I manage a 24 lane center just south of Buffalo NY. I have a problem with sliders. We have Murrey lanes and pin decks, we also use AMF amflite II pins. Is there a cost efficent solution? Is it the pin decks? can it be a combination of both?
There could be several possibilities that might be causing your pins to slide excessively on the pin decks. I will list a few and ideally you would want to eliminate them as your problems and hopefully you can pin down what is causing yours to slide.
1. Lane machine can be leaving residue on the pin deck, which will quickly leave a film that can cause sliding pins.
2. Not cleaning frequently enough to remove the build up of dirt, conditioner, etc. in the pin deck area which will cause a similar situation as #1. Lanes NEED to be completely stripped every day, and during the process, verify that the lane machine is actually working properly.
3. Pin deck surfaces will actually lose some of their "roughness" over a period of time. If your pin decks have any age to them at all, its very possible that the surface has just become too "smooth" allowing the pins to slide more. Solution for this is to actually add surface to the deck by lightly sanding, screening or some similar type of procedure to add friction to the surface. There are also a few products on the market designed to do something like I describe, sprays, solutions, etc, that are applied to the pin deck surface. These, in my opinion, can be quick temporary fixes but will not solve the problem. They can also cause the deck to become much dirtier, much faster.
4. The pins themselves can be the problem in some instances. Too smooth of a bottom on the pin will also cause excessive sliding, which can be from wear, age, or even a manufacturing problem if the pins are new.
I would venture to guess that one of the above mentioned problems is causing your problem. By eliminating these through thorough checking I think you will find the one you have.
Gary SparksAsst. Prof. Bowling Industry ManagementVincennes University
We, too, have experienced the same problem with Brunswick pins. We have tried everything that Gary mentions above, in addition to sanding the bottoms of the pins, ever-so-slightly. Brunswick has actually sent a technician to assist in "re-working" an entire set (420pcs) for us, to no avail. It is just one lot number of pins that this is happening to.
We have a combination of wood and phenolic decks. Both surfaces reacted the same. I do believe that this is an industry problem. Although, you would be hard pressed to have either manufacturer admit to a quality problem.
I would suggest using a solvent such as chloronite (DBA) or MEK to clean the decks by hand. Then apply Brunswick pin deck treatment. And finally, sand the bottoms of the pins, just lightly, on a belt sander to salvage your highly expensive investment.
Good Luck,
Chris
AMF Gulfgate Lanes in Sarasota here installed these gel pads that the pins sit on after having a severe problem with sliding pins. I haven't seen one slide since.
speaking of pins that do things they're not supposed to, i experienced something on Wednesday during my league that i've never seen before. i threw the ball, all the pins but the 5 and 7 fell almost automatically, and the 5 stood there and spun on the spot until the pinsetter came down to pick it up. so, i left a 5-7 split (and picked it up--lefty power, even though it's really not conducive to a lefty), but i've never seen a pin react that way upon being hit. that was....weird to say the least.
se7en: AMF Gulfgate Lanes in Sarasota here installed these gel pads that the pins sit on after having a severe problem with sliding pins. I haven't seen one slide since.
Let's hope the rest of the AMF centers get the word ... After leaving two seven-and-a-half pins (7-pin kicked halfway to the 8-pin spot on end) after the front six recently, I'm all for this idea.
