What should I expect from my home-made ball polisher?

pmata814

pmata814

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I just built a polisher last night based on the old posts here on azb (thx to everyone who posted in that thread by the way, it was awesome!). Thing is.. while it did restore some of the shine on the balls, and cleaned them nicely, it still left some chalk marks on some of the balls. Especially the cue ball. I tried cleaning one of the balls by hand and it didn't erase the mark either so its obviously not easy to come off.

I have standard aramith balls and I used turtle wax express shine. I only threw in 8 balls at a time. I just want to know if this is pretty much the norm or did I do something wrong? Would I have gotten better results if I had just put carpet in an oil pan and used the orbital buffer manually? If anyone can share their results with their home-made polisher I'd greatly appreciate it. Thx!

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Back in the day, the guy at the pool hall used a car buffer. It was set in a bucket upside down, loaded with the balls(all 15), and then he sprayed a little Windex on them. He used another buffer pad to set on top of the balls. He then let it run for a few minutes and pushed down on the top pad a few times. Worked like a charm.

It did ike to move around on the floor though. That was about the only problem we ever had with it.

Where did you come up with the idea for yours?


Junior
 
I have aramith super pro cup balls and use aramith polish. With just a dab of polish and a minute or two in the polisher with all 16 balls, they look almost new. The cue ball has a lot of mileage on it and lots of micro cracks from (presumably) the phenolic break tip, but no discernible chalk marks.
 
Junior1228 said:
Back in the day, the guy at the pool hall used a car buffer. It was set in a bucket upside down, loaded with the balls(all 15), and then he sprayed a little Windex on them. He used another buffer pad to set on top of the balls. He then let it run for a few minutes and pushed down on the top pad a few times. Worked like a charm.



It did ike to move around on the floor though. That was about the only problem we ever had with it.



Where did you come up with the idea for yours?





Junior
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What you're describing is exactly what I built. I got the idea from a thread started by 'mattman' here several yrs ago.

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DallasHopps said:
I have aramith super pro cup balls and use aramith polish. With just a dab of polish and a minute or two in the polisher with all 16 balls, they look almost new. The cue ball has a lot of mileage on it and lots of micro cracks from (presumably) the phenolic break tip, but no discernible chalk marks.
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Are you also using a home-made polisher? If so, what kind of buffer are you using? I used one of those $30 ones from home depot.


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I was told by many people not to use anything with wax in it on billiard balls. My homemade cleaner/polisher is over 2 years old...maybe 3 and it still makes them look like new. I use a plastic windshield cleaner on them. Johnnyt
 
Do you guys think I should have bought another bonnet? I'm using the one that came with the machine. Not sure if it has enough 'scrubbing power'.

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i built mine with a standard ryobi orbital 10"buffer. it has replacement pads that are easily changeable. i used a 5 gallon paint bucket. and a few tie wraps. dremmel to make holes in the sides. i also bought a 6' extension cord that has a switch built into it to i can leave the buffer switch at the on position. if you check for my past posts i have pictures up , some details etc. i use turtle wax and it works fantastic.
 
I built a polisher based on information shown on YouTube. Works great. I use Mothers Showtime as a polishing agent. (under $30 invested.)

To get stubborn chalk marks off you may have to use a light rubbing compound. Or use a 5" buffing wheel and a cleaning agent.

One room I go to puts all 15 balls in a dishwasher. They get clean but are not polished so I dont use their balls, I bring my own polished set.

John
 
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I think your issue might be using wax instead of a cleaner like Brillianize. The wax does shine them up nice but isn't really a cleaner. It just puts a layer of nice shiny wax over the chalk marks that don't easily come off on the first few spins of the orbital polisher.

