How to clean pool balls?

cigardave

Who's got a light?
Silver Member
I've been cleaning my set by hand using the Aramith ball cleaner on a paper towel... and then polishing them with a microfiber cloth when the polish has dried. I do this about every week or so.

But last night I took my set to a buddy's house and he cleaned them in a prototype high-end ball cleaner that he had just finished building. It did a professional job. He told me that he had about $200 worth of materials in it. All the balls looked like new even though they are 3 years old.

I'm buying one from him. :thumbup2:
 

blackflagsailor

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Ok, I made a bucket polisher using a 5-gallon bucket and a 10" orbital buffer. Lots of videos of these on youtube and they seem to work great.

I found a used set of Aramith Premier balls that I am super excited to have found. They are very yellow. I know that higher end pool balls are not truely white, but how do I clean yellowed billiard balls? Will my newly made polisher do the job?

I've read online that I can use my dishwasher. Is this really a good idea?

I also heard two other ways; using toothpaste to restore the white, and using baking soda and water. Would these harm the balls?

Does anyone know a safe way other them buying Aramith's products that I could use? If I buy Aramith, I gotta wait till it shows up as I have no stores nearby that sell it.
 
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Travis3c

AV Pool Nut
Silver Member
sorry, im one of the ones with a 500.00 machine and i use a couple of light mist sprays of Brillianteze. My balls stay polished, and still look the same from day one



that didnt sound right!!!
 

blackflagsailor

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
lol no, talking about polishing your "balls" never sounds right, but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do lol. Anyway, if anyone has any info on washing them let me know.
 

blackflagsailor

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I tried the dishwasher idea for whitening the balls. I won't do it again. This did not whiten them at all. It didn't seem to clean them either. The cue ball still has some chalk scuff marks. I may break down in a few weeks and buy some Aramith cleaner. But for now; does anyone have some ideas?
 
I tried the dishwasher idea for whitening the balls. I won't do it again. This did not whiten them at all. It didn't seem to clean them either. The cue ball still has some chalk scuff marks. I may break down in a few weeks and buy some Aramith cleaner. But for now; does anyone have some ideas?

Use Aramith Billiard Ball restorer. This is not the same as Aramith Billiard Ball Cleaner. It is meant for cleaning really dirty and yellowed balls. Here's a link to a reputable seller.. http://www.ozonebilliards.com/arbibare.html

In the meantime, if you have a mild automotive rubbing compound (preferably clear coat safe) try using that and it should help quite a bit.

Finish them off with Brillianize and you should be good to go.

Never wash pool balls in the dishwasher, dishwasher detergent will pit and yellow the balls. Hot water only makes it worse.
 

blackflagsailor

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thanks! I just wish I had that advice earlier. It didn't seem to harm them, but I will not be washing them that way again. Will it cause any long term damage from the wash I did today?

I think I will try the products you recommended and them go for the Aramith when I can.
 

DogsPlayingPool

"What's in your wallet?"
Silver Member
But you do them 1 at a time? How do you get the cleaner on them?

The way I do it quickly is to use a spray cleaner like Brillianize, Plexus, or Novus 1. When I'm done playing I lightly spritz each ball, wipe off with a microfiber towel and put in the ball storage tray.

I used to use the Aramith cleaner but it just took too long to apply the stuff on each ball with my finger. Plus it was sort of a sit down in front of the TV type project, I couldn't just do them as I was putting the balls away after play.
 

Terry Ardeno

I still love my wife
Silver Member
Same here. The rack also needs to be cleaned when you clean the balls - it's usually the just as or even dirtier that the cloth or the balls. I have made a video about polishing balls, and in this video I say - "You shouldn't put clean balls in a dirty rack." I haven't posted this video (it's actually part of my 14.1 DVD) I've spent months trying to find a way to re-phrase that... my son says I should leave it the way it is... I just might do that!

:killingme:

That's just a good post Blackjack!

