Spots on Arimath Tournament Balls

[Charlie Hustle]

I have a Gold Crown 2 with Simonis 860, in an air conditioned room, and I only use Masters chalk. No matter what ball set I use, I get small round spots on them after playing for about 20-30 mins. I have attached 2 pictures, the first is right after polishing the balls, and the second is liberally 25 mins later. Has anyone else experienced this?

 

[RiverCity]

Are you hitting the object balls with your cue?

 

[Danimal]

I had the same problem.

I realized that ever since I bought my table (GC 4), I had never taken any time to give my pocket rubbers a good cleaning. I scrubbed ‘em good with some warm water and a magic eraser. Turns out they were filthy.

After they dried, I hit them with some pure carnauba wax and then buffed them after a few minutes.

Viola - the spots went away and the balls have stayed much cleaner over time.

 

[pt109]

I think polishing the balls are the problem.
New balls need breaking in...at first they slip, and then they become inconsistent
because every hit takes some of the skin off.
I like it when balls are completely broken then...then I use the ball cleaner with NO polish.
If those marks were a pocket problem...they would be smears.

 

[Charlie Hustle]

Are you hitting the object balls with your cue?

No I am not.

 

[Charlie Hustle]

I had the same problem.

I realized that ever since I bought my table (GC 4), I had never taken any time to give my pocket rubbers a good cleaning. I scrubbed ‘em good with some warm water and a magic eraser. Turns out they were filthy.

After they dried, I hit them with some pure carnauba wax and then buffed them after a few minutes.

Viola - the spots went away and the balls have stayed much cleaner over time.

I'm starting to think its the hard plastic pockets that are on the older Gold Crowns. Thanks for this info, I may have to try this

 

[Charlie Hustle]

Does anyone know if they make a pocket liner to put over the hard plastic? Something like the newer Diamonds have. The inside of the pocket looks completely soft and padded. (Not to mention it would quiet the table down when I want to play late night)

 

[hang-the-9]

That does not look like marks from the table, if it was from the table the markings would not be so round and perfect. Every ball mark I have seen from a pocket was oval or a line. I can't find them now, but there are pictures of balls with marks from the Diamond pockets on them, compare those to these, not even close to the same shape. Looks like something from the cueball collision.

 

[xianmacx]

Charlie, I have had the exact same issue and still looking for a solution.

I also have a GC1. I had super aramith balls with the diamond ball polisher and aramith cleaner. As you mentioned, after about 20 minutes there are white dots all over balls. My local pool room uses the diamond polisher and cleaner with no issues. So does the derby. I asked Greg Sullivan his thoughts and he recommended the cyclop balls. I purchased a set but have yet to run them through by Diamond polisher as I am afraid they will get the white spots also.

I never considered the pockets being the cause of the issue. I am out of town for a couple weeks but maybe try this to see if its the pockets causing the dots.

Put blockers in all your pockets so you can't make any balls. Break and bang around a newly cleaned set for a while and see if it makes the spots with no pocket contact, just ball to ball?

I have been frustrated by this issue I hope to find an answer also.

 

[ChrisinNC]

I had the same problem.

I realized that ever since I bought my table (GC 4), I had never taken any time to give my pocket rubbers a good cleaning. I scrubbed ‘em good with some warm water and a magic eraser. Turns out they were filthy.

After they dried, I hit them with some pure carnauba wax and then buffed them after a few minutes.

Viola - the spots went away and the balls have stayed much cleaner over time.

Yep, the back of the pockets when the OB first hits it, and/or the bottom of the pocket buckets when the balls hit them is likely what is causing these spots on the OB's.

 

[Black-Balled]

I think it is absolutely the balls striking the pockets that does it. the residue left in them from years of ball touching transfers.

I NEVER touch any ball other than cb with cue tip and i have spots on my balls too. Both cyclop and aramith.

I understand turpentine is the way to go to clean them pockets out...but I been too lazy to do mine. If you have ball return, those rails need cleaning too.

