Question about ball polish

plague · Aug 14, 2018

This is the situation
I have recently set up two tales
I tried to manufacture a ballcleaning machine, gave that up

Now i clean the balls in warm water with bit of soap
Then polish em with anti-static

Now under the table i have an infra-red panel, to keep the table dry and running like brand new

But the balls they never feel slick, just very dry...in a rough sort of way
What am i doing wrong
Should i polish them as well?

DynoDan · Aug 14, 2018

Interesting question. Aside from appearance, people generally wax/polish their cars to protect the paint from damaging contaminants, and promote the shedding of dirt/water. A dedicated ball polish may help keep them from deteriorating, and slow the accumulation of chalk & finger oils (?).
But, it depends on how well the balls are kept where you play out in the world. If you keep the balls polished on your home table, and the rooms where you compete do not, you will find yourself at a disadvantage (undercutting/banking & drawing short/etc.).

lfigueroa · Aug 14, 2018

plague said:
This is the situation
I have recently set up two tales
I tried to manufacture a ballcleaning machine, gave that up

Now i clean the balls in warm water with bit of soap
Then polish em with anti-static

Now under the table i have an infra-red panel, to keep the table dry and running like brand new

But the balls they never feel slick, just very dry...in a rough sort of way
What am i doing wrong
Should i polish them as well?

Hi Alex. I'm guessing most of the science guys would tell you that to get a friction coefficient appropriate for pool balls you need to regularly polish them. That'll give you a consistent amount of throw.

Not too long ago we has a discussion here about polishing balls. Some advocated products meant for cars, like McGuire's. Others, products meant for plastics, like Novus. But some of us felt the right way to go was Aramith Ball Cleaner. Dan White here did a test using various products and found the Aramith stuff provided the most consistent test results.

Lou Figueroa

Black-Balled · Aug 14, 2018

And I will add that in my experience, soaps- even 'gentle' ones- seem to strip balls of their surface slickness.

greyghost · Aug 14, 2018

plague said:
This is the situation

I have recently set up two tales

I tried to manufacture a ballcleaning machine, gave that up

Now i clean the balls in warm water with bit of soap

Then polish em with anti-static

Now under the table i have an infra-red panel, to keep the table dry and running like brand new

But the balls they never feel slick, just very dry...in a rough sort of way

What am i doing wrong

Should i polish them as well?

Tell us the whole story first

So you tried making a polisher....uh ohhh

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Bca8ball · Aug 14, 2018

plague said:
This is the situation
I have recently set up two tales
I tried to manufacture a ballcleaning machine, gave that up

Now i clean the balls in warm water with bit of soap
Then polish em with anti-static

Now under the table i have an infra-red panel, to keep the table dry and running like brand new

But the balls they never feel slick, just very dry...in a rough sort of way
What am i doing wrong
Should i polish them as well?

My "guess" is that (with the hot water/soap) you have removed all previous polish/particles from the microscopic pores, pits, etc. in the ball surfaces.
As with a vehicle finish, wax helps makes them smooth by filling the pores you can't actually see.
I recommend trying ball polish (some even use auto spray wax) to fill the microscopic imperfections.
However, one does not want wax transferring from the balls to cloth; therefore, let the polish/wax dry then thoroughly wipe from the external surfaces.
This should still leave you with a smooth surface as the imperfections will remain filled.

plague · Aug 14, 2018

OK thanks all
Aramith polish it will be
But
When 0laying banks or for demo banks.... I ll use that trick
To make em dry. And rough
Amount of turn on ball is amazing

Black-Balled · Aug 14, 2018

plague said:
OK thanks all
Aramith polish it will be
But
When 0laying banks or for demo banks.... I ll use that trick
To make em dry. And rough
Amount of turn on ball is amazing

I saw a 'hustler' make the second of two spotted balls by throwing the second one it. He rubbed chalk or the balls' contact points.

I also thought he was gonna get punched sooner or later, and he did.

Bavafongoul · Aug 14, 2018

Question: Why would you want slick pool balls?

I can understand the desire to have clean pool balls but were you aware that pool balls
that have been polished have minimal throw. The WPA rules specify pool balls not be
polished for tournaments and if they are, must be washed in warm soapy water.

"All balls must be composed of cast phenolic resin plastic and measure 2 ¼ (+.005)inches [5.715 cm (+ .127 mm)]
in diameter and weigh 5 ½ to 6 oz [156 to 170 gms]. Balls should be unpolished, and should also not be waxed. Balls
should be cleaned with a towel or cloth free of dirt and dust, and may also be washed with soap and water. Balls contaminated
with any slippery substance - treated with a polishing or rubbing compound and/or waxed - must be cleansed and dewaxed
with a clean cloth moistened with diluted alcohol before play."

Polished pool balls look fabulous but do not play the same after a few hours since
the balls acquire more throw with increased playing time. That's why the above rule
was adopted, or so I am presuming but I'll let others chime in. Nonetheless, firsthand
experience confirmed this to be legitimate based upon using my sets of pool balls.

Matt B.

