Lookie what I made!

4

4.0x3.48

Never tire of learning.
Silver Member
Had a little free time on this relaxing Sunday afternoon, and I found a video on Youtube from AZB member Forcefollow, so I made this...



I had the buffer laying around, so all I had to buy was...

5 gal. bucket $2.50
Polishing bonnet $3.00
1 sq. yard of carpet $4.00 (way more than I needed)

So, less than $10, and I got shiney balls.
 
Cool Made one just like it. I can't see the sides but you might cut some holes to keep the motor cool. I also made a carpet lined lid and its alot quieter. Is that a pink bucket?? lol
 
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4.0x3.48 said:
Had a little free time on this relaxing Sunday afternoon, and I found a video on Youtube from AZB member Forcefollow, so I made this...



I had the buffer laying around, so all I had to buy was...

5 gal. bucket $2.50
Polishing bonnet $3.00
1 sq. yard of carpet $4.00 (way more than I needed)

So, less than $10, and I got shiney balls.
Click to expand...

Yep...shiney balls...with a bunch of little collision marks all over them from running into each other while they're spinning around....take a real close look at them balls when you take them out;)
 
realkingcobra said:
Yep...shiney balls...with a bunch of little collision marks all over them from running into each other while they're spinning around....take a real close look at them balls when you take them out;)
Click to expand...

I understand what you are saying Glen but in Taiwan and China the balls are often cleaned by putting them in a sack or a towel with a little cleaner sprayed on. Then the sack is slung violently from side to side with all the balls colliding and clanking and when the person is done out comes nice shiny balls with no visible issues.

I am not quite sure why such a buffer as the bucket buffer should be a problem?

As it happens we have been looking at a few buffers over here and most of them are made with individual slots for single balls. On every one of them I found "tracks" after removing the balls from the machine where the balls had spun one way only.

The bucket buffer has been around for a few years and seems to work pretty good.

Not that this means anything but my mom used to have a tumbler for polishing gem stones. She'd throw a bunch of stones into the tumbler and some polishing liquid and let it run for a while. When done the stones came out shiny and smooth. I always used to wonder as a kid how that could work that a bunch of rocks plus some paste could knock against each other for 30 minutes and come out looking great.

Balls are meant to withstand collisions. I would tend to think that any collisions and friction in a buffer with some sort of cleaning solution applied would be much less than what the balls endure by being hit with the cue ball and forced into and along the rough cloth surface.
 
JB Cases said:
I understand what you are saying Glen but in Taiwan and China the balls are often cleaned by putting them in a sack or a towel with a little cleaner sprayed on. Then the sack is slung violently from side to side with all the balls colliding and clanking and when the person is done out comes nice shiny balls with no visible issues.

I am not quite sure why such a buffer as the bucket buffer should be a problem?

As it happens we have been looking at a few buffers over here and most of them are made with individual slots for single balls. On every one of them I found "tracks" after removing the balls from the machine where the balls had spun one way only.

The bucket buffer has been around for a few years and seems to work pretty good.

Not that this means anything but my mom used to have a tumbler for polishing gem stones. She'd throw a bunch of stones into the tumbler and some polishing liquid and let it run for a while. When done the stones came out shiny and smooth. I always used to wonder as a kid how that could work that a bunch of rocks plus some paste could knock against each other for 30 minutes and come out looking great.

Balls are meant to withstand collisions. I would tend to think that any collisions and friction in a buffer with some sort of cleaning solution applied would be much less than what the balls endure by being hit with the cue ball and forced into and along the rough cloth surface.
Click to expand...

If you ever get the chance to watch a Diamond polisher work...you'll see that it's the only ball polisher today that actually rotates the balls while they're spinning to make sure 100% of the surface of the balls are cleaned...and shiny, and with the separation sprocket between the balls...they never touch each other while they're spinning;)
 
realkingcobra said:
If you ever get the chance to watch a Diamond polisher work...you'll see that it's the only ball polisher today that actually rotates the balls while they're spinning to make sure 100% of the surface of the balls are cleaned...and shiny, and with the separation sprocket between the balls...they never touch each other while they're spinning;)
Click to expand...



