Prolonging the life and bringing back the reaction of Reactive and Particle Coverstock balls.

Brunswick is currently in the first phase of testing to document changes in ball reaction with use, and has come to the following conclusions and recommendations that match up well with the conventional wisdom circulating in the bowling community. Our results to date include:

• Both Particle and Reactive coverstock balls lose some of their hooking action with use.

• This effect occurs faster with High-Load Particle coverstocks than Reactive coverstocks.

• The primary reason for the change in ball reaction is the absorption of oil into the coverstock.

• Brunswick’s PowrKoil™ coverstock balls can be rejuvenated, to a “like new” condition by using the oil removal ovens found in some ProShops.

Recommendations

• Rejuvenate High-Load Particle balls every 30-50 games.
• Rejuvenate Reactive coverstock balls every 60-80 games.
• Brunswick anticipates that Low-Load Particle balls will behave similar as Reactive coverstock balls, but our testing to date hasn’t included Low-Load Particle coverstocks.

Since Brunswick has identified oil absorption as the primary cause of “reduced ball reaction with use” it makes sense to use techniques that reduce oil absorption.

• Wipe oil from the surface of the ball between shots.

• Use a ball cleaner to remove oil from the surface of the ball after bowling.

Why the change in ball reaction
The absorption of oil changes the physical properties of the coverstock. When new, your Brunswick ball has a coverstock free from oil contamination. With use the coverstock becomes “Coverstock + Oil”. This new, oil soaked coverstock has diminished ability to traction through oil and create friction with the lane and diminished ability to respond aggressively to the dry boards on the lane. Using the baking process to remove the oil from the coverstock returns your Brunswick ball to its original condition.

Included below is a detailed description of the testing Brunswick has performed to date.


Test Setup
We created three pairs of bowling balls for our test:
• Two shiny Raging Red Fuze® Reactive coverstock balls
• Two 320-grit dull Raging Red Fuze Reactive coverstock balls
• Two 320-grit dull Fuze Detonator™ High-Load Particle coverstocks balls

Each pair of bowling balls was tested and identical ball reaction was confirmed for both balls in each of the three 2-ball pairs. One ball from each pair was put aside as a control ball, the other becoming the test ball. We then started accumulating games on the test balls, 1-2 hours a day, 3-4 days a week.

We checked the test balls against the control balls every 30 games on 38 foot and 50 foot smoothly blended 3/1 oil patterns laid down on both synthetic and wood lanes.

30 games – No change, both Reactive and High-Load Particle test and control ball reacted identically.

60 games – Little or no change in the Reactive coverstock balls. The High-Load Particle coverstock balls showed slightly reduced hooking action both in the mid-lane and on the back-ends requiring a 1 and 0, or a 2 and 1 move to the outside to be lined up to strike compared to the control ball.

90 games– Both the Reactive and High-Load particle coverstocks showed reduced hooking action in the mid-lane and on the back-ends requiring a 2 and 1, or a 3 and 1 move to the outside to be lined up to strike compared to the control ball.

At this point in the test we had documented reduced ball reaction with all the test balls. Our next step was to use the available techniques that offered some hope of restoring the test balls back to their original reaction characteristics.

Clean with a ball cleaner: No change in the reaction of the test balls compared to the control balls.

Light resurfacing: 1-2 minutes with sand paper and a ball spinner. Surface finish was returned to beginning of test condition. No change in the reaction of the test balls compared to the control balls.

Machine resurfacing: Test balls were resurfaced with a Haas machine (25 minutes with diamond cutters): Surface finish was returned to beginning of test condition. The first 3-5 shots looked promising, but once a little oil was worked into the surface there was no change in the reaction of the test balls compared to the control balls.

Pro Shop oil removal oven: Test balls were baked in the “Rejuvenator” oil removal oven. Oil was wiped from the surface of the ball every 10-15 minutes using ball cleaner and paper towels. Six cycles of oil removal were required before the test balls stopped sweating out oil. After this procedure the reaction of the test balls was identical to the reaction of the control balls.


Non Issue: Brunswick’s oven testing has included brand new, unused bowling balls from all three of Brunswick’s major coverstock families including PowrKoil™, N’Control™ and Activator™. In each case we have not seen any evidence of the “Bleeding Reactive Resin out of the coverstock” issue that occasionally appears on internet message boards and post competition problem solving sessions.

