I have a Hammer ball that I acquired around 1985.

Before using this ball I threw a straight ball. When I started using the Hammer it hooked nicely (not from anything I did). I’ve never thrown a hook and have never tried. After awhile it started straightening out and eventually because like my old ball.

After not league bowling for about a decade I've decided to start again and the Hammer continues to roll straight. Is it normal for a new ball to hook and after continued use lose its hook? Is there some kind of ball care that I'm not using that will help with the hook of the ball?

As you can tell I’m a novice (average about 150) and with more free time on my hands (college days finished) think I would like to move to the next level. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Those Blue hammers are very porous and soak in the oil that is on the lane. You should take the ball into the Pro Shop where you bowl and ask to get the ball resurfaced.

Thanks Stev300,

The Hammer I have is one of the first ones they released in the early eighties. It is black not blue but it is very porous like you say.

How many times can a ball be resurfaced before it's no longer usable?

Hi SmittyJr,

Yes, the sanded urethane balls tend to soak up oil and get polished with use. It is important to know what condition you want to keep the ball in. Some things you can do on your own are cleaning the ball with rubbing alcohol and getting some wet/dry sandpaper(320 or 400 grit) and wet sanding the ball. You have to do this before league if you are in a league. If you take it to a Pro Shop, a full resufacing may not be necessary, but couldn't hurt. You may only need the ball cleaned and spin sanded. A spin sanding looks much better than a hand sanding, but both are effective. A couple of rules. Don't ever use a Lustre King machine. Buy some Scotch-Brite pads to use with the cleaning, since they are similar to sandpaper. Once again, you can't use the pad during sanctioned league play.