How are these balls made and how are they fixed?

Hello, HP.

The balls are cast in a mould using a type of plastic called phenolic resin. That short sentence makes an exceptionally complex process sound easy, but it's far from it. The manufacturer of the snooker balls above (Aramith) has been perfecting the exact compound for decades.

Apologies, I'm not quite sure what you mean by "fixed" sir?

Best wishes.

Above you mentioned how your buddy with the collection is an expert at fixing broken balls. I was wondering how he does that. Is it hairline cracks that he's fixing, or pieces broken off? Is it like a dentist fixing crowns?

Ah, I see what you mean, sir.

My buddy is an expert at restoring play-worn balls to their former lustrous glory, examples that have lost their shine and sport a few minor scuffs or scratches etc. I consider his work to be akin to alchemy... four hundred years ago he would have been burnt at the stake as a witch!

Balls that have suffered deep gouges or holes, alas, cannot be made to look like new again.

Best wishes.

How do they make the colored patterns and numbers for stripe balls etc? Is the color just skin deep overlaid on it, or does the mold have separate sections for the patterns, or do they make a white part and a red part and then fasten them together?

It depends on the particular set, sir.

The colours (and numbers) of early examples were painted or screen printed on to the surface of the ball. From the late 1960s onwards improved production techniques allowed the colours to be moulded all the way through the ball. I must confess that I am at a loss to explain exactly how this wizardry is achieved with any authority, sir, but it's presumably by pouring the resin in stages.

Best wishes.

Ruperman, I am assuming you found this site due to it's degenerate gambling links, but do you cotton to poker?

That is blasphemous!!!!

It is something of an acquired taste I agree, Alobar.

TXDome. I am a poker player, sir, and a regular one at that for almost forty years! My preferred discipline is PLO (dealer's choice: four, five or six-card).

Best wishes.

Alobar:

Did you see the post about correcting my careless mistake in the thread title? Is this something that might be possible, sir? It really bugs me!

Best wishes.

OOT lives for nitty mistakes like that and the opportunity to exploit them at a later date. Plus I think mods lose their title editing privileges if they're sent to the big house.

Ah, that's a shame. Thank you for letting me know.

Ruper,

I must have missed that post, sorry! I suck at the grammars, so if what i thought would fix it didn't, let me know

Ruperman,

You're welcome. Rule #1 if you want something on the internet is don't ask for it but instead say that it can't be done.

Yes!

That is absolutely perfect, sir! I really appreciate that, Alobar, thank you so much.

Who knows, that might just make the difference in finding my ball?

Best wishes.

Alas, the set above was the last example of my collection to be photographed. I have many more waiting in the wings however (well, up in the attic to be precise) and will certainly endeavour to get to work on them in the near future.

Better yet, I will ask my good friend from Texas if he could perhaps share a few images from his own truly phenomenal hoard, surely THE greatest billiard ball collection in the world in my view.

You'll really see some specials sets then, ladies and gentlemen.

Best wishes.

Can you post some sets that you desire to obtain, but are difficult to find?

Ruperman,

Another thanks for a great thread. Your passion for your collection really shows through, and you've made it very interesting to us with your photos and write-ups.

I have nothing to add for your quest, but have a question. You like the pristine collections. Is there a market for game-used balls, especially sets that can be provably traced to some big event?

I'm thinking a corollary to American sports collectibles, where something worn/used in the Super Bowl/World Series/whatever has value because of the event.

Thanks again for sharing.

OP should have undertitle of Pool-bah

TXDome. I'll make up a few more WANTED posters. I hope to bring you something even better though, sir. I'll send my buddy an email to ask if he wouldn't mind joining the forum to share some photographs of his own truly phenomenal collection. It really is extraordinary. He already has just about every desirable set on my wish list and loves to tell folks a little about their particular characteristics and historical provenance.

Golddog. Thank you so much for those kind words, sir, always much appreciated. Yes, there certainly is a market for used billiard balls, especially if they are autographed by some of the top players. They are not in my sphere of collecting, but a set of Willie Mosconi signed balls sold for $500 quite recently. Another set purported to once belong to Jackie Gleason (played Minnesota Fats in The Hustler) regularly turns up on eBay with an asking price of $4,000. Maybe somebody will buy them one day!

Off Topic. Many thanks, sir, I'll remember that for next time.

Best wishes, everyone.

If you have them, I would also like to see some cool pictures of tables too.

Good evening, everyone.

A quick diversion from the collection of pool balls.

This is my billiardesque homage to Edward Adelson's famous optical illusion. The squares marked R and A of that rather fetching chequerboard baize are exactly the same shade of grey.

Best wishes,
RC.

Good afternoon, everyone.

Thirty plus years of pool ball collecting has brought me a great deal of pleasure, treasure hunting a specific set to a successful purchase being a particular joy. It has also been most rewarding sharing my collection with the good folks on here recently.

I thought you might be interested to hear about some of my failures, too. I would dearly love to own and cherish a mint condition set of the beautiful Globe Balls pictured below. Alas, however, depite the very best efforts of myself and my friends over several months I fear we may have to regretfully accept defeat.

Apparently, the last box of these wonderful balls were shipped out of China ten years ago. If anyone has a set to sell, I'm your man.