Storm Invasion - Layout Help

[Mralbino]

Hello. I got the Invasion drilled yesterday, i'm not too sure about the layout and my measurements. I basically told the Pro Shop that I wanted to get the most out of the ball since i mainly bought the ball to be my Heavy Oil ball. After bowling 6 games with it, the ball was nothing better than a spare ball for picking up the 6 or 10 pin. I'm VERY disappointed as I had high hopes for this ball and was very excited to get it drilled. The Pro Shop drilled the balance hole for whatever reason. None of my balls that i own have had balance holes in them. Kind of pissed me off that he drilled the balance hole without asking me. Would that have anything to do with why the ball isn't hooking?

Anyways, i was wondering if anybody can look at the pictures below and tell me if it's the layout drilled that is causing the ball to have little to no Hook. Can anybody tell me how i should get it drilled after i get it plugged so it's very aggressive like it should be? Any help is appreciated.

[DanielMareina]

Unfortunately, layouts are completely based on what your positive axis point (pap) is. Basing it off an average bowler, I would say that the pin is at about 4" or 4.25" and below your fingers. This part of the layout is to make the ball roll sooner on the lane and maximize ball reaction if it is 4" pin. As for the balance hole, it is drilled below your axis to make the ball come in a little earlier and even the weight out from the looks of it. This would have little to no effect on the balls reaction other than having it read the lane a little sooner. The mass bias is kicked out to about the 3 position, which would add flare, and cause the ball to react later on the lane. That may have a little to do with it, but it shouldn't cause it to not react, it should cause it to react more suddenly down the lane. The thing that stands out to me is the coverstock. It is way, way to shiny. Did someone polish it? If there is polish on the coverstock, that would explain the lack of reaction. If you know your PAP, let me know, and I can give you a better analysis. All and all, the layout seems fine, but that all depends on what your PAP is and how you throw the ball (speed, revs, and axis tilt). I have my Invasion drilled much less aggressively then what I think that layout is, and it reacts plenty! (5" pin just above my middle finger, and I drilled my thumb hole through the mass bias 5" from my PAP)

[Stormed1]

Keep in mind also if there is not enough oil the ball will not hook due to it burning up early in the lane. Based on a "standard" PAP looking at the pic the ball has a smaller drill angle which will cause the ball to enter it's hook phase earlier in the lane and the angle to the VAL is larger which will take away (smooth out) the backend reaction..Most likely reason is NOT ENOUGH OIL!

[Mralbino]

Unfortunately, layouts are completely based on what your positive axis point (pap) is. Basing it off an average bowler, I would say that the pin is at about 4" or 4.25" and below your fingers. This part of the layout is to make the ball roll sooner on the lane and maximize ball reaction if it is 4" pin. As for the balance hole, it is drilled below your axis to make the ball come in a little earlier and even the weight out from the looks of it. This would have little to no effect on the balls reaction other than having it read the lane a little sooner. The mass bias is kicked out to about the 3 position, which would add flare, and cause the ball to react later on the lane. That may have a little to do with it, but it shouldn't cause it to not react, it should cause it to react more suddenly down the lane. The thing that stands out to me is the coverstock. It is way, way to shiny. Did someone polish it? If there is polish on the coverstock, that would explain the lack of reaction. If you know your PAP, let me know, and I can give you a better analysis. All and all, the layout seems fine, but that all depends on what your PAP is and how you throw the ball (speed, revs, and axis tilt). I have my Invasion drilled much less aggressively then what I think that layout is, and it reacts plenty! (5" pin just above my middle finger, and I drilled my thumb hole through the mass bias 5" from my PAP)

Yeah he drilled it 4" from Pin to PAP... And yes i had it polished. After further research that was a mistake on a new ball. After reading a little more today, i realized the ball has a break in period before it can start reacting the way it's supposed to, so by putting the polish on isn't going to help it out.

I'll work with it and give it some time, i'm just too impatient and expect immediate results lol. Thanks for the advice.

Keep in mind also if there is not enough oil the ball will not hook due to it burning up early in the lane. Based on a "standard" PAP looking at the pic the ball has a smaller drill angle which will cause the ball to enter it's hook phase earlier in the lane and the angle to the VAL is larger which will take away (smooth out) the backend reaction..Most likely reason is NOT ENOUGH OIL!

Yeah, i found that out today that the ball needs to soak up some oil first before it starts performing the way it should. Thanks for the response though! I'm going to take it back to the Pro Shop and have it re-surfaced back to it's OOB Finish so i can continue the oil absorbtion phase. Any idea as to how many games it should take to absorb the correct amount of oil?

[DanielMareina]

Make sure that your pro shop guy takes it to 500 grit and then straight to 4000 grit. Storm doesn't use the steps inbetween. Also, a ball usually takes 12-15 games for me to smooth out the reaction. I don't know if it will be as many since it won't be the true out of box finish. Good luck!

[BearFan]

Yeah, i found that out today that the ball needs to soak up some oil first before it starts performing the way it should. Thanks for the response though! I'm going to take it back to the Pro Shop and have it re-surfaced back to it's OOB Finish so i can continue the oil absorbtion phase. Any idea as to how many games it should take to absorb the correct amount of oil?

I think your misunderstanding what Stormed1 meant when he said "NOT ENOUGH OIL!" The Invasion is a heavy oil ball. It needs the a lot of oil on the lanes so it can get through the heads and mids without losing all its energy before reaching the backend. If the lanes are too dry, with the Invasions strong coverstock it will burn up too fast and you'll have no hook left. Basically it's encountering too much friction too early. It's not about an oil absorption phase. You do not want to deliberately allow oil to fill your ball's coverstock, as that would lessen ball reaction even further. That's why cleaning it after every set is so important. Maybe it would help if you tried playing a more inside line, there is usually more oil there on a THS. Bottom line is you have a strong ball with a strong layout. It needs the right lane conditions to perform the way you had intended.