Circular Cracking

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Circular Cracking

Post by Viper »

I use the Turbo SG system. I am experiencing very fine circular cracking in the coverstock around the top of the thumb hole/outer-sleeve. On some BBs it is more than one. It is not happening to any particular brand of ball. I own/throw several different brands and have the same problem.

Using the search function I found that this may be caused by a using a dull bit and too much pressure. Possibly, a matter of bevel (or lack thereof as I do not believe the Turbo bit allows for beveling).

It is possible that this issue has been discussed elsewhere on this site and I couldn't find it so if anyone has a link to take me to it that would be appreciated.

The purpose of my post is that before I approach my driller on this matter I want to have both an idea of why this might be happening and a recommendation I can suggest so as to prevent this problem from happening again.

It's not a huge problem as it has not caused any catastrophic damage to the ball nor does it affect my using the ball. I am concerned that overtime that might not be the case.

I have done my own repair using a dental bit with a Dremel tool and then filling the voids with a military-grade two-part epoxy that I color to (somewhat) match the color of the coverstock. This was a perfect solution to the BBs that I use for practice. However, it's appearing on two of my primary BBs. Not sure if I will repair or if I will have the driller plug and redrill. If the latter, I want to be sure that it will not reoccur after going through that expense and effort.

Regardless, there should not be any cracking and I'd like to get to the bottom of it if I can. Any insights or recommendations appreciated.

Thanks,

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Re: Circular Cracking

Post by Pulsetech »

I find that you need to break the edge of the hole first. Not really bevel just knock the corner off. I like it use the bevel knife and hold it with both hands. I hand at each end. gently scrape the sharp corner at 45.degrees. it takes very little and stops the cracking. Engineers call the relieving the edge. I do this before any slug or insert is installed. Finger inserts I just use the bevel Sander briefly.
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Re: Circular Cracking

Post by Viper »

Pulsetech wrote:I find that you need to break the edge of the hole first. Not really bevel just knock the corner off. I like it use the bevel knife and hold it with both hands. I hand at each end. gently scrape the sharp corner at 45.degrees. it takes very little and stops the cracking. Engineers call the relieving the edge. I do this before any slug or insert is installed. Finger inserts I just use the bevel Sander briefly.
Perfect! Thank you. A follow-up if I may. How do you prep and glue the OS? Do you score the sides of either the OS or the hole? What type of adhesive? Do you allow the adhesive to come in contact with the coverstock toward the top of the hole?
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Re: Circular Cracking

Post by Pulsetech »

I Use loctite 406 adhesive. No Scoring. just a decent size droplet in 4 locations that will generally run down the sides of the hole. if i squeeze just the right amount the droplet will run all the way to the bottom just. i dont like it to pool in the middle of the hole. in the past when i have applied too much
i have wrapped up a rag on a screw driver and sopped it up from the bottom of the hole but you dont want to wait too long or the glue will set off.
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Re: Circular Cracking

Post by Viper »

Greg,

Thanks again for your help, much appreciated. I assume when you mount the OS to the ball after you relieve the top of the hole that there is a minute amount of space between the top of the OS and the coverstock? Any issues with the top of the OS chipping away over time?

Joe
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Re: Circular Cracking

Post by Pulsetech »

Joe that is correct. There is a slight depression of maybe 0.015 - 0.020 this has no effect on the sleeve or any other insert or slug. In fact if the edge is not relieved if the ball tracks over that hole that edge can scratch the lane. On timber lanes balls with thumb solids fitted without relieving the edge first would scrape the lane finish off.
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Re: Circular Cracking

Post by Viper »

Thought I would update on this subject as I just experienced circular cracking again on a ball that I have thrown for only ten games (a Storm Tropical Breeze Carbon Chrome). I've attached a pic. I've highlighted the cracks with a yellow marking pencil. I know the hole was drilled properly and relieved before the Turbo OS was installed. I had a lengthy discussion with the ball driller based on above conversation prior to the ball being drilled. After receiving the ball I did have the OS come out of the ball. I chose to re-glue rather than ship back to the driller. I used a two-part epoxy adhesive (15-minute cure) and applied it after cleaning the residue from the first glue job from both the OS and the hole. I used a very small amount (nothing visible pushed down into the hole when OS inserted) and I applied to the core material--none of it touched the coverstock.

This is the third Storm ball that I have had this happen to. I have had this happen to one other non-Storm ball in the past but it occurred after the ball had well over 300 games on it.

Any chance it's a problem with the coverstock?

Viper/Joe
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Re: Circular Cracking

Post by Viper »

Back again to discuss, hopefully, the circular cracking issues I experience on nearly all my BB's now. This latest is a Columbia 300 Blur Solid which is just slightly a year old (bought early Jan 2016). Pro-shop insists the Turbo SG outersleeve in being correctly installed. The cracking pattern is generally the same: the back side of the thumb hole, 180* around, start on the right side and work around the hole to the left (white thumb tape seen is on the front of the slug toward the fingers). Pro-shop also says of the 100 or so that they have installed I'm the only one with this issue. Ball performance is not degraded. I do sometimes wonder if the entire SG mechanism is going to separate from the ball mid-swing or once ball is in the pit.

Suggestions/explanations/comments appreciated.

Viper/Joe
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Re: Circular Cracking

Post by snick »

I repair cracks like this at least once a week. Usually happens to large holes with significant pitches.(3/8+)
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Re: Circular Cracking

Post by Viper »

snick wrote:I repair cracks like this at least once a week. Usually happens to large holes with significant pitches.(3/8+)
My hole is zero/zero, so it can't be the pitch. How do you repair it? Thanks.
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Re: Circular Cracking

Post by snick »

I Drill out the broken areas and plug the hole.
In one case I was able to superglue/set the broken/crumbling area around the hole, and it lasted for a few months.

