually lose it's effectiveness.

Now, that's why I say, "kind've wrong"...because a "dull" 2000 pad is going to start to lose it's ability to surface to 2000...and you'll end up with something like a 2750 at some point if you keep using the dull pad till there's literally nothing left on it.

Where he's also "kind've right" is that in Hammer's scenario...hitting a ball, by hand, with a fresh 2000 pad is likely to produce a very thin 2000 surface...probably a spotty 2000 surface. Every time we throw a ball...the surface gets weaker...until it gets to around 3000-4000. If it's polished...it eventually dulls to 3000-4000. So, most people throwing their bowling balls who don't surface them regularly...are throwing balls with a 3000-4000 surface...no matter what the OOB surface was or what their pro shop put on it at the beginning of the season.

So, for Hammer....given it's surfaced by hand...that 2000 will likely wear off about 7-11 frames in...versus having used a spinner where it might hold up for 30-60 frames. In either case, it WILL start to move back to 3000-4000...it's just a matter of how fast because hand surfacing is 10-60 times less effective. This is why bowlers, pre rule change, kept hitting their balls with abralon pads during competition...because the surface was wearing off every shot...every frame...every game.

Who would have ever imagined that bowling would come to this? Perhaps some colleges and universities will add physics for bowling classes. Just knock down the pins, guys!

I find this to be a SHOCKING reply from a guy that has written in depth articles...some of which I've read in their entirety...on ball RG and topics such as how environmental factors and topography will minutely affect ball motion.

At the end of the day, 96% of bowlers aren't going to surface their equipment AT ALL...ever. They'll throw an OOB finish until it dulls to 3000-4000 and then that'll be the surface they use forever. PSOs charge an arm and a leg for resurfacing. Buying a ball spinner and all the stuff you need to surface yourself isn't cheap either. A lot of bowlers buy some Abralon pads and keep them in their bag...maybe they can add some surface if they see something in practice...and that might help them on the fresh. Nothing wrong with that.

BUT...I think there is a BIG knowledge gap when it comes to surfacing where too many bowlers get a bag full of Abralon pads, hand surface their balls before league, and then think they are throwing equipment at lower grit than they are. I think they got that misperception from watching elite bowlers use the pads prior to the rule change and I think the bowling supply industry is reluctant to educate bowlers because those pads are sold with massive margins...primarily to a shrinking PSO market. If they can sell some to everyday bowlers that "don't know any better"...thats $$ in the bank.

[boatman37]

Heck, there are 7 of us on my current team and I'm the only one that even cleans them after we are done. The other guys are in their cars and on the way home while I'm still sitting there with a towel full of ball cleaner. My last team was the same. I was the only one that ever cleaned them. I haven't watched everyone but I'd say I may be the only one that cleans them after every use. Occasionally I will see a guy cleaning one but that might be the first time in 6 months that they cleaned them.