Home made plug job

[JaxBowlingGuy]

Well a buddy of mine had a T-Road Pearl that he was wanting to get rid of and really wasnt looking for much so I paid him $5 for it...lol He wanted to get rid of it because it had a big gash on the bottom of the ball (from fingers)... Also the thumb is messed up but Ill just take that to the shop.. Well since I got this ball so cheap i thoought I would have some fun and just fix the gash myself with some super glue..lol.. I have done this in the past with a couple balls but this time i thought i would throw some color and try to match the color... I used food coloring and mixed it with the super glue and let it sit over the weekend since i was out of town bowling.. I got back today and took some 180 sandpaper to the glue to knock some down then i resurfaced the ball because it really needed it... and this is how it looks now.. Not bad for a super glue and food coloring job...haha..

[bowl1820]

Don't look too bad! I've done the superglue patch thing. for a big/deep gash I use some Master Kwik-Patch Accelerator to make it harden faster and do it in layers to make sure its dried deep down. I wondered if you could mix some colored nail polish in it.

Another one to try is a product called Plastic Welder made by duro, you can find it a walmarts. It will take ball plugging colors.

[JaxBowlingGuy]

i may have to check that out.. I have people giving me ball like this all the time that the gashes dont mess with the ball but just want the "looks"..lol usually ill just fill the gash, resurface and sell for like $20-$25 basically like the resurface cost

[playbowl]

Super glue sticks well to modern bowling balls as well as my fingers. There has been some discussion about super glue causing the ball resin to become brittle where it makes contact with the ball (mostly on inserts) causing cracks in the ball. I have never heard anything conclusive about it though. The other issue would be with adhesion as super glue is designed to be used between two non-porous surfaces. Durability regarding impact resistance would be my only concern as the gash may have to be repeatedly repaired. Kind of like going to the dentist.

[JaxBowlingGuy]

well i havent had a problem with the glue so far... i had one ball layin around that itlooked like a dog got to... i glued it up and then resurfaced it.. now the ball is good as new.. well beside the glue spots..haha i didnt color any of those since i was just screwin around not really worried if i messed it up since it didnt roll right anyways... but to my surprise its actually a complete ball again..lol no worries yet but ill keep posted on that one as its my beater ball anyways that i throw at a house that always eats balls... as for the troad it was the 1st time with the color added.. but this ball will be thrown at the bad house as well since it was only $5.. now i dont think i would patch my regular balls with glue but good for the beater balls :-)

[bowl1820]

Super glue sticks well to modern bowling balls as well as my fingers. There has been some discussion about super glue causing the ball resin to become brittle where it makes contact with the ball (mostly on inserts) causing cracks in the ball. I have never heard anything conclusive about it though. The other issue would be with adhesion as super glue is designed to be used between two non-porous surfaces. Durability regarding impact resistance would be my only concern as the gash may have to be repeatedly repaired. Kind of like going to the dentist.

There has never been any real proof that the use of super glue is the cause of cracking around the finger holes. In fact the best proof that it doesn't cause it, is the use of super glue for doing patch work.

Using super glue for patching has been done for years on balls, I've never seen or heard of cracks forming around the patched areas.So that would tend debunk the glue causing the the cracking around the finger holes.

As for the adhesion I've patched in the track area,around the finger holes, filled in broke out bridges etc.And never had to go back and redo it. The trick is to clean to hole out, use a good glue and give it plenty of time to set up good. If you do a big gash, do it in layers. You can also use a Accelerator, so it will set all the way through if in a hurry.

Now super glue is not going to replace plugging material, but for a cheap do it yourself job or a quick cosmetic fix during a resurface it works great.