Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Take a new, undrilled bowling ball, along with an outer and inner sleeve of an interchangeable thumb grip, to your bowling pro shop.
Ask the pro shop to use its drilling press to measure your ball for proper finger and thumb hole placement. Request that it drill a thumb hole with a 1-1/2-inch drill bit.
Drop the outer sleeve of the interchangeable thumb grip into the hole to test for fit. Verify that the grip drops easily into the hole without needing to be forced. Ensure that the top of the sleeve sticks up about 1/4-inch above the ball surface.
Ask the pro shop to use a router or plug cutter to carefully cut away the excess material from the top of the outer sleeve until it lies flush with the ball surface. Make sure it removes the outer sleeve from the hole and cleans up all shavings and debris with a shop vacuum so that the sleeve forms a tight fit with the hole in your bowling ball.
Apply a thin line of super glue gel adhesive inside the thumb hole 1/8-inch down from the ball surface. Gently push the outer sleeve into the hole and let it sit for 30 minutes until the glue has completely set.
Align the inner sleeve tabs with the channels at the base of the outer sleeve. Turn the inner sleeve 90 degrees to the right until you hear a "clicking" sound indicating that the inner sleeve is locked into position.
Ask the pro shop to use a router or plug cutter to remove the excess material from the top of the inner sleeve until it is flush with the bowling ball surface. Request that it use a 1-1/2-inch drill bit to drill slowly down into the malleable inner sleeve material until a depth of 2 and 3/4-inches is reached. the inner sleeve must be drilled so that your thumb can fit inside of it.
Take your bowling ball home and practice installing the inner sleeve in and out of the outer sleeve of your new, interchangeable thumb hole.
Insert the inner sleeve into the outer sleeve and twist it 90 degrees to the right until you hear it "click." Uninstall the thumb sleeve by sticking your thumb in the hole and turning the sleeve to the left 90 degrees. Pull the thumb sleeve out. Practice reinserting it into the hole until you are completely comfortable using the sleeve. Experiment with different interchangeable inner sleeves until you find the grips that fit you best.