Highly Polished Balls Skid More?

[Johnnyt]

I might be wrong but it seems to me after I clean and polish my pool balls they skid more when hit hard at an angle and the table is fast (low humidity. I use Meguiar's cleaner wax or Meguiar's Plastic X clear plastic cleaner and polish. I let them dry good before using...usually overnight. Johnnyt

 

[starburst]

I experience the same problem. Try different cleaner, wax might make the balls skid even more.

 

[Ratta]

Hi Johnny,

you re not wrong- If you clean your equipment (in your case balls) you ll have the *correct* situation to play an almost perfectly pool game. I still can t understand, that there are still players (also really good players) which are not paying attention on clean balls and even so a clean table with clean cushions! The materials reacting very different concering the air humidity (for example- very great difference!)- but these are things you can t exert any ifluence -
Try to keep your balls clean- and the table, too. These are things you can influence bro-and i highly recommend to do this to satisfy yourself while spending time on your great hobby^^

lg from germany, and a happy new year,

Ingo

 

[fd_colorado]

I have a homemade polisher and use Brillianze Plastic Cleaner (thanks Cuebuddy) most of the time and with every 4th or 5th polish I use the Meguiars Quik Wax spray.

The Brillianze is "drier" than the Mequiars and therefore the balls seem to skid less than if they are on a Meguiars-only diet.

Maybe someone like Dr. Dave could/or already has documented the skidding on slow mo video to see what is really happening. I am not really sure how much skidding is imparted from cue ball to object ball, but in the Banking with the Beard (my recollection) DVD, Beard mentions that a pure center struck cue ball is prone to skidding and should be avoided. Now that I don't hit the CB purely in the center my skidded shots are extremely rare.

 

[mdavis228]

Couldn't agree more, JT. I like the balls clean & polished dry - but I'm not big on any more "wax polishing" than necessary. The waxing seems more of a cosmetic thing to me.

 

[Johnnyt]

Someone on AZ months ago said NOT to use anything with WAX on them, but John S (Mr. 400+) said to use Meguira's, unless I read it wrong. I know he wouldn't use something that made the balls skid more so that's why I use it. Next time the humidity is low I'll use another set of clean balls w/o the wax/polish or any type of cleaner on them and see if I can see a difference.

I'm getting way too anal about eveything about the game since I started reading AZ. 10 years ago I was better than the "B" player I am now and I didn't think of 90% of the stuff I learned on here. I just got down and shot the ball in the pocket lol. Can't be that I'm almost 70 years old now...nah. Johnnyt

 

[JimS]

Wax provides an unnaturally slippery surface... the wax coating. Think about it.

When the coating wears off (in no time at all) the conditions of play change.

No coating is better... imo. Just polish.

Brillianize is the best.. again.. imo. :groucho:

 

[CrossSideLarry]

Ball Cleaning Process

I recently bought a set of Pro Aramith Tournament balls for my Diamond 9ft pro am with DCC 860 Simonis cloth installed by "The Real King Cobra"

I periodically clean the balls by putting them in my dish washer for a complete wash and rinse cycle.

Afterward, I remove the leather marks and polish with a product originally intended to clean motor cycle wind shields. The result is fantastic. The balls look like new and play without noticeable skid. I no longer use the ball polish sold by Aramith.

Cross-Side-Larry

 

[TheBook]

It seems as if I occassionally go into a slump, and start missing balls causing me to lose my confidence. I figured it out. It would always be after I cleaned and waxed the balls. I can feel the difference when racking. They slide along the table and don't roll. So, yes I think they do slide and will cause a "undercut".

 

[HighEndCues]

Dirty Balls skid much more then clean ball.
The reason for a skid is because of chalk.
If the cueball or the object ball have chalk on the exact contact point, that will cause a skid. This is why you see pro's many times asking the ref to clean the cue when they see a chalk spot on the cue.
So, dirty ball have much more chalk spots and will skid more frequently.
If you want to see this for yourself.
Set up a slight cut shot and chalk up the impact spot on the object ball. Then shoot the shot, it will skid.
Best,
Ken

 

[Nostroke]

I might be wrong but it seems to me after I clean and polish my pool balls they skid more when hit hard at an angle and the table is fast (low humidity. I use Meguiar's cleaner wax or Meguiar's Plastic X clear plastic cleaner and polish. I let them dry good before using...usually overnight. Johnnyt

How are you defining 'skid'? Bad contact as they say in the UK?

