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| Why Do Bowling Balls Die? |
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(It’s not what you think.)
A ball, like a sponge, can be compressed. When a ball is compressed by repeated use, plasticizer migrates to the surface and concentrates in the compression area. The amount of migration is dependent on many different variables, including lane surface, oil type, style of player and drilling to name a few. Plasticizer migration is normal and takes on average about 100 plus games to have noticeable detrimental effects on performance.
What Creates The Hook Is Also What Kills It
Plasticizer migration does two things in high concentrations. First, it slows oil absorption, which is one of the reasons for loss in ball performance. Second, and more importantly, migration concentrates plasticizer in the track area of the ball.
The build-up of plasticizer acts as a lubricant, diminishing friction and performance in the backend.
When you press your finger into a sponge that’s almost full of water, the water migrates to the surface and collects around your finger. The same is true for a reactive or particle ball. When the ball is rolled down the lane, the contact area is very small. As the ball is delivered, more and more plasticizer slowly migrates toward the surface in the track area.
Once plasticizer reaches the surface area, it does not migrate any further since this area is compressed. The coverstock has some ability to “spring” back into shape, similar to when you remove your finger from the compressed sponge. However, over time the coverstock is permanently deformed and the saturation of plasticizer begins. As the plasticizer begins to saturate the track area, the ball begins to lose reaction in the backend and its death has begun.
Often consumers get a ball resurfaced in an effort to restore hook. However, the saturation of plasticizer cannot be removed by resurfacing. Resurfacing simply does not remove enough of the coverstock to de-saturate it. Any hook that is regained by this technique can be attributed to sanding the surface.
There is no doubt that maintaining the surface of a ball is important in keeping hook potential at its highest. When a dull ball is thrown, the surface undergoes a smoothing out, or polishing, that over time is also noticed as the loss of hook potential. Sanding a ball in general changes the hook potential in the front part of the lane not the backend.
A polished ball that is thrown will experience surface change, i.e., dulling of the surface. That over time will result in a loss in backend hook with a slight increase in mid-lane hook.
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