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View Full Version : Ever engraved a bowling pin?



Tim Baude
11-07-2008, 8:07 PM
Hi everyone,
I have had a request to engrave some bowling pins. They have been cut in half so they can be put on a wall as a plaque. Has anyone ever done this and if so, what were the results. They will be dropping off a test piece tomorrow, but wanted some input from others.

They are also going to let me try some pieces of the lanes. Anyone ever done those. Should be just like any other wood, but wanted some feedback.

Thank you in advance for any help.
Tim

Stephen Beckham
11-07-2008, 9:39 PM
Tim - I'd be careful - the wood ones are okay, but when I worked in an alley back in the military as a part-time job, the pins were coated with a PVC type material. I'd test and smell before etching a lot...

Frank Corker
11-08-2008, 6:46 AM
Tim assuming they are wood. Would it not have been better for you to engrave them in a rotary BEFORE they are cut? Half a circle is going to be a damned site harder to engrave than a full one.

Tim Baude
11-08-2008, 3:43 PM
Frank,
They only want 1 side so they can be hung like a plaque. I do not have a rotary, so my issue is with the paint and such will it engrave. I have one here now and will try. Also, they dropped off a piece of synthetic wood they are putting down on the bowling lanes. I need to find out what this stuff is made of before I try engraving. I just didn't know if anyone had ever done it and what the results were.
Thanks
Tim

Dee Gallo
11-08-2008, 3:58 PM
Tim-

When they make bowling pins, they are wood inside but some kind of plastic outside before the printing and finish coating are put on. This is from a site explaining how they are made:

" The wooden pin blank is put into an injection molding machine that encases the wood with the plastic material. This material protects the wood of the pin and gives a surface for the manufacturers logos and decorations to be placed on."

So you might want to ask someone like Brunswick what that material is, not just the paint and finish.

cheers, dee

Mike Null
11-09-2008, 6:47 AM
Depending on how old they are they could be wood. When I was a pinsetter ours were wood. (worst job I ever had)

Cary Fleming
11-10-2008, 2:00 PM
Right after I bought my laser I tried a bowling pin, but I couldn't get the plastic covering to engrave cleanly. Granted, it was one of my first attempts and I know a lot more now, but I haven't tried again since. The plastic is very resiliant, it has to be to withstand 6-16 lb. bowling balls smashing into it over and over at as much as 30 MPH.