I would use Brillianize to clean them first, run them till they are clean, then use the wax if you really like it. Personally, I don't like the way the wax wears and feel I have to clean them even more often when the wax is on them. Some also say the wax makes the balls play differently but I'm not good enough to really notice that. It does however, give me something to blame my missed shots on.... damn wax!
 
daimion said:
i built mine with a standard ryobi orbital 10"buffer. it has replacement pads that are easily changeable. i used a 5 gallon paint bucket. and a few tie wraps. dremmel to make holes in the sides. i also bought a 6' extension cord that has a switch built into it to i can leave the buffer switch at the on position. if you check for my past posts i have pictures up , some details etc. i use turtle wax and it works fantastic.
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Thx for all the responses.

Daimion, that's pretty much exactly how I built mine except I used the double bucket to allow for breathing room. I have the aramith polisher coming on monday I'll try it with that to see if that will help take off the chalk marks.

in searching this board i read a lot of suggestions for brillianize but its not available locally and pretty pricy at $13 once u include shipping. Maybe I'll get it anyways.


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Ball Polisher

Hello to all.

If your polisher isn't getting all the balls perfectly clean and shiny, then something is wrong. I have used carnauba wax, express wax. water, soap, plastic polish, commercial ball cleaners....you name it. I have never detected any variation in the way the balls look or play, regardless of what was used as the cleaning or polishing agent. Most of the time, I can't resist adding something like polish or liquid cleaner. However, once the balls are cleaned thoroughly the first time, you should be able to use plain water thereafter to restore their shine.

Occasionally, there are a few stubborn chalk marks on the cue ball. I just hold the ball by hand and keep the chalk mark pressed against the spinning buffing pad for five or ten seconds.

I do have a lot of buildup in the sponges I use as the bucket liner. As a result, the balls come out of the polisher with a light haze. The haze is easily removed with a cloth, and the balls are then perfect.

FYI-I used a Makita car polisher as the motor.

jfred
 
pmata814 said:
Are you also using a home-made polisher? If so, what kind of buffer are you using? I used one of those $30 ones from home depot.


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Click to expand...

I am using a home made 5 gallon polisher as well. I have a pawn shop 10" buffer with a microfiber bonnet on it.
 
i dropped this into the washing machine with 20 t-shirts, it's like a brand new ball.
 

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Ball machine-tough spots on cue ball and...

Remove chalk spots with a hand rubbing of Mr. Clean MAGIC ERASER. The spots WILL come off, then machine as usual.

pmata814 said:
I just built a polisher last night based on the old posts here on azb (thx to everyone who posted in that thread by the way, it was awesome!). Thing is.. while it did restore some of the shine on the balls, and cleaned them nicely, it still left some chalk marks on some of the balls. Especially the cue ball. I tried cleaning one of the balls by hand and it didn't erase the mark either so its obviously not easy to come off.

I have standard aramith balls and I used turtle wax express shine. I only threw in 8 balls at a time. I just want to know if this is pretty much the norm or did I do something wrong? Would I have gotten better results if I had just put carpet in an oil pan and used the orbital buffer manually? If anyone can share their results with their home-made polisher I'd greatly appreciate it. Thx!

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Click to expand...
 
pmata814 said:
... I have standard aramith balls and I used turtle wax express shine. ...
Click to expand...

If you want to follow WPA (world-standardized) specifications, wax is not allowed on balls. From paragraph 16 of the WPA Tournament Table & Equipment Specifications:

"Balls should be unpolished, and should also not be waxed. Balls should be cleaned with a towel or cloth free of dirt and dust, and may also be washed with soap and water. Balls contaminated with any slippery substance - treated with a polishing or rubbing compound and/or waxed - must be cleansed and dewaxed with a clean cloth moistened with diluted alcohol before play."​
 
I just wanted to give a quick update in case anyone is interested. I just recieved the aramith polish in the mail and immidiately tried it out. I was very impressed. The balls came out like new. Number 13 had a stubborn chalk mark so i just did what JFRED0826 suggested and held the ball by hand directly on the spot for a couple of seconds and it came right off. The cue ball still shows some light marks but I'll take it :D

Thanks so much for all the responses!

P.S.
I also recieved a bottle of quick-clean and after vacumming I applied it to my table and it worked awesome! I hope I don't regret it later. I seem to remember someone on this forum complaining that it slowed down his table after several months of use.
 
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