Bowling Tips & Coaching Articles, Entry Level Bowling Tips, Intermediate Level Bowling Tips
How to Properly Maintain the Surface of Your Bowling Balls
Why Maintain The Surface?
To maximize the performance of your bowling ball collection, it’s worth delving into the realm of surface alterations. Not only does proper maintenance safeguard your investment, but tweaking the surface texture can also elicit a reaction that harmonizes seamlessly with specific lane conditions.
In contrast to their predecessors made of rubber, plastic, or urethane, today’s cutting-edge resin coverstocks demand significantly more upkeep. With their remarkable hook potential, modern bowling balls are prone to absorbing oil into their pores and picking up dirt or residue from the lane surface. Ensuring pristine condition is pivotal for optimal gameplay.
Cleaning a Bowling Ball
Regularly cleaning the surfaces of your bowling balls is a highly recommended practice after every lane session. Nowadays, cleaning your bowling ball yourself has become easier than ever. By simply purchasing personal squeeze bottles, available at pro shops or here on our site at a very reasonable price, you can access the perfect cleaning and polishing agents to maintain your ball’s condition by hand.
We suggest acquiring one of our microfiber towels or sponges, along with a reliable liquid ball cleaner and polishes. This way, you can ensure regular cleanliness for your ball’s surface. Our microfiber towels will prove invaluable in wiping away lane oil during your session, eliminating any rubber marks left by the pinsetters’ pit cushions or the ball return units, and effortlessly applying cleaners and polishes.
It’s highly recommended to clean your ball’s surface immediately after bowling, as the friction generated by bowling opens up the pores in the ball’s coverstock. However, do note that only liquid cleaning agents approved by the U.S.B.C. (United States Bowling Congress) can be used during competitions. With the option to clean your ball using a towel and cleaner while you bowl, you now have even greater flexibility to maintain your ball’s performance.
After playing 30-60 games, simply refreshing the surface becomes less effective in restoring the desired ball reaction. It is at this stage that resurfacing and/or rejuvenating the bowling ball is necessary to restore its reaction capabilities.
How To Resurface your Bowling Ball
Achieving the desired texture when resurfacing a bowling ball involves starting with a low grit Abralon pad, gradually transitioning to finer grit pads to eliminate imperfections. This process, repeated until the ideal surface texture is attained, not only restores the ball’s reaction but also rejuvenates its appearance.
For those aiming for a swift texture alteration, utilizing fine grit Abralon pads ranging from 2000 to 4000 grit, while applying consistent pressure to the ball’s surface, can lengthen skid when the lanes begin to hook.
When combating heavy oil conditions, a coarse grit pad ranging from 500 to 1000 can be employed to create greater traction on the lane surface, ensuring steadfast performance.
Those seeking a balanced approach can opt for middle grit pads between 1500 and 2000, which provide moderate skid length and traction in the mid-lane.
When To Resurface Your Ball
Ensuring the longevity of your bowling balls involves safeguarding their coverstocks. When you observe a decrease in ball reaction, it’s crucial to refresh the surface using techniques recommended by the manufacturers or your pro shop professional. Regular cleaning and surface texture restoration can restore ball motion. Additionally, resurfacing your equipment after every 60 games will reliably revive the original and like-new ball reaction capabilities. By protecting your investment in your bowling balls and employing simple surface texture alterations, you can maintain the desired ball reaction.
Undignified Stupid Bowling Consortium otherwise known as The Dictatorship Known As The USBC!
It seems that I need to use a cleaner, then a polisher? When I use just the polisher, the ball doesn’t seem to react the same almost if I had used a dull cleaner? When I use the cleaner first, then the polish the ball has a slick feeling and works better on the lanes.
Question? If I am using the wrong polish?
It’s highly recommended to clean your ball’s surface immediately after bowling, as the friction generated by bowling opens up the pores in the ball’s coverstock. However, do note that only liquid cleaning agents approved by the U.S.B.C. (United States Bowling Congress) can be used during competitions. With the option to clean your ball using a towel and cleaner while you bowl, you now have even greater flexibility to maintain your ball’s performance. Tell me exactly what cleaner that is, as to the best of our knowledge no such cleaner exists under the current rules.
I use GUMOUT carburetor cleaner on mine. It not only gets the scuff marks left by the pits ,and ball lifts,but gives it that just out of the box look again. Because l don’t bowl in a league sanctioned by The Dictatorship Known As The USBC or Undignified Stupid Bowling Consortium,l don’t have to worry about what their rules say!