 

[pocketpared]

I have...

I have a Diamond ball cleaner and use Meguiars cleaner/wax without carnuba as recommended by RKC. I clean my balls once a week, they play fine and don't skid.
ps I keep my cleaner clear of buildup and use minimum cleaner/wax.

ps..a center hit cue ball creates a condition called "slide" which is a cue ball position control technique.

 

[Ball Banger]

Humidity Plays a big role. As a Kid growing up in South Florida in the late 1950's before Air conditioning I saw the real effects of Humidity. Rainy Season and Dry season play varied very differently. Living in the Philippines in the 1970's I also saw this same effect in the open air pool halls. But didn't play a lot of pool there.

Modern Equipment such as Balls, Cloth and Rails don't seem to have the dramatic change of play like the older composition Balls and Wool Cloth.

To me Clean balls without wax don't skid as much as Dirty or Waxed Balls.

 

[Johnnyt]

Thank you all. I'll try w/o the wax for a few weeks. Johnnyt

 

[Bob Jewett]

I might be wrong but it seems to me after I clean and polish my pool balls they skid more when hit hard at an angle and the table is fast (low humidity. I use Meguiar's cleaner wax or Meguiar's Plastic X clear plastic cleaner and polish. I let them dry good before using...usually overnight. Johnnyt

I think anything that makes chalk stick to the cue ball more is going to cause problems in the form of skids (also called cling, bad contact, and in the UK, "kick"). I've seen some polishes that seemed to increase the amount of chalk on the cue ball.

For regular friction, some polishes seem to increase it. I had a pretty battered set of balls and figured I'd clean them up with automotive rubbing compound and polish. I ended up with about twice the throw as for the "dirty" condition, but the balls were nice and shiny.

I've used Johnson's paste wax without any noticeable problems. The slippery balls do tend to slide into the pocket better. I have not noticed a change in throw with it, but I was playing on a table with large pockets.

 

[Black-Balled]

Sliding and skidding are different things, but those 2 words are being use interchangeably here.

Skid is bad. Slide is ok!

 

[Johnnyt]

I think anything that makes chalk stick to the cue ball more is going to cause problems in the form of skids (also called cling, bad contact, and in the UK, "kick"). I've seen some polishes that seemed to increase the amount of chalk on the cue ball.

For regular friction, some polishes seem to increase it. I had a pretty battered set of balls and figured I'd clean them up with automotive rubbing compound and polish. I ended up with about twice the throw as for the "dirty" condition, but the balls were nice and shiny.

I've used Johnson's paste wax without any noticeable problems. The slippery balls do tend to slide into the pocket better. I have not noticed a change in throw with it, but I was playing on a table with large pockets.

Thank you Bob. Johnnyt

 

[Cuebuddy]

I have a homemade polisher and use Brillianze Plastic Cleaner (thanks Cuebuddy) most of the time and with every 4th or 5th polish I use the Meguiars Quik Wax spray.

The Brillianze is "drier" than the Mequiars and therefore the balls seem to skid less than if they are on a Meguiars-only diet.

Maybe someone like Dr. Dave could/or already has documented the skidding on slow mo video to see what is really happening. I am not really sure how much skidding is imparted from cue ball to object ball, but in the Banking with the Beard (my recollection) DVD, Beard mentions that a pure center struck cue ball is prone to skidding and should be avoided. Now that I don't hit the CB purely in the center my skidded shots are extremely rare.

Your welcome fd_colorado I am doing much the same and have had great success. Once I solved the problem of the dreaded Diamond black marks on the balls the balls stay cleaner much longer and I only use a little Mequiars now and then.