Hey everyone, I was wondering how often it is necessary to polish your ball to maintain the same reaction. I have a pearl ball that I've probably logged about 200 games on and have recently noticed that it is starting to hook into the head pin or go brooklyn on me unless I crank the ball down the lane using the same line I used a month ago. I bowl in the same two houses every week and this has been happening for about 3 weeks now.

I was wondering about how many games do you guys bowl before you notice that your ball starts to behave differently and needs to be spiffed up?

I goto, I was bowling a SASBA Tourny yesterday(Sunday Morning). Before the match, I was using some rejuvenator on my Balls and one of the guys said, He never cleans his balls. I've had 3 different ones say that. This guy was in the top 16 cut and shot the finals yesterday, Averaging. 239 thats not bad shooting. It was a senior scratch association at Little Rock. We were at Coulumbia Tenn when one of the others made that same remark. He was a PBA Hall of Famer as the majority of SASBA bowlers are. I'm not naturally. Just a good friend of a lot of them. I see the same problem you do. I Use a rejuvenator and strip my balls about every 20 or so games. It doen't cost much and rejuvenator isnt like polish. Rejouvenator is designed to bring the ball back to its origonal finish. Course it wont't take deep or heavy scuffs or abraisions off, you need a spinner and abrilon pads for the bad ones. The ball will react like new if you carry a bottle of rejouvenator and an old towel to clean it with just before the game. Remember, once the game starts, you are not allowed to put anything on your ball or use any thing on your ball that will change the surface. Make any moves before the game to save conflict of interest. Hope that helped you. You might note that the majority of PBA bowlers wipe their balls before every throw. They don't want any build up. Eddie

When I was in Albuquerque at Nationals, I was talking to the pro who drilled up a Hammer for me and he told me to "keep it polished". He said about every 12 games or so would be a good idea on this particular ball.

He also said he could tell I hadn't done that with my previous equipment so I guess I just got used to it reacting less and less the way it should and went with it. I didn't realize you should polish them up, clean them and stuff so often. He said something like it gets down to the enamel. I think I heard him right on that.

I think part of that is the ball I just purchased is at 4000 abralon so for the out of the box reaction, it needs to be polished often. So maybe it varies from product to product.

Yes you need to keep the ball cover condition up. You can do this regularly at your Pro Shop for probably less then $5 a shot if you do it regularly.

It does NOT vary from product to product. The fact is that when you throw the ball,....any ball, the lane friction takes down polished equipment to about 800 semi-dull. It takes up dull equipment to 800 semi-dull. So if you want consistent ball reaction you need to have the Pro Shop keep the ball at that "box" condition.

Erin

Atochabsh, you might also neet to tell them, I unintentionally made a misleading statement by saying you couldn't put anything on the ball once the playing begins. When you are bowling and the lanes haven't been stripped regularly as they should you'll get a build up on your ball and some times problems with the equipement in the back of the lane will get stuff on your ball. You are allowed to put ball cleaners on to clean foreign matter off your ball such as a build up from a dirty lane or a rubber buid up from a ball being stuck for a period of time in the return. The statement I made should have been in reguard to using abrasive materiales to change the ball surface. I got a habit of opening my mouth and not checkikng my words careful enough.

A ball finished with 4000 Abrilon certainly will have a high lustre and these balls are designed to give maximum performance with the coverstocks at factory quality finish. This black Magic I use is made from Ultimate Bowling Products. Jan and her husband who owns THOM'S thumb, interchangable thumb inserts sent me a case of this rejuvenator and each time I use it my ball works like it did brand new. I use pearl finish bowling equipement also. Igonto, if you send me an address to send you a bottle, I'll give you one of my bottles to try and see if you like it. It is great. I won't use a whole case of it and I hate to be selfish. I think you'd like it, you can't beat the price when it is free. Eddie

Thank you, Eddie! That is a very generous offer. If it is still on the table, I will e-mail you my work address (since I'm there most of the time and stuff wont get stolen from my doorstep). If it does what you say it does, I may become a regular customer!