Ball Cleaning Methods

D

DrCue'sProtege

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Was wondering what the various ways that posters on here clean their balls? i just read where one member soaks his in hot water, never heard of that. i've always just used either the Aramith or Karseal ball cleaning fluid, or taken a little bit of car wax and used that. then whatever you use just buff them really good. slicker newer-like balls will find the pockets better going down the rails.

Anybody have any comments?

DCP
 
Sorry, I just can't resist:

One

Cut a hole in a box

Two

Put your junk in that box

Three

Make her open the box


DrCue'sProtege said:
Was wondering what the various ways that posters on here clean their balls? i just read where one member soaks his in hot water, never heard of that. i've always just used either the Aramith or Karseal ball cleaning fluid, or taken a little bit of car wax and used that. then whatever you use just buff them really good. slicker newer-like balls will find the pockets better going down the rails.

Anybody have any comments?

DCP
Click to expand...
 
Hot water will remove grease and oil. Back in the eighties, I used dishwasher soap, hot water, and then polish them up with Armor All.

Nowadays, I used Aramith Ball cleaning solution. It has the consistency of watered down toothpaste, and I think that helps get the stubborn marks off. Other people found success using plastic polish and turtle wax.
 
DrCue'sProtege said:
Was wondering what the various ways that posters on here clean their balls? i just read where one member soaks his in hot water, never heard of that. i've always just used either the Aramith or Karseal ball cleaning fluid, or taken a little bit of car wax and used that. then whatever you use just buff them really good. slicker newer-like balls will find the pockets better going down the rails.

Anybody have any comments?

DCP
Click to expand...

I use some Meguiars cleaner wax and this ball bucket cleaner.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qICNtDLOZz0
 
Myself and about a 100 others on here have built our own ball cleaner/polisher for less than $40 and less than an hours time. I've had mine over a year and use it 3 times a week and it's still ticking like a Timex (a loud one) :smile:. Johnnyt
 
I've built the ball cleaner myself. Its pretty easy under an hour, and cheap. I think I spent roughly the same time amount of time shopping at Home Depot for the parts, as it actually takes to put one together.
 
1st, wipe down the balls with a micro-fiber cloth to get some of the dirt, chalk and hand oils off. 2nd, use a Mr. Clean brand "Magic Eraser" (white melimine sponge) and scrub off the skid marks and dark spots (especially on the cue ball). 3rd, if you do NOT have a ball cleaning machine, use a commercial cleaner/polish like Aramiths brand. Put some on a clean cloth, rub throughly over the balls, let sit a little while, the buff with a clean soft (cotton is best) cloth. They should be looking much better! A (slight) warning...some of the polishes used on cars make the finish TOO SLICK and the friction of a ball hitting another ball may make the cue ball skid off too much!
I.M.H.O.
 
For those that use the bucket cleaners, Any truth to the rumor that they scratch-up the balls?
 
Generally in the shower, with a loofa and Dove Body Wash for Men. Sometimes in a bathroom sink after a long skate session when I have somewhere else to go, especially if females may be present.
 
Whenever I find my balls are too dirty to handle and not shiny enough for my liking, I very genitally I mean gently take them and place them into my sink with warm water, a cloth and some ball polisher. I polish them until they are nice and shiny and clean again. I towel them off and then when they are ready I put them on my table, take a wooden stick and start to hit at them.
 
Aloha. Don't beleive in wax, transfers to table and picks up particulate matter easier. Used to use pomalive dish soap but suspected it might leave a residue. When I rubbed the balls together felt more friction than I should've. Just started using 7th generation cleaner (organic) and I'm impressed. Friction test revealed to be much less than dish soap. I use this in conjunction with a micro fibre cloth. good luck and straight shootn Mahalo Carl
 
I wipe them down by hand after every session using a microfiber towel and either Brillianize or Plexus. I prefer the Plexus because it has anti-static properties so less chalk and dirt transfer to the balls, especially the cue ball. Brillianize works well too and the 8 oz. bottle is more convenient to throw in your case if you are taking it to the pool hall.

Every once in a while I do a more thorough hand polish and then I use Aramith ball polish/cleaner. It's not as convenient to use as the Plexus or Brillianize because it just doesn't spritz on an wipe off. You sort of have to apply it to each ball with your finger and because of its thicker consistency takes longer to wipe off.

But with the Plexus I don't have to polish the set nearly as often as I used to. It takes no more than 2 minutes to spray and wipe down the balls after play. Don't even have to spray every single ball. What stays on the towel cleans 2-4 balls. Spray one, wipe down 3 or 4 then spray another, etc.

Brillianize is available at most hardware stores and Plexus is stocked at some automotive stores and motorcycle shops. Plexus also has UV protection, FWIW.
 
Ball cleaning

Fill my sink with hot water, shoot a liberal amount of Aramith ball cleaner into the mix, add 16 balls and let it sit, while I deal with cleaning the table.

Then I clean them up with microfiber towel. Works great, and the balls play great afterwards.

It's my Friday night ritual, as explained in another thread.
 
I use the home made bucket polisher with a ball segregater fashioned out of carpet pieces. No scuffs, scratches and the balls come out gleaming.

The solution I use is Novus 1. Works better than the aramith solotion I used to buy.
 
I use a home made ball cleaner with a separator and a few drops of Headlight Restorer bought at the Auto Zone. Cleans and polishes to a nice shine.
 
Hawk said:
For those that use the bucket cleaners, Any truth to the rumor that they scratch-up the balls?
Click to expand...


I was worried about the balls "grinding together" in the bucket polisher I built, so I added a divider made from a rag terry cloth towel that segregates the eight balls into eight separate compartments.

I posted pictures on a thread a while back, but I think you can imagine what I am talking about.
 
Friend made a home cleaner that scratched the balls because he used the type with the individual holes for each ball and just didn't pad them enough. I used the simple design, just the buff pad on the bottom and carpet around the edges and never had a problem.

Wax shouldn't be used on balls, I think it's actually stated in the rules that wax isn't supposed to be used. Brillianize works great and is cheap enough to get ... although I may look into the Prexus product mentioned earlier in this thread. If it cleans as well as Brillianize and has anti static properties to keep things cleaner even longer ... sounds good to me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top