Bowling Ball Spinner (what speed? is it actually better etc)

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krava
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Bowling Ball Spinner (what speed? is it actually better etc)

Post by krava »

I tried to do a search on bowling ball spinner and got all kinds of things showing up and nothing about an actual spinner. I have been told to get one of these by a few people but don't know much about them. They have 1/3hp 1/2hp etc. What is a decent one to get and is it alot better using one of these with a pad then it is with your hand? ALso there is something that you can get that has a handle and a pad that has velco and you can attach a pad to it and use it on the spinner. Is that thing any good?
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Re: Bowling Ball Spinner (what speed? is it actually better

Post by ads »

krava wrote:I tried to do a search on bowling ball spinner and got all kinds of things showing up and nothing about an actual spinner. I have been told to get one of these by a few people but don't know much about them. They have 1/3hp 1/2hp etc. What is a decent one to get and is it alot better using one of these with a pad then it is with your hand? ALso there is something that you can get that has a handle and a pad that has velco and you can attach a pad to it and use it on the spinner. Is that thing any good?

https://www.polishyourball.com/smart-sun.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


I don't have spinner. I use this one with an electronic driller.

https://www.polishyourball.com/smart-star.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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JohnP
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Re: Bowling Ball Spinner (what speed? is it actually better

Post by JohnP »

A link to the ball spinner page at Innovative Supplies is below. I don't have one of these myself, but have seen a lot of good posts about them. -- JohnP

http://innovativebowling.com/search.asp ... e=1&catid=" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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ICURNVS
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Re: Bowling Ball Spinner (what speed? is it actually better

Post by ICURNVS »

A spinner is nice when its time to resurface a ball. I have a Donkee spinner i picked up used for 50.00

I only use it if I am going to resurface and de-oil a ball or apply some form of polish/compound

For day to day maint. depending on the ball i use a 2k or 4k pad by hand to keep the surface fresh.
** UPDATED STATS AS OF 6-06-19 **
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Re: Bowling Ball Spinner (what speed? is it actually better

Post by kajmk »

I was just going to ask if anyone on the forum had their own ball spinner, so I looked for Donkee, as that is the brand I have.
I've not used it for many years as I've not bowled since 2005.
Time is overdue to donate this. If nothing else, someone might repurpose the parts.
A bowling buddy of mine made his own spinner years ago. He spotted an old washer or dryer out for disposal, asked the owner, got permission to take it. He used the motor.
He is a "fabrication mechanic".
I used to call him La Machine, because he was a very consistent and accurate bowler.
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Re: Bowling Ball Spinner (what speed? is it actually better

Post by vicsmyth »

I have an Innovation 1/2 hp. Best investment I ever made. I use it to clean my balls after play, putting any ball cleaner, even Purple Power, on a rag and holding it on the track area until it is warm, which helps get the oil out of the ball (or plasticizer depending in what article you read). I turn the ball track up about 6 times. It's also the only way to polish a ball, most of my equipment consists of polished pearls. And I have resurfaced balls with it. But to put surface on a ball, according to an article I read on BTM, it is better to scuff the ball by hand. I have balls (pearls and hybrids) that are 3 years old with a few hundred games on them that are 90% as hard hitting as they were out of the box, all due to maintaining them with a spinner. Pay the extra for the 1/2 hp, as I've read that the 1/3 hp can stall if you apply too much pressure, never had any problems with the 1/2 hp. The Innovation is a well engineered, solidly built product, not flimsy at all.
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Re: Bowling Ball Spinner (what speed? is it actually better

Post by Dax »

krava wrote:I tried to do a search on bowling ball spinner and got all kinds of things showing up and nothing about an actual spinner. I have been told to get one of these by a few people but don't know much about them. They have 1/3hp 1/2hp etc. What is a decent one to get and is it alot better using one of these with a pad then it is with your hand? ALso there is something that you can get that has a handle and a pad that has velco and you can attach a pad to it and use it on the spinner. Is that thing any good?
I have a Donkee 1/2 hp

Worth the investment - saves time and money in the long run.