The removal of oil from the test balls coverstock was by far the most effective method for rejuvenating the reaction of the test balls, and in fact completely restored the test ball reaction to their original “Like New” hooking action.

At this point in the test we put the control balls away and started accumulating additional games on the test balls. The test balls were checked against the control balls at 30 & 60 & 90 games with results similar to the first cycle.

At 90 games since the first rejuvenation, 180 games total, we made our second attempt to bring back the reaction of the test balls. With our second attempt we went directly to the oil removal process, baking the test balls using the oil removal oven. The results were the same. The reaction of the test balls was completely rejuvenated to a “Like New” ball reaction.

We are currently accumulating additional games on the test balls on our way to a third rejuvenation cycle.

Baking & Durability
Brunswick is currently conducting a separate test on the effects of baking and coverstock durability. This test involves creating unbaked control balls and baked test balls, all with zero games, which are being tested in Brunswick’s durability testing lab.

At this time Brunswick gives a conditional approval, subject to change based on the results of ongoing testing, to baking Brunswick bowling balls using the Rejuvenator ovens found in some Pro Shops. Our test balls have 180 games on them, have been baked twice and show no sign of coverstock cracking.

Summary
After 180 games and two bakings our test balls react identically to the control balls that have less than 10 games on them. The oil removal baking process appears to rejuvenate the ball reaction of oil soaked bowling balls.

Our testing to date has been with PowrKoil™ family Reactive and High-Load Particle coverstocks. We anticipate similar results with the N’Control™ and Activator™ coverstocks families, but no testing has been done at this time. We will report back to BTM the results of future testing as it becomes available.

The “Rejuvenator” oil removal oven was the method used to extract oil. Other methods may also work. Brunswick has no opinion on other methods at this time.


Readers of BTM should be aware that Brunswick’s results are not necessarily applicable to the coverstocks from other companies and that differences in opinion between bowling ball manufactures may simply be due to the fact that we all use different coverstock materials. In reading and “absorbing” the information published on this subject Brunswick encourages BTM readers not to try and decide which company has the correct answers, but accept the advice given by each company as the best advice for their products.

Bill Wasserberger
Director of Research and Development
Brunswick Bowling Consumer Products

Bowling Ball Revivor

1 Ball-$25.00, 2 Balls $40.00

EBONITE INTERNATIONAL, INC. ACQUIRES COLUMBIA INDUSTRIES

Tuesday, 02/06/2007

 

Company Continues to Build Collection of Bowling’s Best Brands

HOPKINSVILLE, Kent. – Ebonite International, Inc. has entered into an agreement for an asset purchase of Columbia Industries, including the Columbia, Track and Dyno-Thane® brands of bowling equipment, announced William T. Scheid, president of Ebonite. Terms were not disclosed.

“Our goal is to build a portfolio of the best brands in the bowling business to provide distributors, pro shops and ultimately consumers with the products that fit their needs,” said Scheid. “These brands, particularly Columbia and Track, have tremendous equity over a long period of time. We are very pleased to bring them into the Ebonite International family.”

Effective immediately, all sales of Columbia, Track and Dyno-Thane bowling balls, bags and accessories will be the responsibility of Ebonite International. Manufacturing of bowling balls for these brands, currently being done at the company’s manufacturing facility in San Antonio, Texas, will be moved to Ebonite International’s Hopkinsville, Kent. facility at some point in the near future.

“As our business has become increasingly competitive with a shrinking market of league bowlers, consolidation became inevitable. We considered a variety of options and felt like the acquisition by Ebonite International provided the best opportunity to maintain the viability of our brands,” said David Herrmann, vice chairman of Columbia Industries.

Columbia, Track and Dyno-Thane join Ebonite’s International’s existing consumer brands: Ebonite, Hammer and Robby’s. In addition, Ebonite International is the parent company of Ebonite VanTech Capital Equipment and Vantage Bowling, which serve the commercial side of the bowling business.

“We still have many details to work out but are confident that we will successfully integrate the Columbia Industries products into our company. We did this with the acquisition of the Hammer brand in 2002 and look forward to doing so again,” added Scheid.

Based in Hopkinsville, Kent., Ebonite International is a privately-owned company that currently services bowling centers, distributors and retail outlets both domestically and internationally. For more information, visit www.ebonite.com.