Ball Polishing!!!

RunoutJJ

Professional Banger
Silver Member
I dont have a machine to polish balls so i wanted to do it by hand... What products and procedures would be the best way possible?? Thank you to all that can help me out!! :grin:
 
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I use Aramith Ball Cleaner. Rub it on all over the ball and then polish with a soft rag. I've also used Headlight Cleaner which I had bought in an Auto store. Works very well also with the same procedure.
 
The Aramith stuff is very good but it is a little hard to work with as it doesn't spray on because it is thicker in consistency. For ease of use a product that spray on, like Brillianize or Plexus plastic polish/cleaner work great. Just spray on and wipe off with a micro fiber towel.
 
The Aramith stuff is very good but it is a little hard to work with as it doesn't spray on because it is thicker in consistency. For ease of use a product that spray on, like Brillianize or Plexus plastic polish/cleaner work great. Just spray on and wipe off with a micro fiber towel.


Brillianize is great, but I do not use it on the cue ball. For the cue ball, I just use Aramith. Otherwise your cue ball is going to be sliding a little too much.
 
i USE THE aRAMITH POLISHE (dAMN cAPS lOCK!)
polisher and a microfiber rag. put a drop on each ball, spread around w/ finger and rub yo balls hard!
 
not sure if you're interested but you could check out the bucket ball polisher on you tube. I made one for next to nothing and it works great.
 
not sure if you're interested but you could check out the bucket ball polisher on you tube. I made one for next to nothing and it works great.

I second this opinion. For under $50 and about an hour of your time, you can eliminate the need to polish them by hand forever. I use Novus 1 as my cleaning solvent as well. I'll probably try Brillianize next time, as it seems to be a bit cheaper per ounce (and I'm a cheapskate). I modified the bucket design to include a makeshift ball separator to prevent the balls from contacting each other during the process. Been using this for over a year and it works great. It is a bit noisy though.
 
Third for the bucket polisher! They rock! I use the normal Aramith polish in it, but only like every 3rd time I run it (once the pad becomes "seasoned" you can do this). In between using the polish I spray a little water onto the balls, and the moisture causes the dried up polish to become moist again.

Brian
 
The last reviews I read indicate that Aramith has a cleaner (non abrasive grit) and their own type of wax. I think that most tournament events would use Aramith, it is something like an industry standard. Because I play on many different tables I use Aramith on my home table. It is what I am most likely to find other places. Just makes sense to me.
 
The Aramith stuff is very good but it is a little hard to work with as it doesn't spray on because it is thicker in consistency. For ease of use a product that spray on, like Brillianize or Plexus plastic polish/cleaner work great. Just spray on and wipe off with a micro fiber towel.
Just exactly the same. For the cue ball, either rub it with hands after the cleaning/polishing procedure, or you may even want to wash it with soap ;) I don't see any use of Aramith liquid for the time being.
 
Damp cotton rag/water works great, extends the life and keeps the finish of the new balls from becoming porous and picking up dirt. There are allot of non abrasive polishes out there which is good, but the buffing pad should be scrutinized, it can be the abrasive culprit. Wet rag/dry rag works well.
 
I just bought a bottle of the Aramith Pool Ball Restorer and it seemed to do the job. Couple that with the Aramith Ball Polish and you should be good to go. just be prepared to put a little elbow grease into this when you rub the balls with the cloth(s).

Mike
 
just call me cheap I guess

I use Pledge Furniture Polish. Put all the balls, inc. cue ball, on a fluffy bath towel. Spray them all with Pledge, fold over towel and rub polish onto the balls. Remove individually and clean/dry each ball with the corner of towel. Then I wait for 10-15 minutes to use.

They all come out shinny and new looking. They roll pretty good. English takes well on the cue ball. I am quite satisfied with this procedure and I probably won't change.

Anyway, that's what I do.

L8R...Ken
 
Plastic lens polish

Try a plastic lens polish, available at auto supply stores. The one I have used, with great results, is DURA GLOSS 681 Plastic Lens Polish; but there are a couple of other brands also sold for polishing car light lenses and motorcycle windscreens.

They have been mentioned on earlier AZB forum threads.

And, you can polish up your tail lights as well, from the same bottle.

RL
 
My manual procedure has changed a bit over the years, but at present the way that works for me is to soak the balls in the sink in some warm water and a small amount of regular dish-washing liquid. Then I remove each one from the sink and, whilst still wet, run it over with a "Mr. Clean Magic Eraser" cleaning pad.

Then I put the balls on a towel and put a blob of the Aramith Ball Cleaner and spread it all over the surface with my fingers. (Wear rubber gloves if you have sensitive skin.)

By the time I've done the last ball the first ball will be dry and ready to wipe off the polish with a rag or micro-fiber towel. Nowadays I have a BallStar, so I just stick them in that, but as other posters have indicated you can build a ghetto version yourself if you feel the need. (With the Ballstar I only do this full process once every few months, I use the automatic Ballstar cleaning cycle after every session.)

However despite using both the Aramith hand polish and the Ballstart automatic polishing I still have problems with chalk marks on *SOME* cue balls. A constant criticism of mine (and some others) is the relative inconsistency of the surface finish (and often weight) of Aramith/Saluc cue balls. At the bottom of the list has to be the "Measles" Pro Cup which I just cannot get clean no matter what I use. Next to that is the "Aramith Logo" that comes in the Super Pro set (It appears identical to the Pro Cup in every respect except the red spots) and then the Blue Circle that comes with the Brunswick-branded Centennials. By far the best is my 10 year old Red Circle that came retail packaged and sold separately from any ball set. Unfortunately despite this still having the best surface finish/quality compared to any of the newer balls it has now worn down to the point that it is undersized compared to the object balls so has to be retired. I could order a new one from Muellers but I have absolutely no idea if one made today will be of the same quality and worth the effort.
 
FWIW My manual procedure that works for me is to soak the balls in the sink in some warm water and a small amount of regular dish-washing liquid. Then I remove each one from the sink and, whilst still wet, run it over with a "Mr. Clean Magic Eraser" cleaning pad.

Then I put the balls on a towel still partly wet and put a blob of the Aramith Ball Cleaner and spread it all over the surface with my fingers. (Wear rubber gloves if you have sensitive skin.)

By the time I've done the last ball the first ball will be dry and ready to wipe off. Remove the polish with a rag or micro-fiber towel. Nowadays I have a BallStar, so I just stick them in that, but as other posters have indicated you can build a ghetto version yourself if you feel the need. (With the Ballstar I only do this full process once every few months, I use the automatic Ballstar cleaning cycle after every session.)

However despite using both the Aramith hand polish and the Ballstar automatic polishing I still have problems with chalk marks on *SOME* cue balls. I hate the current inconsistency of the surface finish (and often weight) of Aramith/Saluc cue balls. At the bottom of the list has to be the "Measles" Pro Cup which I just cannot get clean no matter what I use. Next to that is the "Aramith Logo" that comes in the Super Pro set (It appears identical to the Pro Cup in every respect except the red spots) and then the Blue Circle that comes with the Brunswick-branded Centennials. By far the best is my 10 year old Red Circle that came retail packaged and sold separately from any ball set. Unfortunately despite this still having the best surface finish/quality compared to any of the newer balls it has now worn down to the point that it is undersized compared to the object balls so has to be retired. I could order a new one from Muellers but I have absolutely no idea if one made today will be of the same quality and worth the effort.

HTH, YMMV*

*I.E. we take no responsibility for damage to your balls for doing anything recommended this post.**

**Pool balls may be dangerous if swallowed in large quantities. If symptoms persist start playing 3-Cushion Billiards instead.
 
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