 

[hang-the-9]

Yep, the back of the pockets when the OB first hits it, and/or the bottom of the pocket buckets when the balls hit them is likely what is causing these spots on the OB's.

Have you ever seen makings that round and even come from pockets? Everyone I have seen were smudges or lines, ovals, never a circle like in the pics. My vote is for something in the polish or some other thing on the balls when they strike each-other.

Someone needs to do a test with some light wax, put some on a couple of balls and hit them. Once you get done crying in pain, do it on the table.

OP, do a bit of playing but do not shoot the balls into the pockets, see how they look like.

 

[Black-Balled]

You don't think balls striking the hard plastic (That has micro-scratckes filled with chalk) can make circles, eh?

Well, we'll will see about that.

I will post a pic of my ball later, will the inside of the pocket.

Chaaaalie- share a pic of the inside of your pickets too, will ya?

Have you ever seen makings that round and even come from pockets? Everyone I have seen were smudges or lines, ovals, never a circle like in the pics. My vote is for something in the polish or some other thing on the balls when they strike each-other.

Someone needs to do a test with some light wax, put some on a couple of balls and hit them. Once you get done crying in pain, do it on the table.

OP, do a bit of playing but do not shoot the balls into the pockets, see how they look like.

 

[ideologist]

Have you ever seen makings that round and even come from pockets? Everyone I have seen were smudges or lines, ovals, never a circle like in the pics. My vote is for something in the polish or some other thing on the balls when they strike each-other.

Someone needs to do a test with some light wax, put some on a couple of balls and hit them. Once you get done crying in pain, do it on the table.

OP, do a bit of playing but do not shoot the balls into the pockets, see how they look like.

The plastic flexes when the balls hit them, making a bit of a cup shape, leaving a round mark

You think the balls touch each other more than the space of a pin head? They are spheres.

 

[hang-the-9]

The plastic flexes when the balls hit them, making a bit of a cup shape, leaving a round mark

You think the balls touch each other more than the space of a pin head? They are spheres.

They compress when hit, there was some tests that were done in slow mo and also with paper between the balls that showed the pressure spots between the balls was much bigger than just a single dot.

Can't seem to find it now but Dr Dave may be able to.

Those marks look too even to be from pockets.

 

[hang-the-9]

Found the compression video http://billiards.colostate.edu/threads/balls.html#compression

Based on different speeds of the hit, you have different circles. Pretty easy to show though, Charlie Hustle just needs to play a bit without hitting a pocket under the same conditions and post a pic of what the balls look like. If they look the same, marks not caused by pockets.

I'd be willing to put up $10 to the first 3 people that think it's from the pockets and wants to take the bet, I say it's not.

 

[The Chipsta]

If it was the balls it would happen on my Diamond table at some point. Never a single occurrence, with the same balls and cleaner mentioned by others. I get the black marks, but no circles. Rationalize all you want about the shape of the mark being so perfect, but its the pockets for sure.

 

[Bob Jewett]

Balls do contact over a circle about the sizes shown. The contact is not the size of a pinhead. The balls compress. The harder the hit, the larger the circle.

I suspect something used in polishing the balls.

The test to eliminate the pockets is easy enough: Don't make a ball in 5 minutes of play. Put towels in the pockets and shoot bank shots. Use just the six ball (or whatever ball shows the spots best) and always place it so the number is on top. Check the equator for spots.

 

[spliced]

Maybe this is occurring during the break when all the balls are racked together and touching? The force of the break may be causing the spots as the balls compress against each other

 

[hang-the-9]

Balls do contact over a circle about the sizes shown. The contact is not the size of a pinhead. The balls compress. The harder the hit, the larger the circle.

I suspect something used in polishing the balls.

The test to eliminate the pockets is easy enough: Don't make a ball in 5 minutes of play. Put towels in the pockets and shoot bank shots. Use just the six ball (or whatever ball shows the spots best) and always place it so the number is on top. Check the equator for spots.

Dang, too soon, I was hoping someone would take by bet on this first, I could use the extra $ for tournament entries.