Posted 10 years ago
Ginseng108
(46 items)
This is a non-sanctioned, novelty pin of the clear cover type. This means the Surlyn polymer skin bonded to the wooden core is not filled with white mineral pigment or colorant. I have processed Surlyn and other related plastics in my work experience and the natural or virgin state of these plastics is commonly clear and colorless or close to it. For example, the polyester used in water bottles, the PVC used in clamshell packaging, and the polyethylene used in zipper food storage bags. Front and back are identically marked with the plain Qubica AMF logo. There is no sanctioning marking on this pin. The nice thing about clear-skinned pins is that you get some sense of the interior construction of the pin. In essence, modern coated pins are strips and planks of wood that are glued together into a block and then turned on a lathe to achieve its near final form.
Question Ginseng.....what wood is normally used for the pin?
Hi racer4four, the wood nowadays and as far as I can tell has been primarily maple. Very early wood pins (of which I don't own many but I will post a few) identify "hard maple" either with or without the "kiln dried" designation. For example, the Cleveland Bowling Pin Co., No. 1 Pin, identifies "hard maple, kiln dried." But Green Bay pins don't identify at all. Also, wood is usually not called out in plastic coated pins.
From the current QubicaAMF brochure, the Amflite II pin is made from "kiln dried hardwood maple" while the top of the line pin, the Pinnacle is made with "straight-grain white maple" presumably kiln dried as well. From the current Brunswick catalog, the Score King contains kiln dried "North American Hard Rock Maple" and the Max is made from the exact same. However, the Max has this additional feature, "The wood’s edgegrain is also aligned to face the outside of the pin for long life."
Considering the type of impact stress and energetic response desired from a pin (called "pin action"), it makes sense that the wood would be something like what is used in baseball bats (though white ash is more popular than maple in that application). Curiously, cricket bats are made from white willow, a wood with which I'm not familiar.
Thanks!