What Causes a Bowling Ball to Crack and How To Help Prevent It From Happening 

That definitely helps to clear up one of those ball-cracking mysteries that I've been dealing with. Over the course of a few years, I had 4 or 5 bowling balls crack while in storage inside a closet, they were laying on a carpeted floor. I think I even heard one ball crack while it was under my desk at work - again it was on a carpeted floor. I heard this weird sound, but didn't know what the sound was. A few days later, I pick up the ball to find it cracked. -- Thanks Ronald, for the valuable information.

Always good info Ron. Replying here on one of your previous videos about heat Wasn't sure you would go back and look at the comments .I had one of my balls put in a oil extraction machine when they first came out. When they opened up the machine and took the ball out the cloth on the bottom of the machine had turned purple, I figured it most have taken some of the resin out of the ball. Ball never worked as good after that. Never did that again, just kept them clean with ball cleaner and sometimes giving it a bath in warm water. Never had a ball crack.

There's the cover stock, the weight block and the filler that are different materials which expand and contract at different rates. The way they handle vibrations and mechanical stress is also different. The cover stock isn't ideally homogeneous either. I don't think one can do much about it. Some batches might be better than others but that's just luck. A crack is like a stress fracture except that it doesn't heal :)

Cold and heat changes will also make a ball crack. If you live in the north east like I do you know the winters can get pretty cold. Don’t ever let your bowling equipment set in the car. Take it in the house. Had it happen to a few friends and also myself. Long day of work and then leagues. Got home and was tired so I thought I will get them in the morning. It was in the single digits that night. Next morning I came out and 2 of them were cracked. Never again.

My first ball was from 2003. It cracked sometime around 2018. Stored next to my ball is my dad’s ball from the late 70s. His is fine. Same room. Both in a bag.

glad this came up -- was all excited to make a wooden storage rack from scrap to save a few bucks

Thank You so much on those tips. I also used a bath towel to cover my bowling balls when I go out in the cold in my bowling bag along with the see saw. So it can stay warm until I get to the bowling alley. I 'm glad that I still put it in the plastic that it came with. But am going to get some sealed plastic bags for my bowling balls.

I have actually heard 2 of my bowling balls crack. The best way to explain it is a high pitch breaking sound like a old lightbulb blowing out or glass shattering. If you hear that sound and not able to find what else broke, check your bowling equipment.

This was excellent information! I had a whole arsenal that cracked on me and I had no idea why...The more you know...Thanks!!

I’m subbed now I always thought that this was bs until you you explained it with facts! Very informative and will be watching more vids man!

I just back from bowling after not being able to for a few months recovering from surgery. I went to clean the balls I took with me and picked up my old ball from a ball holder on my work bench (which is inside and climate controlled area. The ball had a split all the way around it. Now the ball is old, but it has been just sitting there, not touched for about 3 months. I remembered seeing this video awhile back and just watched it again and was floored by it. I have 2 newer balls I use now, but I was shocked when I went to pick up my old ball to use the ball cup it was on and see it had split from just sitting there.

Undrilled fresh from factory ball in plastic bag in temperature controlled bowling warehouse can crack. New ball straight from box to plastic display in a shop can crack - and it’s really loud when it happens. I’ve noticed a good predictor on if a drilled ball will probably crack is if a finger/thumbhole (without urethane slug) compresses the further you go down - using calipers, using a correct drill bit as a gauge it goes part way in but the hole tapers, or you can just feel it - for instance where the filler meets the weight block sometimes you can feel the filler is bulging. IT thumbs can get snug or stuck, another clue. The ball is still chemically curing out of the factory. It swells from the inside and pops the cover open like popcorn. The manufacturers can let stuff cure longer before pouring the covers, or they can make them fast so they can sell them - doing the math and playing the odds on sales vs. warranty replacements. A lot of the explanations on why balls crack - place the responsibility on something the buyer did wrong. They don’t talk about why brand new balls that are under controlled conditions, temperature and what not, crack anyway. You can’t blame the consumer with that explanation.

I've not had a ball crack since I started just keeping them in the bags they come with and leaving them in my bowling bags or the original boxes with the balls inside the bags. Certainly keeping them at a regulated temperature is best, as they are like rocks--rocks that are outside, constantly subjected to heat and cold expand and contract until they split. I'll say I love my Storm equipment, but obviously the ones the cracked on me were due to me not knowing this (but no one else was suggesting this kind of care at the time, either). Now that I know differently, I haven't had issues with both the few Roto Grip and majority Storm balls I have.