Bought it for my son as a Xmas gift. Now I use it more than him.
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krava
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Re: Bowling Ball Spinner (what speed? is it actually better

Post by krava »

I used mine yesterday. I was dealing with a storm rocketship and a radical conspiracy. You can look up the storm rocketship and they say 500 grit 30 sec, 1000 2000 at 20 sec etc. I called up bowlingball.com and asked them how to deal with the conspiracy. They told me it is 500 3000. She told me that I needed to use the pad on 4-6 sides (not sure how many she said) but she said for 5 minutes per side. 5 minutes??? I told her I thought it was 20 seconds because I remember the rocketship info. She got off the phone checked with someone and insisted it was 5 minutes. I just said thanks and hung up and did 500 for 30 seconds each side, then instead of wetsanding at 3000 I just used it dry softly for about 20-30 seconds per side in a circle. It rolled like it was suppose to.

The thing with the spinner is that thing jumps when you turn it on. I can't keep it from jumping. I had it on a granite countertop.
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Re: Bowling Ball Spinner (what speed? is it actually better

Post by SRB442 »

vicsmyth wrote:I have an Innovation 1/2 hp. Best investment I ever made. I use it to clean my balls after play, putting any ball cleaner, even Purple Power, on a rag and holding it on the track area until it is warm, which helps get the oil out of the ball (or plasticizer depending in what article you read). I turn the ball track up about 6 times. It's also the only way to polish a ball, most of my equipment consists of polished pearls. And I have resurfaced balls with it. But to put surface on a ball, according to an article I read on BTM, it is better to scuff the ball by hand. I have balls (pearls and hybrids) that are 3 years old with a few hundred games on them that are 90% as hard hitting as they were out of the box, all due to maintaining them with a spinner. Pay the extra for the 1/2 hp, as I've read that the 1/3 hp can stall if you apply too much pressure, never had any problems with the 1/2 hp. The Innovation is a well engineered, solidly built product, not flimsy at all.
I have the same spinner and is well worth the money. I get asked how I keep my stuff so nice at the lanes. I like my stuff polished so this is the ticket for me. Steve
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Re: Bowling Ball Spinner (what speed? is it actually better

Post by PIJoe »

I also have an Innovative 1/2 HP and love it. So useful to have at home. I've heard that the Donkee spinner is the jumper, that's why I bought the Innovative, and it's rock solid on the bench.
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Re: Bowling Ball Spinner (what speed? is it actually better

Post by boomer »

I've had a Donkee, and I've built my own. They will all jump to a certain extent depending on how off-center you have the core in the ball when it's on the spinner, and at what speed. If it hits a harmonic, then it may smooth out - if it hits the opposite harmonic, then it gets worse. Just change the orientation of the ball a bit - OR (what I did with my own build) anchor it down.

I did NOT like the Donkee - the bearings it used on the bottom were crap. We had to take it back several times because the bearings went out. A ball bearing is meant for RADIAL forces (around the axis) but NOT for THRUST forces (ALONG the axis - perpendicular to the direction of spin) and when we're using a ball spinner, there are both radial forces as well as thrust. After all, we're pushing down on the ball, which weighs a decent amount, and combine them both and there is a pretty good amount of thrust force.

When I built my own, I based it around a fairly inexpensive tapered roller bearing that could handle HUNDREDS of pounds of thrust load - was around $20. Aside from the motor, it was probably the most expensive part of the build. . . but it was indestructible. (and the motor was an old dryer motor so . . . free . . .so yeah, the bearing was the most expensive) Good investment, I thought, and still do. Sad I tossed it, like 15 years ago. :(
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Re: Bowling Ball Spinner (what speed? is it actually better

Post by Leftybowler70 »

Everything has been pretty much summed up here. I have had my Vertex 1/2 spinner since 09, and it works as good as the day I received it. Money well spent; I also on a day to day basis refresh my equipment by hand, and only use the spinner for resurface purposes.

Hope this helps.
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