Pacecar · Aug 14, 2018

I hand clean my pool balls. I use Meguiars's liquid cleaner wax to clean and polish the balls. After that, I use the Aramith Billiard Ball Cleaner to remove the wax and provide a consistent friction on the polished balls.

haystj · Aug 14, 2018

Pacecar said:
I hand clean my pool balls. I use Meguiars's liquid cleaner wax to clean and polish the balls. After that, I use the Aramith Billiard Ball Cleaner to remove the wax and provide a consistent friction on the polished balls.

You use a product for cars to clean, wax and polish.

You then use a cleaning product for billiard balls to remove the car wax.

Can you help me with the rationale as to why you would use the car wax at all if only to use a cleaning product after?

lfigueroa · Aug 14, 2018

Bavafongoul said:
Question: Why would you want slick pool balls?

I can understand the desire to have clean pool balls but were you aware that pool balls
that have been polished have minimal throw. The WPA rules specify pool balls not be
polished for tournaments and if they are, must be washed in warm soapy water.

"All balls must be composed of cast phenolic resin plastic and measure 2 ¼ (+.005)inches [5.715 cm (+ .127 mm)]
in diameter and weigh 5 ½ to 6 oz [156 to 170 gms]. Balls should be unpolished, and should also not be waxed. Balls
should be cleaned with a towel or cloth free of dirt and dust, and may also be washed with soap and water. Balls contaminated
with any slippery substance - treated with a polishing or rubbing compound and/or waxed - must be cleansed and dewaxed
with a clean cloth moistened with diluted alcohol before play."

Polished pool balls look fabulous but do not play the same after a few hours since
the balls acquire more throw with increased playing time. That's why the above rule
was adopted, or so I am presuming but I'll let others chime in. Nonetheless, firsthand
experience confirmed this to be legitimate based upon using my sets of pool balls.

Matt B.

That's why you should use Aramith Ball *Cleaner.* Makes them shiny but not slippery.

Lou Figueroa

Pacecar · Aug 14, 2018

haystj said:
You use a product for cars to clean, wax and polish.

You then use a cleaning product for billiard balls to remove the car wax.

Can you help me with the rationale as to why you would use the car wax at all if only to use a cleaning product after?

The Aramith ball cleaner does not do a great polish job by itself.

Bob Jewett · Aug 14, 2018

lfigueroa said:
That's why you should use Aramith Ball *Cleaner.* Makes them shiny but not slippery.

Lou Figueroa

For great steaming piles of data about different ways to clean/polish balls and what happens to the amount of throw for each one, see the video in this part of Dr. Dave's website: http://billiards.colostate.edu/threads/balls.html#surface

A major point: never, ever use alcohol or acetone to clean the balls.

K2Kraze · Aug 14, 2018

Guys - there’s one answer.

They are billiard balls.

Not cars.

Not dishes.

Not windows or a cat box.

Not your garage floor.

Billiard balls.

Use the proper product and you’ll never go wrong. BY HAND.

Aramith Ball Cleaner - blue label bottle.

Now - IF you want to wash them in car shampoo or your babies bath water then by all means. But come on - use the products DEVELOPED for the balls.

And to come full-circle here, DO NOT use the billiard ball cleaner on your cars. Or dishes.

One answer.

Right - or everything else.

Now get on amazon and order some.

There should be no questions - just action. Order it. Use it. Be amazed. And you’ll have balls playing the way they were intended.

~ K.

Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkAnd

lfigueroa · Aug 14, 2018

Pacecar said:
The Aramith ball cleaner does not do a great polish job by itself.

There is a difference between balls that are super shiny purdy and balls that are not so super shiny and purdy but are clean and play the way pool balls are suppose to play.

Lou Figueroa
too shiny
no bueno

K2Kraze · Aug 14, 2018

Pacecar said:
The Aramith ball cleaner does not do a great polish job by itself.

Just to clarify - there is a big difference between clean and polish. Same for polish and restore.

In my opinion and thousands upon thousands of hours spent cleaning and polishing and restoring billiard balls, the Aramith Ball Cleaner is by far the best - and if used properly and with certain tried and true techniques, does a FABULOUS job.

You cannot use it with a Magic Eraser of course.

It needs to be used (sparingly) in conjunction with either a microfiber towel or a clean cotton wash cloth. Buff with a clean microfiber towel only after applying and wiping with your “cleaning rag”.

~ K.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

whammo57 · Aug 14, 2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkAVF4M9LK0

don't over think it......... make this ball polisher............ put the balls in and add a little Meguiers Plast X..... plastic head light polisher........... when they are clean......... about 10 minutes..... add a little liquid turtle wax........ run for a few minutes.......... wipe each of them off with a micro fiber cloth.............. I have been doing this for 10 years and it works great

Kim

DynoDan · Aug 14, 2018

I grew up playing on clay balls, and while room proprietors that also served food likely had to wipe them off occasionally (?), I never noticed any change over time in the way they played and it never would have occurred to me then that a pool ball EVER needed to be cleaned. This whole ‘polish machine/ball cleaner’ issue is likely connected to the advent of resin balls & the characteristics of plastic (?).

DynoDan · Aug 14, 2018

DynoDan said:
it never would have occurred to me then that a pool ball EVER needed to be cleaned.

I take that back. I remember a few times when a ball that flew off the table landed in a spittoon. It got cleaned then!

Question about ball polish

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