Cook Sphere Machine

Cook Sphere Machine Information and Instructions
Each Cook Sphere Machine by Jayhawk Bowling Supply comes fully assembled, adjusted and tested by professionals at

Jayhawk Bowling Supply. Included with your Cook Sphere Machine are the following items:

If there is unequal pressure on the motors the desired rotation will not be realized. To correct the pressure difference adjust the stainless steel carriage bolts found at the base of each motor mount. Be sure the lock nut is secure after making adjustments. A 9/16” wrench is required.
It is sometimes most effective to reverse the direction of rotation of one motor in order to achieve the random motion that does the best job. Warning: Be sure the machine is turned off before changing the reversing switch position!!

One of the most popular services you’ll be able to offer with your Cook Sphere Machine is the ability to sand the coverstock on any bowling ball. Sanding a ball increases friction between the ball and the lane, increasing hook. Your Cook Sphere Machine will give a more uniform sanding than sanding by hand with a ball spinner. Customers will appreciate the quality of work that your Cook Sphere Machine produces, and you may be able to charge more than normal for this service.

To sand a ball, simply fasten a desired grit of sandpaper to the abrasion blocks (we recommend 400 or 600 grit), and mount the blocks onto the red mandrills. Hold the ball inside of the 3 abrasion blocks and tighten the tension regulator until a firm pressure between the abrasion blocks and the ball is achieved. A properly mounted bowling ball will sit flush on all 3 abrasion blocks. Next, turn the water on and cover the surface of the ball with water. Finally, start the sanding process by turning the timer switch on. To sand a ball, you should set the timer for at least 3 minutes. A ball cannot be sanded in any amount of time shorter than this because the machine must oscillate enough to sand the entire surface of the ball.

Once the machine shuts off, simply loosen the tension regulator and dry off the ball. Make sure to clean out all gripping and weight holes for the customer. Also, be sure to ask the customer if this new surface is what they want. If not, simply adjust the surface until the customer is happy.

Resurfacing bowling balls is probably the main reason you will purchase the Cook Sphere Machine. By resurfacing a bowling ball, you are actually removing a very small layer from the ball, giving the ball a new and fresh surface to roll on. This will normally increase skid in the front half of the lane, because of the smoother surface, and will also increase backend in the ball, because of the energy conservation that occurred in the first 30 feet of the lane. The ability to resurface a ball quickly with a high degree of quality is something that every customer will pay a premium price for!

When doing a full resurface on a bowling ball, always start with either 220 grit sandpaper or with diamond cutting pads. Both of these materials will cut the surface quickly and will remove the larger cuts and scratches from the surface of the ball. These products should be used for approximately 3 minutes and should never be used for more than 5 minutes. Using these products for more than 5 minutes will increase the chance of sanding too much of the ball away, causing large sanding marks and sometimes sanding away the factory engraving.

After this initial step, you should progress through the other grits of sandpaper for approximately 5 minutes each (320, 400 & 600 grits). Each step must be completed in this process, as moving up in sandpaper too quickly will leave sanding marks in the ball. Depending on what finish your customer wants you have 3 options with the newly resurfaced ball at this point:

Polishing a ball is another popular service in pro shops. Customers often want to combat drier lanes with more polish on their bowling balls. Some even just want their ball to look shiny! The Cook Sphere Machine by Jayhawk Bowling Supply will give balls a high gloss in just a short time!

To polish a ball, it is important to make sure that the surface is clean of any belt marks, lane oil and dirt. Polishing these substances will simply embed them under the coat of polish, and this will look very bad to the customer. It is often best to either clean the ball with an approved ball cleaner or actually sand the ball with 1200 grit sandpaper for approximately 3 minutes. Make sure that the ball is completely dry before placing it in the polishing pads, as water will mat the fibers of the pad down, making them ineffective.

Next, simply place the polishing pads on the contour abrasion blocks and mounts them to the mandrills. A higher tension should be placed on the ball than is used with sandpaper pads. This higher tension will buff the olish into the ball and will also increase oscillation. Simply start the machine and then spread a small amount of polish on the ball as it is oscillating. Set the timer for approximately 3-5 minutes when polishing a ball.

Finally, make sure that you have cleaned out all of the gripping and weight holes, and return the ball to your satisfied customer!

The Cook Sphere Machine can also be used to sand down ball plug using the same process as you would to resurface a ball.
For heavily tracked balls, utilize the 220 grit sandpaper or diamond cutting pads for a short amount of time.
Use a heavy flow of water when sanding with the lower grit sandpaper. This will not only reduce the amount of sanding lines left on the ball, but will also increase the life of your sandpaper.
If sandpaper is being torn away from the abrasion blocks, check the ball for finger grips or plug that are higher than the surface of the ball.
Flush all of solids off of the sanding discs between each use.
Once the lambswool polishing pads have become saturated and ineffective, they can be washed in cold water. Make sure to no dry them in a drying machine. Simply let them air dry. Once they are completely dry, they can be used again.
Once you have achieve a good pressure on the ball, the amount of pressure should not have to be adjusted during the sanding or polishing process.
It is not uncommon to have minimal oscillation due to a ball being out of round. Once the high spots are sanded down, the ball should begin a random oscillation, ensuring a uniform finish around the entire ball.
Many users of the Cook Sphere Machine have achieved better results by reversing the direction of one motor. Cabinet models have a reversing switch that can be found inside the cabinet. Tabletop models come with instructions on wiring a gear motor for this operation. WARNING!! DO NOT CHANGE THE SWITCH POSITION WHILE THE SPHERE MACHINE IS RUNNING!!!
For best results, change your recirculating water often. We recommend that this liquid be changed once per week. The slurry that results from sanding is an inert material and is not recognized as a hazardous waste.
To correct uneven pressure between the 3 motors, simply adjust the stainless steel carriage bolts found under each motor mount. A simple way to accomplish this is to make sure that each thread count showing above the lock nut is the same on each carriage bolt.

Marketing your Cook Sphere Machine properly will make a substantial impact on the success of your business. As a pro shop operator, you have 2 options with the Cook Sphere Machine:

Use the machine as a way to keep your hands clean. Be sure to place it in a location where your customers can’t see it. This will ensure limited success with the machine, as customers will be unaware that this technology is available through their local pro shop. The revenue brought in is sure to be of limited impact on your business.

Use the machine as a service offered to your customers. Promote the Cook Sphere Machine as something offered only in your pro shop and treat it as something unique. By pricing the services around the suggested prices in this manual and marketing the service properly, the amount of work you can create with the Cook Sphere Machine can have a significant impact on your year-end bottom line. It will also act as an extra set of hands in your pro shop, as the machine will work on one ball while you are working on another.

Have a special night at your bowling center where you actually move the machine to the concourse. Offer a special to all customers and be sure to talk with each customer about how the service an affectedly improve their ball. This is sure to raise awareness of your service and will build a base of repeat customers.
Sometimes you have to give a little to make that big sale. Give away a free resurface for a customer’s new ball. This will show the customer how resurfacing the ball improves the look and reaction of their ball and they will come back later to have it resurfaced again at a price of $20-$30!
Promote the polishes and cleaners that you use on the machine to your customers in the pro shop. By selling them the same product that you use, they will feel like they are buying a higher quality product.