PIN, CG and MB location on old equipment

Question
QUESTION: Hi Warren,

In an effort to get started on learning how to drill, I recently plugged up an old Rhino I had in the closet. When it came time to mark it up for drilling, I discovered that I could not find what would be the PIN on modern balls. Nor was there a CG punch mark, or an MB locator.

How would I go about laying out this ball, say for a stacked leverage layout?

Thanks in advance,

Kelly

ANSWER: Kelly,
Your looking for stuff: MB, there isn't one on a symmetric bowling ball until it's drilled, CG you can not find without a Dodo Scale and Pin is obvious (unless you have a plastic Rhino).

Fitting and drilling bowling balls is WAY MORE COMPLICATED than most people know. Please consider getting training, preferably an IBPSIA certified facility. Contact the IBPSIA website for more information and a location near you. I don't volunteer here to teach people how to drill for FREE. Sorry.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Warren,

I most certainly wasn't asking for instruction as to how to drill for free, and I do apologize if that's how it came across. That wasn't my intent. I was just curious if you knew how to locate the top of the weight block on an old urethane Rhino. Nothing more; Nothing less. I guess asking how I would go about laying out the ball was where I went wrong. I was actually more interest in finding the pin. :S There is something that LOOKS like a PIN but its on the other side of the ball entirely from where it had been drilled previously.

I totally understand that ball drilling is very much a science. As such, it would be very arrogant of me to assume that I could be a GREAT driller without training. I also completely understand your unwillingness to pass on your many years of experience and knowledge for free. Having said that, I figured it wouldn't hurt to experiment with some very old equipment and see what results I come up with, I just wanted to know where stuff was on the ball.

I would love to attend an IBPSIA HOTS certification seminar, but at $900 per person, plus travel and accomodation, I simply can't afford it right now. It's definitely on the agenda, but who knows how far down the road that might be. In the mean time, playing around with old equipment and evaluating the results is as good as it gets for me.

Again, I apologize if it seemed like I was attempting to get free drilling instruction from you. Not my intent at all.

Kelly

ANSWER: Kelly,
Is the ball plastic? Pin shouldn't be opposite the label! You've chosen a very basic ball, with essentially no weight-block affecting the dynamics (there is a pancake piece at the top by the label but it doesn't influence the roll like some of the monster 7lb+ weight-blocks in modern heavier equipment).

Do you have a scale? drill? spinner? other equipment? interested in working in a shop? Check with the IBPSIA site and look for a member near you. Check with the local stores and see if a part time, maybe even volunteer, gig might be available. Good luck. Let me know when you take the training. Always looking forward to having more trained pro shop people in the sport.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Warren,

I think its a Urethane ball, so yes, its plastic. It was the first ball I owned almost 2 years ago. I've since picked up three new pieces of equipment and a "real" plastic ball, making this Rhino pretty much a throw away.

We don't have a scale in the shop, but we do have an old drill press and spinner. We have most of the tools (armadillo, span measure, old pitch gauge, plug materials, etc.) we need to operate the shop, just no one to run the shop. I've been given full clearance to play around and learn, but I have no intention of working on anyone else's equipment until I'm certified, for obvious reasons.

I would love to work in a shop, but the nearest one is more than an hour away, which makes the commute a little more of a hassle. I have thought about asking Norman of Classic Lanes in Pikeville, KY if would mind taking me on as an apprentice or volunteer.  All going well, I'll be certified within the next two years, but who knows really. Heh.

Kelly

Answer
Kelly,
If it's plastic the surface is polyester. A polyurethane ball (also described as urethane) is the base material for performance bowling balls. It's one or the other.

Is the equipment you mentioned in a center?

Good luck thanks for following up.