2 of my all time favorite bowling balls that l could use on everything My Rerelease of the LT48 and the OG Rotogrip Wrecker, they went everywhere with me and both after 3 and 4 seasons cracked.. two of the best bowling balls made in the last 20 yrs

Hi Ronald, We are from Bowling Men, also a bowling channel that helps to promote and share the game. In regards to the reasons why bowling balls may crack open is also a topic I have always wished to cover. Moreover, in this series, you raised a few really excellent points and examples. I would like to share some of them in my future videos, so I wish to first ask for your permission to use and share with my audience. Certainly, during the video as well as the description, I will cite you as my original source (Original source: Ronald Hickland Jr.). I look forward to hearing your response. Thank you.

I am not involved in the sport these days. But in all the years I owned and operated a pro shop in a large center, I never once had a bowling ball that I owned crack, except one plastic ball that rolled very close to the fingers and it had some cracking around the ring finger. In my estimation, if you take care of your gear and especially not expose it to temperature changes that are drastic, you won't see this problem. Don't leave your gear in the trunk of the car overnight, ever and also don't store your equipment in a garage. I took good care of my stuff but the only other thing I did differently from most guys was I never, ever left my stuff in the trunk of the car overnight and I kept all my bags in the basement or in my shop. I think it's possible to avoid it 99% of the time by just doing those things.

Some brands crack more than others I've noticed too. Never had a storm or roto grip ball crack on me..ever. I leave my balls in my bowling bag and in the car during the winter which is also bad...never had an issue.

Ty ty sooo very much im about to get back in the game after 17yrs and waiting on new equipment tis is super important video iam so happy i seen this i also been to your website ty again i highly appreciate it

More good info; thanks, Ronald and CtD. Watched this while my IQ Tour was bathing in LevelUp.

Always great advice Ron. I was on Ebonite staff from 2004 to 2010 it was a great pleasure to represent that company when you were designing weight blocks and coverstocks. Keep doing great work! Love the video 🎳 ❌

Great presentation! I had a brand-new Hustle crack in the box in my closet, well away from any heat source, sunlight or outside walls. I was out of luck on the warrantee because the driller made the bridge too narrow. Hopefully in the future I can prevent this from happening again.

Very helpful thanks Ron.

Sorry to rain on the parade but I have at present over 30 balls setting on a tiered rack in a dark closet. PLUS Several setting in old bowling bags and I have had over 10 balls crack. Eighty percent were Storm products. Switched to mainly Hammer products 6 years ago and I have as yet had one crack. I keep my balls (4 ball bag) in my bag in the car from August until May, this is in PHOENIX AZ. too. I also have spoken personally to a Storm rep in my pro shop 6 years ago. I mentioned had a ball that cracked at the bridge and asked if they would cover it, as it was less than a year old. He said yes but then he asked where I had bought it. I said that I had purchased it online. He that they didn't honor anything that wasn't purchased directly from a pro shop. I told him that it had been drilled RIGHT HERE IN THIS PRO SHOP. Enough of STORM figure I have 30+ balls how much money they lost (drop in the bucket) but I talk about it every time possible I can in 3 plus leagues I've bowled in since. No, the online store would not cover it because THEY HAD NOT DRILLED IT.

What size are the zip loc bags you are using, were did you buy them ?

Hey Ron, when I start doing this to treat my stored bowling balls, do I need to worry about rotating them anymore after a certain amount of time? Also, I live in an area that typically has high humidity almost all year around. I had two balls crack on my inside my temperature-regulated house, but none in my outside non-hvac shop. That seems to kind of confirm what you’re saying. Is cracking also common with a two-piece ball with no filler material?

Mine stay in bag n I clean them with ctd products after every use

Great video Ronald keep up the good work

Thanks for the video, i keep my bowling balls in the 6 ball carrier. Plastic bag and the box that the bowling ball was shipped in, would also work.

Can't leaving your ball in a hot car or hot garage Crack them too

Is it okay to leave your ball(s) in your bag? When I’m not using it, that’s where I’ve been keeping it.

Some of this seems plausible, some seems a little far-fetched. I'd never heard of balls cracking like this until I just got back into the sport (been away for ~20 years now). What I DO know about is composites and the matrix materials used in manufacturing things with them. It seems to me that this problem might be related to the mix of the different parts of the matrix materials (resins). If the mix it too "hot" (too much hardener), it will make the matrix brittle and it can crack over time. Also, yes, the matrix can continue to cure and shrink throughout the life of the part (ball in this case). This of course increases the internal stresses and when coupled with stress risers (sharp corners of the holes or even a nick) and "abuse" (hitting other hard objects with force...like we do with bowling balls) it can cause a crack. I do agree that exposure to extreme temperatures, UV, and even ozone can also degrade the matrix. Not sure I buy into the "it dries out" thing. Yes, the matrix is porous, but unless the stuff that finds its way into the pores degrades the matrix, that is chemically bonded together and shouldn't care what is in the pores. I'd be interested to hear from one of the engineers who designs the cover stock matrix materials on this subject as the applications I am familiar with are different.

