Black Widow Sting won't hook anymore

[Zach85]

Bought a Hammer Black Widow Sting ball back in October or November of 2010. Very aggressive ball, which is how I like 'em.

These last two months, however, the ball just stopped hooking, and now will go long. Instead of hitting inside the pocket, it will hit between the 2 and 4 pin most of the time. Yes, I am left-handed.

I didn't change much of anything, and this would happen on freshly oiled lanes during league bowling. I asked the lanes if they changed anything about the lanes, but they claim they didn't, and none of my teammates and friends (on other teams) are having any problems like I am.

I've talked to two different pro-shop owners, they've tried cheap "fixes", which would get the ball to hook a little more, but only for a game or two before going back to not hooking anymore. The one pro-shop wants to bake and refinish it, but right now I just can't afford it as I'm barely working and can only afford the weekly league fee along with gas and food.

Can I get some help on this? I'm doing a different approach on the lanes now, which has gotten me a 233 game two weeks ago, but now that approach has started to not work anymore for whatever reason. Tonight I did horrible in my league, bowling 154 122 150, which is pretty bad for me considering I can bowl a lot better than that. I used to bowl 175-220 regularly with my last ball before it got damaged, and with this new ball at first before it stopped hooking.

Thanks in advance!

[RotoMark]

I would recommend running some tap water turned all the way on Hot, into a 5 gallon bucket with a moderate amount of de-greaser Dish Soap (Dawn Dish Soap) in the bucket. Fill the bucket about half-way, until you are able to lay the ball in the bucket and the ball is submerged. Leave the ball soaking for approximately 15 minutes, and you'll be able to visually see the white streaks of oil coming out of your ball (just blow the bubbles out of the way). Dry the ball off with a microfiber towel, followed by cleaning the ball with your preferred bowling ball cleaner (Orange Clean, Power Gel, HookX, Storm Cleaner, etc.). I also recommend placing electrical tape over all holes (fingers, thumb, balance) for good measure. This will ensure that your grips do not detach, and that your ball is not soaking up excessive water.

DO NOT do this before you bowl. Your ball will require 24 hours to completely dry!

[Hammertime]

I know exactly what you are saying. I have the same ball and it quit reacting too. I have had mine resurfaced, baked and I have done the hot water treatment and my ball still does not react as it did when I first got it. However if I were you I would do the hot water treatment first and see if that helps. That would be the least expensive thing to do . Keep in mine that the coverstock on the ball is not has fresh as it was when it was new. Therefore it may not react as much as it did. If the hot water is not working I would think about getting the ball resurfaced back to the factory finish with 2000 grit avlon pads ( I think). These new balls today asbore oil more than the old plastic balls. You will need to keep the ball clean. I would recommend that you buy some ball cleaner and clean the ball evey third game. Maintance on the new balls are a must. I hope this work for you. Bowling balls are to expensive these days for them to be going dead. Although I like hammer products I have been disappointed on how quickly this ball stopped reacting. Good luck and Good Bowling.

[RotoMark]

Ball maintenance and routine cleaning is definitely key. I know many bowlers that never carry towels, or use them during league/tournaments. The balls are eventually saturated with oil, and the pours on the bowling ball become clogged with dried oil. The hot water treatment will definitely help to expel some of the oil from your ball's surface, however I definitely recommend having a pro-shop throw it on the spinner and give it a cleaning/re-surfacing.

Good practice to implement as soon as possible, is as Hammertime stated above. Be sure to purchase some type of ball cleaner, because they are -not- overrated. I personally use OrangeClean, because it is cheaper, more effective in my own humble opinion, and also recognized as a legal substance for ball cleaning purposes - Before, During, and After play. This does mean that you can apply OrangeClean to your ball after every game you wish (though that would be excessive), but you get the picture. Make sure to clean your ball after each league night, or tournament. Good luck!

[Zach85]

Thanks to all who have replied. Taking a look at all of them, I've realized that bowling has changed so much during my few years of not bowling between 2006 and 2010. I used to be a competitive bowler years ago but gave it up for a few years due to personal problems. I got back into it last summer and didn't realize the balls have changed a lot and more maintenance is required. My previous Hammer was fine without cleaning for so many games. I would just use a towel before, during and after bowling. I would have it resurfaced maybe once a year, but it never gave me much problems. Now, with new coverstock and everything, I guess they require much more maintenance than older balls.

I'm going to my local bowling alley where a good friend of mine owns the pro-shop tonight. He told me to bring it over and we'll see what's going on and he'll help me out. After tonight, I'll do the hot water and soap detergent tomorrow, as I probably won't be bowling much until next Tuesday's league. I will also buy some orange cleaner from the pro-shop to use after every bowling session I do (practice or league).

Thanks again to all!

[RotoMark]

You're welcome, Zach85. By the way, Orange Clean is a simple "kitchen de-greaser" that can be found at almost all grocery stores or drug stores. The brand is "Orange Clean", but make sure you do not make the mistake of buying a very similar "Orange Glo" which is used for polishing wood furniture!

I definitely recommend a Storm or Ebonite cleaner, but Orange Clean is my personal favorite. Keep us updated.