Purchasing a new bowling ball is quite an investment these days! As with any
investment, you want to make sure that you get your money's worth by taking
proper care of it.
Today's new resin coverstocks require much
more maintenance than the rubber,
plastic or urethane coverstocks of the past.
Because of the huge amount of hook potential
that these balls create, they are more susceptible to the absorption of oil into the coverstocks and to picking up dirt or
residue from the lane surface. Cleaning, refreshed surface, baking and
resurfacing are common terms that you need to become familiar with.
Based on a USBC research study, it is
documented that a bowling ball can and will start to lose reaction after 7-14
games. What this means to you is that in
order to continue to get optimum ball
reaction from your new ball, it should be cleaned and the surface sanded or
polished back to its desired finish after that 7-14 games.
Bowling balls that may need to be cleaned or refreshed after the 7-14
games tend to not hook as much on the backend and may seem to hit flat and not
carry the corner pins! You may find that some bowling balls start to lose
reaction sooner than others. For example, a matte finished (sanded) bowling ball
may tend to lose reaction faster than a shiny finished (polished) ball.
After a ball has 30-60 games on it, and
simply refreshing the surface doesn't seem to work, resurfacing and/or baking
it should bring it back to life. The resurfacing
of a bowling ball will require it to be sanded starting with a low grit of sandpaper to
remove the nicks and track lines and continued sanding until desired surface is
achieved leaving the ball looking almost new.
Another way to bring an oil soaked ball to
life is to have it baked (no not in your oven, unless you want a scorched
bowling ball for turkey dinner). Many pro shops have machines that are
especially designed for bowling balls called Rejuvenator or Reviver. These machines use rollers to rotate the
bowling ball at a set temperature for a specific period of time and literally
bake the oil out of the ball.
Other ball
maintenance things you should consider include: During your league session,
use a microfiber towel to wipe your ball off after each and every shot. Clean your bowling ball after each and every
bowling session with a USBC approved cleaner. Avoid using alcohol or acetone
regularly, because it could possibly damage your resin coverstock . Keep all
your equipment in a room temperature environment, avoiding extremes in hot or
cold! Don't let your ball sit for long periods of time in the same position,
even at room temperature. It can crack!
Feel free to come see us at the pro shop with
your ball maintenance questions!!