Is temperature also a factor? Ive seen a few bowling balls crack after been stored in a garage all winter

Maybe it has to do with production times and not allowing the cores to setup as long before moving on to the next phase.

What kind of plastic bag was that and where did you get it? 2 gallon?

I wanted to ask you that product(so far so clean) it won’t shine the ball as I apply it will it? And I have 18 bowling balls, of course I rotate my Arsenal(6 balls) every week but I have them on a old Brunswick wooden rack from the ally’ they were throwing it away so they gave it to me, it’s on wheels plus their are 4 golden tacks that make contact with the ball when you set it on the rack? Will that be ok? And they are not outside they are in my sports room in the house. I thought the wooden rack would be ok, I will put the ball in 1 gal bags on rack’ but just wondering your opinion please what else can I or how to put these balls somewhere else? Can you help me?

In the last 3 + yrs i had 7 bowling balls crack. Thank you for this information😮

Keep bag and box...helpful for LT storage. What about age? How does that play out?

Great information! What about storing your bowling balls in a bowling bag?

And sometimes they just crack no matter how well you take care of them…

Hey, Does the whole sponge thing apply to balls that have no plasticizer, like a purple hammer?

Sooooo, then what happened when the pro shop man took a brand new ball out of the box and it broke in his hand? Also, are shiny pearl balls any different?

This is crazy. All of my bowling balls, Primal Rage(Solid), 3d OffSet Hammer(Solid), Storm X Factor(Solid), Cuda C(Solid), Quantum Forest Green(Solid), Zones(Pearl), etc, EVERY SINGLE ONE CRACKED OVERTIME. Its like you cannot buy a ball purely for nostalgia cuz thats $300-$400 gamble right there. Cant even put it on a shelf as a trophy piece let alone having a ziploc bag over it. Never stored it in my parents car or left it in the garage when i was a kid, always in the house, left in the bowling bag.

@Ronald Hickland Jr Hi Ron, would ball manufacture boxes be grouped together with wood or would it be ok? Also, wondering where can I find giant ziploc bags that may fit bowling balls and if food wraps (suggested by friends) would be a good option as well? Thanks.

There is only one reason bowling balls crack and it has to the fact that reactive bowling balls are made from a two part plastic resin. If when mixing the two part resin together the hardener part of the two part resin cover stock is too much or the mix is too HOT. When going through the hardening process there is a reaction that causes the cover stock material to get hot and thus cause the resin mixture to catalyze or get hard. During this process the cover material also shrinks a lot making a compact unit of the different bowling ball parts. When the resin is mixed with to much of the hardener component and or it’s done in an environment that is too hot the cover stock shrinks way to much creating too much tension on the cover stock where it wants to pull apart. Drilling holes in the ball give the cover stock that is under way too much tension a place to start cracking. Have you ever noticed that some balls crack right away, some crack after about a year and I had one that cracked after almost ten years. The reason is the ball that had the hottest resin mix when made cracked right away and the one with a medium hot mix lasted about a year and so on. I also have reactive bowling balls that are 20 years old that haven’t cracked. It’s a manufacturing problem that probably needs better mixing equipment that bowling ball manufacturers don’t want bother with.

I usually keep mine in my bowling bags I put my reactive resin ball wrapped in the seesaw

So... question? I kept my bowling ball in the bag it came with. A typical black zip-up bag with the plastic stand to set the ball on (with a separate compartment for my shoes). No light could get to it. Not sitting on wood. And it cracked big time. Even more than the one in the video. Crisscrossed. Why is that?

I keep mines in my bag after I clean it with so fresh so clean and wow factor

What about the cold? Is there any concern about temperature?

Could I store a ball in water to keep it moist?

I stuck my ball in my bowling bag during the first shutdown and it cracked 4 months later

Great info!!!!

my pitch purple “first release” if it matters. cracked at the bridge then after using it and not leaving it in any extreme condition “pretty much room temo

i dont know if anyone has ever given you this critique before, but when you say you name in the into, it is very hard to hear what you are saying. i cant tell if you are saying "ron from CTD" or "ronaldhickland". i think that you are just speaking way to fast in the intro

What if you put a blanket on the wood would it crack

Wouldnt heat be a factor because when its hot it would expand which would crack the ball?

I had a brand bowling brand into the box haven’t got it drilled for awhile the after the just cracked still in the box even without having it drilled it was a total waste of $

Is concrete surface ok to keep them on?

