yay~~ first post :P
ANYWAYS...
I bowled for my high school for two years now, but I actually "started" bowling this past fall season. (The previous year, I only joined to fool around with friends).

I got the Black Widow (Solid) in November, and it worked great for a while, but it started "dying." I wasn't sure what was happening at the time, so my dad bought me the Elite Black Label Pilot Program ball. I noticed that it started to "die" as well. [The balls weren't properly maintained during/after games and practice because I didn't know what to do.]

What should I do with the balls? Should I clean it myself or ask my local Pro Shop to rejuvenate it?

*Random question: I have the Brunswick Power Groove ball from the first year on the team. The dimensions of the fingertips and thumb hole don't match my hand any more. Is it worth the money to get the ball re-drilled?

First welcome to the site Confused.

Now for your questions. You can clean it yourself using the hot soapy water method that I'm sure has been discussed on this site or even at http://morichbowling.com/Products/Cleaning.htm. If you aren't sure you could do this, then take it to a Pro Shop. I would also start taking better care of these balls as they are dull and will soak up oil. Wipe them down with a dry towel between every shot and then with a ball cleaner after every session.

My personal opinion is yes it can be worth the money to have the Power Groove re-drilled to use it on drier conditions, as long as your Pro Shop doesn't charge a lot to have it done. Of course if you are using two different weight balls you might want to replace it with a a similar weight to your other balls.

Just chiming in to agree with everything infernocal said, if you're looking for more than one opinion. If you never cleaned the balls, they need to be professionally done, and from here on out, you need to clean them after every set, and have the oil removed professionally every once in a while (when you notice they are losing their reaction, usually). Also, both of the newer balls you have are pretty strong, so having the Power Groove redone to match your current specs would be handy for dry lanes.

When I'm cleaning the balls after the games/pratices, what should I use to clean them? Do I need special sprays/cleaners? Does it matter what kind of towel I use? For example, can I just use a regular bath towel from home, or do I need to get one of those micro fiber towels?

You can use cleaners you can buy at your Pro Shop or can make your own at home some people on here use solution of (simple green), but make sure you use cleaning products that are approved by USBC. I would recommend clean N' Dull by Power House. I use it great cleaner get all of marks and belt marks off your ball and cleans the ball good. You can go either way with just regular towel or fiber towel. I use both use regular towell between shots and when i clean my balls i use fiber towel.

No Worries Mate, I had to learn a lot about maintenece and cleaning because I noticed that, that was one of the big issues with the BW solid before I got. I learned a couple of different things. First, the hot soapy water technique does work, I jsut don't use it. A variation is to put it in your dishwasher or in a bathtub of hot water, again I don't use these. Secondly, any of the Ebonite Powerhouse cleaning porducts work. I would go with what the guys at Hammer recommend the Energizing Powerhouse cleaner, works for me. Next you could use Acetone other another product like it to pull oil off and out of the ball. Be careful becasue soemtimes there is a reaction to some bowling balls. Also the cleaners should be applied with mirco fiber towels. They work better. Then, there is baking your ball. in which case you put your ball in your oven at 100 degress and let the oil bubble out. I would suggest you have your Pro Shop do this if you don't want to do the poor-man's version. Poor-man's version is to sit your ball(s) out in the sunlight let the oil raise out and after a while clean them with something like the Acetone. That's all I got.

P.S. I use the Poor-Man's version of baking my ball and I haven't lost anything off of my Black Widow Solid.

Welcome to the site.

Watch out for the home "baking" method.

This is NOT repeat NOT recommended.

I would recommend (at least for the first time, and if you can afford it (it doesn't really cost that much)) to take your balls to the Pro Shop and ask them to rejuvenate them. The rejuvenater is a machine somewhat like an oven (but it is built specially for this purpose and has all the limits and temperature controls needed).

After that you can use the hot water bath method from time to time. It really works, is easy to do and you don't risk anything. Just follow the steps on the MoRich website.

Why? Does baking your ball have some kind of weird side effect?

Note that Acestone is illegal to use on bowling balls for any USBC approved league, tournment, or event. Acestone will soften the cover of bowling ball.

Found out something tonight, that I didn't know about baking a ball. At excessive temperatures, the ball can develop a flat side where it rests if left in the oven too long at too high heat.

I bake some of mine, but no hotter than 180 degrees, and not for long.

Brunswick tested the oven baking procedure and posted a "how to" on their website. But, it was recommended only for the balls they tested.