Bowling is a game that is based on three major elements of equipment: a lane made of wood that is sixty feet long with ten pins in a pyramid layout and a bowling ball that is used to travel across the lane to (hopefully) eliminate the 10 pins. Once you are in the realm of bowling, it doesn’t take long to recognize that your bowling ball is the most crucial component of your equipment. to ensure that it is running at its best, maintenance is essential.
While some bowlers start playing with a household ball, or the ones provided by bowling alleys and those who become more devoted to the sport will eventually buy their own bowling balls. Although purchasing a new bowling billiards ball could be costly, owning the bowling ball of your choice has numerous benefits. You can select a bowling ball that suits the style you prefer to bowl and then adjust the ball to suit your specific needs. By choosing various internal components, different types of cover stock, and different types of the bowling ball’s surface, a bowler can alter and adapt their ball to their particular style of bowling.
Naturally, with all the money and time invested in the bowling ball to adapt it to your individual requirements, you’re going to want to do all you can to preserve your ball and ensure it is in good condition. This is when the maintenance of your bowling ball becomes crucial. This article will explain all we have learned about the maintenance of bowling balls and all the possible methods of cleaning and preserving the ball’s surface.
Clean Your Bowling Ball in the First Place
As we’ve mentioned previously, one of the primary elements of bowling is a 60-foot wooden Lane. The lane is where bowling balls have to be thrown frequently as you alternate with your fellow bowlers throwing pins. Bowling balls aren’t easy either, and the friction created by repeated throws could gradually damage the ball and lane. To stop this occurrence of friction, bowling alleys began to apply a kind of oil on the lane to reduce the burning of friction and ensure that the lanes remained in good condition. However, the thing that was not anticipated was how this simple task of protecting the lane’s hardwood would influence and alter the sport of bowling! Through the use of different oil patterns, bowling discovered that it can alter a lane’s difficulty level. In the next few years, machines can be scripted to create certain patterns and intensify lanes.
Additionally, bowling ball cover stocks were designed to change to the oil that reduces friction. Today, bowling balls are made with cover stocks treated with various forms of grit. These grit makeovers produce microscopic pores, creating friction and improving the hook’s grab. But, when bowling balls are utilized and thrown into an oil pattern after oil pattern, those pores that line the outside of the ball gradually get blocked by dirt and the oil deposited on the lane. Eventually, the ball may become scratched and damaged. If this happens, the ball’s reaction gradually diminishes, and you’re left with a dead ball. This is where constant maintenance and cleaning come into play. If you take the proper steps, you can prolong the life of your ball and keep it running the way you would like it to.
Learn more: How to clean oil from a bowling ball
Use a Cleaning Agent
Cleaners are crucial to the care of your bowling ball. In fact, you could think of them as the first line of the defense of your ball. Cleaners are typically located in spray or squeeze bottles. They should be applied to the ball’s surface following each use. (Note that the number of times cleaning products can be used repeatedly may differ depending on the specific cleaner. It is important to review the instructions on the bottle!)
If you do not want to wash the ball after every use, ensure that you at least wash it at the end of the night to stop your ball from sweating and absorption of oil in storage. Once you’ve applied the cleaner to the ball’s surface, you can use it to work it in with the towel or wipe it off using the towel. It is dependent on the cleaning agent. While a towel with a cloth backing will work, a microfiber towel is preferred because of its excellent absorption rate. When you are done for the night, simply wipe the ball down a second time and store it until the next time you need it.
Polish/Scuff
As we have mentioned, two types of cover stock surfaces are employed in bowling: polished, sanded, and sanded. While cleaners can help keep the ball from getting clogged with oil pores, the pressure of rolling along the lane will gradually reduce the polish of your ball and sanding. To ensure that your ball is performing as you’d like it to be, it’s crucial to keep the surface of your cover stock to the quality you would like it to be.
To bring the surface that has been sanded in its natural appearance, it is possible to use grit disks or sandpaper to smooth the surface to the degree of roughness you would like it to have. If you’re unsure or uncomfortable with the first couple of times you sand, bring your ball to an expert shop. There is a chance that you will need to pay a maintenance cost, but watching a professional work on your ball could provide you with some helpful tips until you’re comfortable enough to sand home.
For a polished surface, you’ll need a polisher in a bottle. Polish is available in various types and ranges from those that offer you a shiny, smooth surface to those with various levels of grit that can be used to adjust your ball to dry or medium oil designs. The two types of surfaces, sanded and polished, need to be repaired after 10 or 15 games according to the ball’s type and the level of performance it offers.
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Cleaners
Utilizing a cleaning agent is among the simplest and most efficient ways to keep your ball in good condition and clean. There are a variety of firms that offer different cleaning products out there. When buying a cleaning product, you should consider two major aspects of the cleaning product. The first thing to consider is the type of cover stock that the cleaner is designed to tackle. There are so many kinds of cover stocks and surfaces that there are numerous types of cover stock cleaner formulas available there.
A cleaner intended to be used on a surface that has been sanded is likely to perform differently than a cleaner designed for polished surfaces, so be sure to look over the labels and determine what agent is the most suitable for your ball. The second thing to verify is whether the cleaner has been approved through the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) to be used in the league.
Cleaners are generally added to bowling balls after every use. In fact, if you observe a professional game, you’ll see bowlers cleansing and cleaning their bowling balls during turns. The constant and swift cleaning helps prevent oil absorption in the lane, affecting their playing. With such high stakes at the professional stage, players don’t want to risk it and work hard to keep their balls clean during their turns.
That’s where USBC rules come in. To allow the use of cleaners during turns, bowlers must follow the guidelines set out through the USBC and utilize an approved cleaner approved for a certain quantity of usage. The number of times you’re able to clean your ball during a game could depend on the cleaning agent, so make sure you take extra care when picking one!