This problem seems specific to certain bowlers; maybe it has something to do with the initial laydown point of the ball; like, right next to the thumbhole.
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Re: Circular Cracking

Post by EricHartwell »

I have only one ball ever crack like this. It is my Taboo Spare, it has the Switchgrip. I have had no cracking on any of my other Switchgrip balls. It is still intact and probably won't do anything about it until it starts to come apart.

snick, have any of your repairs re-cracked?
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Re: Circular Cracking

Post by snick »

Not that I've seen.
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Re: Circular Cracking

Post by Viper »

snick wrote:I Drill out the broken areas and plug the hole.
In one case I was able to superglue/set the broken/crumbling area around the hole, and it lasted for a few months.

This problem seems specific to certain bowlers; maybe it has something to do with the initial laydown point of the ball; like, right next to the thumbhole.
Thanks. I've in the past gone at it with a Dremel tool with a dental-type bit, cutting out the crack and then some, and then using a two-part resin to fill the void. The repair still cracked over time.

How I put the ball on the lane may have something to with it, as you suggested.

Thanks for your help.
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Re: Circular Cracking

Post by EricHartwell »

snick wrote:Not that I've seen.
Glad to know, That will make me feel better about paying to have it fixed properly once it really needs it.
I just realized I haven't been the only one using this ball. My daughters boyfriend was using it bowling no thumb, learning the technique. I'm thinking he may have rolled/bounced it over the thumbhole a few times. He would use it without the thumbslug in place. I can't believe that would make matters any better.
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Re: Circular Cracking

Post by stevespo »

Viper wrote: How I put the ball on the lane may have something to with it, as you suggested.
I think snick is correct. I occasionally see similar damage around urethane slugs, but I use a lot of left pitch and roll close to the thumb (high track).

Every once in a whIle I loft the ball and it lands on the thumbhole, or close enough to make that thunking sound when it hits the lane.

The fix is to Dremel out the damage and fill. Don't overdo the hardener or it seems to make it harder and more crystalline (more prone to cracking, IME).

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Re: Circular Cracking

Post by Viper »

stevespo wrote:
I think snick is correct. I occasionally see similar damage around urethane slugs, but I use a lot of left pitch and roll close to the thumb (high track).

Every once in a whIle I loft the ball and it lands on the thumbhole, or close enough to make that thunking sound when it hits the lane.

The fix is to Dremel out the damage and fill. Don't overdo the hardener or it seems to make it harder and more crystalline (more prone to cracking, IME).

Steve
Thanks, good tip on the hardener. Waiting for season to end so I can tackle this.
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Re: Circular Cracking

Post by snick »

I spoke to Storm tech about this issue, and their position is that excessive (?) glue on the coverstock and insufficient (?) bevel on the hole causes it to crack. (hmm... the hole left by the riser pin is not beveled before it's filled...)
I am extremely dubious about these, and other, soft-science explanations, and the insinuation that the driller is always somehow responsible for modern reactive balls cracking is absolutely ludicrous.

My position is that any bowling ball that contains significant unrelieved internal pressure or imperfections in the outer core smoothness beneath the coverstock may be inherently prone to cracking. Some balls are born with cancer. There is nothing the driller can do about it.
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Re: Circular Cracking

Post by Viper »

snick wrote:I spoke to Storm tech about this issue, and their position is that excessive (?) glue on the coverstock and insufficient (?) bevel on the hole causes it to crack. (hmm... the hole left by the riser pin is not beveled before it's filled...)
I am extremely dubious about these, and other, soft-science explanations, and the insinuation that the driller is always somehow responsible for modern reactive balls cracking is absolutely ludicrous.

My position is that any bowling ball that contains significant unrelieved internal pressure or imperfections in the outer core smoothness beneath the coverstock may be inherently prone to cracking. Some balls are born with cancer. There is nothing the driller can do about it.

My installer swears that he installs the OS IAW Turbo's instructions. He uses nothing but the Turbo bits to drill/install/etc. He also says I am in the extreme minority with this complaint of the coverstock cracking around the thumb hole. I am having another ball drilled and told him I wanted to see a distinct bevel on the thumb hole (distinct, not excessive). I do not have the cracking on all of my equipment, just certain brands (and Storm is one of them, nearly all of my Storm equipment suffers this circular cracking). Obviously, Columbia 300 as it makes the Blur I use. I throw a Roto Grip Defiant Soul and it shows no cracking. I have a Ebonite Mission and a Track 505A, no cracking either, but these are older balls.My Radical Rack Attack Cherry Pearl, my newest BB, no cracking, and I have been throwing this ball a lot this season. All of these BBs have had the Turbo system installed by the same person. So essentially, I agree, it's got something to do with the coverstocks.

However, I may ask my coach to try and catch on video what part of my ball hits the lane, and see if it's contributing.

Appreciate you weighing in on this subject Snick.

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Re: Circular Cracking

Post by Dustin »

I have seen this on and off also. Seem like pitches 3/8" or > and those who track close or over the thumb are more likely to crack but not in all cases. Have seen pitches < 3/8" and those who don't track close to the thumb also crack. Sometimes it's just 1 hair line, sometimes its the circular cracking and most of the time there is nothing at all. Recently I have started to take a bevel knife and "knock off" the edge of the hole before installing the O.S. and going to see of this helps reduce the chances of cracking. There is a Pro Shop that I seen bevel the top A LOT which I guess would help but I think looks a little sloppy (for lack of a better word).
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