The Diamond ball polisher is real nice. Did you design it?

As nice at it is, it's not nice at $700 or so. That is a bit out of line. But if someone's paying it - good for Diamond.

Free market economics. The $35 DIY bucket polishers might not be as ideal, but they're good enough. That saves people over $600 to spend on getting table maintenance done, like new cloth by guys like you. :wink:

Speaking of rotating the balls, some put an agitator underneath the carpet lining of the bucket, causing the balls to rotate as they spin.
 
Bola Ocho said:
The Diamond ball polisher is real nice. Did you design it?

As nice at it is, it's not nice at $700 or so. That is a bit out of line. But if someone's paying it - good for Diamond.

Free market economics. The $35 DIY bucket polishers might not be as ideal, but they're good enough. That saves people over $600 to spend on getting table maintenance done, like new cloth by guys like you. :wink:

Speaking of rotating the balls, some put an agitator underneath the carpet lining of the bucket, causing the balls to rotate as they spin.
Click to expand...

Yes....I did, 15 years ago...and the ones from 1995 are still in use today;) cost equals quality, so in that sense...you get what you pay for:D Equating the 35$ bucket vs quality...is how most table owners unfortunately look at having someone redo their pool table(s) as well...I just happen to be an exception to the rule...of cheap:grin:...but, I'm like that Diamond ball polisher...the best comes at a price;)

Glen
 
realkingcobra said:
If you ever get the chance to watch a Diamond polisher work...you'll see that it's the only ball polisher today that actually rotates the balls while they're spinning to make sure 100% of the surface of the balls are cleaned...and shiny, and with the separation sprocket between the balls...they never touch each other while they're spinning;)
Click to expand...

Oh I have seen it in action plenty of times. It is a really really nice machine that looks like a piece of art.

I didn't know you designed it, great job.

I get a little pissy too when I see homemade cases compared to mine. I hope that I wasn't giving you that impression that I was saying that the bucket polisher is as good as a Diamond polisher.

I was only remarking that the the bucket seems to be able to do a fair job of it and that in the Taiwanese rooms the tumbling of the balls doesn't seem to harm them.

I see the Diamond polisher as the cream of the crop. Doing each ball in it's own separate holder is like doing each one by hand and what's better than that?
 
JB Cases said:
Oh I have seen it in action plenty of times. It is a really really nice machine that looks like a piece of art.

I didn't know you designed it, great job.

I get a little pissy too when I see homemade cases compared to mine. I hope that I wasn't giving you that impression that I was saying that the bucket polisher is as good as a Diamond polisher.

I was only remarking that the the bucket seems to be able to do a fair job of it and that in the Taiwanese rooms the tumbling of the balls doesn't seem to harm them.

I see the Diamond polisher as the cream of the crop. Doing each ball in it's own separate holder is like doing each one by hand and what's better than that?
Click to expand...

That's ok, what matters is that it's available for those that want the best;)
 
I think it worked well, for 9 bucks and an hour of time anyway. The balls are a set of Brunswick Centennials that I got when I bought my table about 8 years ago. They have seen lots of play, and I haven't cleaned them since I've owned them :o, so needless to say, they look way better. Perfect? Perhaps not, but I cant see any marks or damage from the cleaning.
 
Oh, and I just looked at the Diamond Polisher, and WOW. Crazy expensive, but it does look like a nice piece of equipment.
 
I made one just like yours. Works great. I fashioned a ball segregator out of scrap pieces of carpet that keeps each ball turning independently, so no collision marks. Others have done so as well, to good effect. It's such a low tech, low cost approach and it makes me laugh every time I fire mine up. I shall never pay $700 for a professional grade pool ball cleaner, as lovely as they may be.
 
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