​@Ctdbowling What size zip lock bag do I buy that will fit a bowling ball?

Does “that purple stuff” help to preserve the ball over the long term?

Have you seen the company that sells a bag that is suppose to help extend the ball life? Your thoughts.

Can you leave the ball in your bowling bag

Question. If keeping the ball "moist" is the way to prevent balls from cracking, then since reactive balls absorb oil (which IS a type of liquid), does rolling a ball on the lanes more frequently kinda prevents them from cracking too?

This leads me to a question.. to prevent the ball from cracking, you would put it in a plastic bag, so it doesn't dry out.. but wouldn't that also contribute to oil being retained on the cover of the ball, causing that oil to get absorbed back into the ball. Leading to poorer performance of the ball?

My widow was cracked when I took it from California to Florida. bummer.

I had a motiv ball that I got. Never drilled it. Took it out of the box and it was cracked. How does that happen? What ball is the least likely to crack?

How do you dispose of cracked balls?

I seen alot of people use wax machine to clean bowling instead of bowling products made for bowling balls is it better to use bowling products instead of wax machine

im just starting to get into bowling and am looking to buy a ball what would be a good beginner reactive ball

Me and a friend store our balls in the same garage, on the same ball rack, mostly the same balls as well. Mine crack way more often than his do, he'll I dont think any of his have, and these are all balls we use often. I started putting mine in plastic bags, but didn't help at all... any other suggestions?

What size are those bags and where did you get them ?

What size is that sealed bag??

I don’t believe this is true 100 percent of the time. Why do certain brands seem more likely to crack then others? Switched to motiv 6 years ago and none have cracked. I even have and old ebonite matrix that has not cracked. I don’t do any of the things you talked about. Maybe it also has more to do with materials used, material quality, size of weight blocks, thickness of cover and the manufacturing process?

I know some people that use harsh chemicals like acetone and wonder why this happen 😆😆😆😆😆.

Of course Ron is correct and knows what he’s talking about but I’m sure that’s not going to work for me. I’ve had 30+ balls cracks. The new material in today’s cores/covers is going to easily cause a ball sooner or later to crack vs the old reactive, rubber, urethane and plastic balls. Of course too much glue eventually will cause the fingers of a ball to crack along with the fingers not being beveled correctly. I just continue to have bad luck because I never keep my calls exposed. They are never on wood or in the car. I have 42 balls and often rotate the balls on a regular basis and every now and then a ball still cracks. Also I put them in plastic but that only works for so long of a time. Bowling works differently for different people just like life goes different for people in the world

Wowowowow MY STORM CODE RED CRACKED COMPLETELY THROUGH ALL THE WAY AROUND I HAD NO IDEA IT COJLD DRY OUT 😢

Simple answer, defective product! We just threw away four of them that broke sitting in the bag, in the living room, constant temperature. I am now using the one I bought nearly 50 years ago, it's just fine, sat in the same room. DEFECTIVE products, excuses to avoid warranties.

I recieved a ball as a gift but it was split perfectly in half I didnt even drill it and I cant refund since nobody opened it 24hr after being recieved, so we are just out of 200$.

So what size bag are you using to fit a bowling ball in?

I was told they crack due to non-rotation that you have to rotate the balls at least every month. About the moisture I don't believe that's true my father's ball was in his bowling bag for months in the basement and it cracked and I believe it cracked from not rotating it .I was told the core and the cover expand and contract at two different levels due to different materials if you don't rotate the ball it it will crack.... I had a DV8 crack due to non movement. There was no light there was no wood was in the bowling bag.

I don't agree at all. Temperature changes are far more important. I have never had a cracked ball as I clean it and store at room temperature.

I've had new balls crack from being exposed to freezing weather.

Does this apply to duckpin balls also or are they manufactured differently?

I don’t know if the Ball could crack or not if I put it in that plastic bag and then put the ball in my Bowling bag.

I had a Roto Grip ball Crack that was only a few years old. It always stored in my bag in a heated basement. This should not happen.

I remember you making a video about ball cracking where you proposed that gravity working on weak points on the ball was the main cause of cracking (or more correctly “splitting”). Is that still the case? Or is that advice no longer pertinent? Cheers

Quite the opposite of the old "put your ball in the oven" technique.

When a ball gets to cold or to hot. That is what causes a ball to crack

Tell the ball manufacturers to make the balls 2 piece. They hit harder !!!!!!!!

All speculation and Not tested approved

I've had 5 balls, newest one has cracked and was stored the same as the others. It's really just poor craftmanship to blame most of the time I feel. Not saying this video is wrong, just most of the cracks don't come from how they are stored.