The Mystique of Lane Oil

By Mike Sledz

 

 

You can’t see it, yet every bowler and Coach knows it’s there. You know it’s going to affect your game, but yet you don’t know whether it will be good or bad. You don’t know how long it’s going to stay put, so you prepare your game around adjustments that might be made when it finally does move. What is it? It is lane conditioner, more commonly referred to as “oil”, the often controversial “stuff” that at times can make our sport so challenging.

 

First of all, we must understand that lane oil is a much needed component of lane maintenance. It’s primary purpose is as a lubricant to protect the lane surface from the heat and friction that is generated when we roll a ball down a lane. Without it, the lane surface, even synthetics, would wear to a point where they would become “un-bowlable”. Call it if you will a “necessary evil”.

 

Even though it is applied to the lane mainly for protection, as bowlers we are more concerned with its other purpose on the lane, and that is its affect on ball reaction.

 

There are several mystiques and misconceptions that surround this liquid that plays such a vital role in our sport. Here are some facts regarding lane oil that can be useful to bowlers to better understand what truly does happen out on the lane.

 

Types of Oil

For simplicity sake, there are basically two types of oil being manufactured today – the using older solvent-based technology, and the newer 100% Solid / High-Tech products.

 

The first type of oil ever used was a solvent-based product. These oils were very thin and light by today’s standards. The solvent ingredients would evaporate, causing a change in the effectiveness of the product. Because evaporation played such a key with this type of oil, humidity had a tremendous affect on solvent oils. Just a slight change in the humidity would change the evaporation rate of the solvent thereby dictating how slowly or quickly the lane pattern would change. Although still in use today, the popularity of solvent-based oils is greatly decreasing and is basically limited to international markets and small pockets in the US.

 

Solvent products gave way to today’s 100% Solids (no solvents) oils and “High-Tech” products. First introduced in the 1980’s, these oils are much higher in viscosity (thickness) than their predecessors, and were designed to remain in place longer and to withstand the newer, more aggressive bowling balls. They are made up from several different components and additives, and have taken advantage of new lubricant technologies. In addition, most are not affected by humidity since there are no solvents to evaporate. In Bowling Centers today worldwide, the great majority of oil being used is from the 100% Solids or High-Tech category.

 

Temperature and Lane Oil

One misconception about lane oil is that the newer oils are not affected by temperature change – NOT true!! ALL lane oils are affected by temperature changes. Just like the oil in your car, oil on the lane or in a lane machine will get thicker when cold, and thinner when warm. And it doesn’t take a huge temperature change either, only a swing of a few degrees can cause a change in the makeup of lane oil.

 

When oils are thicker, they tend to not flow through lane equipment well and usually stay in place on the lane a bit longer. When they become warm and thin, they flow very well, and will move around the lane much easier. Keep in mind that in addition to the physical temperature of the surrounding air, the oil and the lane surface, heat generated from a bowling ball also “warms” the oil.

 

Oil Breakdown

There are actually two types of breakdown (change) – breakdown of the pattern, and breakdown of the oil. Breakdown of the pattern occurs when oil is displaced (moved) simply due to the bowling activity. Breakdown of the oil itself occurs in two different instances: with solvent oils, as the solvent evaporates, both the oil and the pattern begin to breakdown; with the newer oils, highly aggressive bowling balls can actually destroy the physical makeup of the oil, causing it to lose its effectiveness.

 

Oil Movement

ALL lane conditioners, no matter the type or manufacturer, will move. It’s simply a matter of physics – we are rolling an object through a liquid (oil), and sooner or later the liquid will get displaced. The difference is that some of the newer oils are manufactured with certain additives that are designed to help the oil stay in place longer on the lane. It will take longer for these oils to move, but they still do move.

 

The movement of oil depends a great deal on the type of bowling ball being rolled through it. Balls with a polyester or urethane coverstock tend to remove oil from the front of the lane and deposit it on the drier backends, creating carrydown and a change from a “wet-dry” pattern to a “dry-wet” pattern with overreacting heads.

 

Reactive resin and particle coverstocks remove oil from the head and mid-lane area, but due to their high flare potential, they deposit very little on the backend of the lane. This will cause a “dry-wet-dry” condition.

 

This difference in oil movement from one type of ball to the next is one of the things that makes bowling so challenging. In league or tournament play, the change in the oil pattern can be different from one night or block to the next simply due to WHO you are bowling and what equipment they’re using!

 

 

Although basically a simple product, lane oils lead a complicated little life, one that cannot be fully covered in such a small article. For a greater insight into how these products work, try contacting one of the many manufacturers and speaking with their technical staff, discuss it with a qualified coach, or try to attend one of the many seminars on lane maintenance that are available throughout the year.

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