Antique Ivory Billiard Balls once used by Tom Reece in world record break

[DeanH]

Ivory was always unstable.

Not as unstable as early crystallate balls, they caught fire and blew up.

Yep some of the early materials were nitrocellulose based and there is a legend of balls exploding on contact.
Got to say I have not seen any actual reported articles of this happening. Anyone have this information? :biggrin:

[DeanH]

My balls once caught fire, and blew up. That was a bad day

You still talking about snooker balls? :biggrin;

[Big Splash!]

My balls once caught fire, and blew up. That was a bad day

It can't have been as painful as repeatedly poking your tuca surely? :biggrin-new:

[vmax4steve]

I don't want to open up another can of worms here, but WS say they use Amarith TC balls because they are the closest thing to Ivory that is available. So when you say they found something better do you mean easier/cheaper to make?

No, that's some made up bollocks that splasher posted on another thread about SC balls. Ivory balls were crap, 30,000 female elephants a year were killed for their tusks for the billiard ball industry alone, the male elephants ivory wasn't good enough for some reason: but as soon as a decent composite material was manufactured, and the luddites were converted ivory balls were history, and rightly so.

Ivory actually has a grain like wood, the red coloured ball in the set of three was in fact striped like a pool ball as the red stain could only seep into the grain that was in the middle of the ball, an actuall grain in the material, must have been kick city arizona all day long, just like Aramith TC's to be honest.

The huge breaks made with ivory balls forced changes in the rules to limit the number of spot strokes, cannons, losers etc. That break of almost half a million came about purely through the anchor cannon and took five weeks to make. The balls were never good, there was just no plastic around at the time, and even when it got invented the luddites who ran the championship insisted on ivories just because they were the balls of history.
That changed when Lindrum won and took the title with him to australia and defended it with composite balls, he remained unbeaten and ivories were dead.

[itsnoteasy]

Interesting post Vmax, thanks. The bit about the male vs female ivory I had never heard before, or the bit about the staining of the balls.
I wonder why Bakelite never got tried.

[DeanH]

Interesting post Vmax, thanks. The bit about the male vs female ivory I had never heard before, or the bit about the staining of the balls.
I wonder why Bakelite never got tried.

was tried
see
http://www.snookerheritage.co.uk/nor...snooker-balls/
http://www.snookerheritage.co.uk/nor...snooker-balls/

[markz]

Interesting post Vmax, thanks. The bit about the male vs female ivory I had never heard before, or the bit about the staining of the balls.
I wonder why Bakelite never got tried.

Itsnoteasy, some amazing Google knowledge being posted today. Great stuff, great stuff.

[itsnoteasy]

Jeez that photo of all the balls is quite horrendous when looked at with our morality, how times change right enough.
I read the contract for the apprentice ball turner, it must have been a very skilled job as he got eighteen shillings a week,when qualified, in the 1880s that must have been a decent wage.

[Big Splash!]

Interesting post Vmax, thanks. The bit about the male vs female ivory I had never heard before, or the bit about the staining of the balls.
I wonder why Bakelite never got tried.

Bakelite is too brittle and it has a habit of drying out in warm rooms as well.

Back to TCs. Yes, Aramith do have ivories in their labs and spent a lot of time getting TCs as close to the behaviour and sound of ivory as possible. That's why they use phenolic resin. Nothing wears less, resists heat of up to 260 degrees C or travels as well over a cloth.

[Hello, Mr Big Shot]

Bakelite is too brittle and it has a habit of drying out in warm rooms as well.

Back to TCs. Yes, Aramith do have ivories in their labs and spent a lot of time getting TCs as close to the behaviour and sound of ivory as possible. That's why they use phenolic resin. Nothing wears less, resists heat of up to 260 degrees C or travels as well over a cloth.

Would you care to provide some evidence for your ivory ball nonsense?

[Big Splash!]

Would you care to provide some evidence for your related ivory ball nonsense?

Call the WPBSA; it's one of the reasons they chose Aramith balls. Do I have to educate everyone?! lol

[bolton-cueman]

Should be destroyed. No interest in ivory means no demand. Take away the interest and the elephants live on. The Duke of Cambridge destroyed some ivory antiques. Some will say that doesn't bring a dead elephant back to life but it does make ivory collecting taboo and changes attitudes to ivory generally, thus destroying part of the market. Those thinking this is ok really are disgusting. Hats off to the DoC for doing the right thing. Torture balls; wouldn't want them anywhere near me.

Ivory is a great stain on our game. And great stains should be removed; not enjoyed.

Stand up for something or fall for everything.

what a complete sausage.

[Big Splash!]

what a complete sausage.

Haha, pork pie is back.

[markz]

what a complete sausage.

Has golferson been banned bolton? Not seen you on here much and golferson seems to have disappeared.

[Hello, Mr Big Shot]

Call the WPBSA; it's one of the reasons they chose Aramith balls. Do I have to educate everyone?! lol

Only yourself, blusts. Only yourself.