How to unstick a shell? (billiard ball)

[Bill Marquardt]

I just bought a vintage set of wooden multiplying billiard balls, about 1-1/4 inch diameter. I bought these more for nostalgic reasons than to use in performance, but I like the set and will use it on occasion - IF I can get the shell unstuck from one of the balls.

Any suggestions on how to separate the shell from the ball?

I have tried floating it in hot water to no avail. I suppose I could repaint everything if I need to, but I would rather not damage the shell or ball in the process of separating them.

This is not a valuable set, just interesting and possibly useful to me.

[Smurf]

I would imagine you only want to heat up the shell to have it expand, so if the ball was also in the hot water I don't think that would work well.

Try a hair dryer - as much as possible just on the shell.

If heat doesn't work, try freezing it.

[Jeffrey Korst]

A wide rubber band on both the shell and ball may give enough extra grip to separate them

[erdnasephile]

Bill:

I would suggest contacting Jim Riser. I'll bet he knows the best way to get this done safely.

Good luck!

[Richard Kaufman]

Bill, I think you did exactly the wrong thing: water causes wood to swell. You need to dry out the wood without cracking it or causing the finish to crack off. I think a slightly warm are with zero humidity would be your best bet.

[Bill Marquardt]

At this point, I believe the paint on the surface of the ball has "glued" it to the inner surface of the shell. I am wondering if the seller repainted the balls and did not wait for the paint to fully dry.

Richard - you may be right, but I only floated the ball for a minute or two hoping the shell would expand, so hopefully no water got into the ball. There are no visible cracks in the paint on the half that I can see.

I will let it sit in a warm dry place for a while and see what happens.

Thanks, everyone for the suggestions. I will try them all if needed.

When I was very young, I owned a set of Ireland's multiplying golf balls made of rubber. They were fantastic. When I went into the service, I left them in a trunk in my parents' attic. They were ruined by the heat. The ones available today have horrible plastic shells.

[Bill Marquardt]

Hooray! I finally separated the shell from the ball. I put the ball with shell into a small toaster oven at 300 degrees for about three minutes, removed it and let it cool. I was finally able to snap off the shell by hand. Both items were undamaged.

I probably would not have tried this with an expensive set. I really do not know why they were stuck so tightly. I see nothing unusual inside the shell.

[Richard Kaufman]

Just damp.