Track question...

[swingset]

I'm new to reactive balls so forgive my ignorance. On all of the balls I throw, I'm getting a definite oil track in a predictable pattern, same as when I threw urethane...mid track just off the thumb hole. Lots of flare, all fairly consistent. But, the two balls I'm carrying and throwing the most (Rapid Fire and a Damage) are developing a secondary track of scratches and small grooves, and it runs in a different pattern than the oil track. I drew this for illustrative purposes (not my ball):

The yellow line is my oil track, the whitish line is where the scratches appear in a ring pattern about 1" wide. Doing this on both of my balls in the same general area. I've never noticed my urethanes being affected like this at all, at first I thought it was damage from my new bag, but there's nothing in it that would produce this. Is this common? Is this the difference between the ball's rotational track while in the oil, then the skid/flip rolling the ball through the backend on a different area of the ball?

[striker12]

it could be from the ball return cause same thing happened to my bowling balls way off my track and my track gose right between some of them on my black widow and on my freeze which i just got at christmas already has lots of scratched from the ball return cause it could be moving past a nail which will mark up your ball abit and as soon as you see it tell the machanic and they will goo and check cause ik this cause my ball came back with a nail in the thumb hole.

hope this helps its normaly just nothing jsut the ball return but it wont affect your ball unless there a as your say grooves on your oil track then you will have to adjust your hand abit to get it off that line

[DaveAyotte]

i'm not familiar with the cores in these balls, but if they have a very high flare potential this would be due to the roll after your ball flips axis. These new balls have very distinguished weight blocks, where urethane didn't. This causes your urethane balls to roll toward the pocket (which will cause the flare), where in these newer balls they 'flip'... the cause of that sharper and more 'jerky' movement toward the pocket from the breakpoint. Because your breakpoint is usually past the oil pattern, this 'secondary track' won't have oil on it when your ball comes back, (unless there is a lot of carry-down) I'm not 100%... but it's the most logical conclusion I can think of.

[striker12]

well dave you do have a good point there about the flip but hes getting scratchs on it which ik the lane wont do soo its my best guess tis from the back behind the pins or the ball return, the ball return dose give alot of problems with making scratches on balls when there are worn out and need abit of updating

[bowl1820]

well dave you do have a good point there about the flip but hes getting scratchs on it which ik the lane wont do soo its my best guess tis from the back behind the pins or the ball return, the ball return dose give alot of problems with making scratches on balls when there are worn out and need abit of updating

Actually the lane can leave wear marks on the ball, that look like small scratches over time. This happens a lot more on wood lanes, but over time synthetic lanes will do it also. That's how a "track" develops on a balls surface (This is different than the "oil track" on a ball.) and why you need to get it resurfaced once in awhile. (also resurfacing is not the same as just changing the surface texture.)

Polished balls will get dull and dull balls will shine up to about a 600 grit surface, do to the texture of the lane surface.

[striker12]

yeah i have had allmy polished ball goo dull but i leave them dull caus ethey help it out abit but i have never had one of my dull balls go pollished like my brothers twisted fury solid has never gone polished and he has not done nothing to it for 2 years but i have never seen my ball get a sraches on it from the lanes manlyfrom the ball return ut u can hear it when your ball gets a mark on it cause it will make a crack or squeal

[Gordon325]

I would imagine it would be from the flip in the back end, the reason it would leave scratches would be the lack of oil to skid through (hence more friction possibly more damage)

[billf]

Seeing as you are from central Ohio I would suggest contacting Matt at The Bowlers Store in Huber Heights. He can watch you roll a couple and tell if it's the lanes or return