All this time, I been loading 'em into the Maytag w/ just a hint of colorless bleach. Man oh days, the commotion it makes! It just beats the washer to death unless you do no more than 5 balls at a time.

But that's not nearly as loud as when I toss 'em into the dryer! Here, I usually toss all 16 into the dryer, put it on "Heavy-High" and ska-doodle! I actually have to plan that with a trip to town or something, just to get out of the house. I tried staying inside with my shooting ear protectors on, but my head still rattled. :eek:

:D
 

3kushn

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Use Aramith Billiard Ball restorer. This is not the same as Aramith Billiard Ball Cleaner. It is meant for cleaning really dirty and yellowed balls. Here's a link to a reputable seller.. http://www.ozonebilliards.com/arbibare.html

In the meantime, if you have a mild automotive rubbing compound (preferably clear coat safe) try using that and it should help quite a bit.

Finish them off with Brillianize and you should be good to go.

Never wash pool balls in the dishwasher, dishwasher detergent will pit and yellow the balls. Hot water only makes it worse.
Fats

Not sure about the dishwasher thing but Polishing Compound not Rubbing Compoound.

Rubbing Compound is more course grit and Polishing Compound will do the job.

That being said I prefer Aramith Restorer over Polishing Compound. The Aramith grit breaks down as you use it where the other doesn't.
 

blackflagsailor

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Okay, I've tried;

Dishwasher - Didn't do anything so won't try it again

Turtle wax spray in a homemade buffer - Shined them up but didn't clean them

3M rubbing compound - I bought this stuff for modal cars and tried it on the balls. It cleaned them, but didn't remove the yellowing.

I ordered a bottle of Aramith Restorer from Joe Nielsen and he told me that he's tried everything and hasn't found a way to remove the yellowing - not even the Aramith restorer did the job according to him.

Does anyone know a SAFE way to remove the yellowing on my Aramith Premier set?
 

DogsPlayingPool

"What's in your wallet?"
Silver Member
I don't know that the yellowing can be removed. I believe the problem is that it is not a surface only thing but a discoloration in the material itself.

Kind of like the finish on an old cue, you really can't get it back to clear and you need to strip it off and refinish the cue. The problem with a billiard ball is that it is not a finish that can be stripped off and reapplied. To strip down the balls to where they're white again leaves you with out of spec balls and cramped fingers.
 
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cuejo

Cue Repair tech
Silver Member
Just buy a new set of super pro aramith's!

Why would you waste time and money trying to restore an old set of premiers?
JMO
Darcy
 

DogsPlayingPool

"What's in your wallet?"
Silver Member
Just buy a new set of super pro aramith's!

Why would you waste time and money trying to restore an old set of premiers?
JMO
Darcy

Maybe he doesn't have $200 for a set of SP's and he's checking to see if there is a cheap way to clean up the set he already has. Makes perfect sense to me but it's just that he's finding out it may not be possible. But he doesn't know that unless he asks. Maybe someone has a solution but I think perhaps it's not just a problem on only the surface itself.
 
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CocoboloCowboy

Cowboys are my hero's
Silver Member
Soft Rag, Elbow Greast, and many brands of this stuff=
aramith-ball-cleaner-l.jpg
 

blackflagsailor

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'll try the Aramith Restorer when it shows up however I've heard this doesn't even fix it.

No I don't want to spend $200 on Aramith Pros. Honestly I like the look of the Premiers over the Pros. But hey that's just me I guess. Plus they match the Poker, Russian, Snooker, and baseball sets so it's like a complete set! Not that it really matters.

If I was going to spend $200 on billiard balls I'd get Brunswick centennials. But $200 is a lot of money and I'm happy with my Aramith Premiers.
 

Rod

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Balls turn yellow from being in the dark or boxed up to long. I've never seen them return to white. You either accept the yellowed color or buy a new set.

I've wondered if left under a bright white light would change them back? No idea but I'd guess even if it helped it would take a long time.

Rod
 
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