The History, Design and Care of Billiard Balls

History

There was a time when billiard balls were made out of wood, as were most things. It puts me in mind of the days of George Washington and his wooden teeth. As the materials for teeth evolved, so did the materials for billiard balls. Wooden balls evolved into clay, and then the almighty ivory in the 1600’s. Eight billiard balls could be produced from a single set of elephant tusks. They were beautiful and performed well, but at a high price. During the mid-19th century, elephants were being slaughtered at alarming rates just to keep up with the demand for ivory.

The billiard industry was challenged to come up with a replacement for ivory and it was said that a $10,000 prize was offered by a New York supplier. So in 1869, John Wesley Hyatt invented a composition material called Celluloid. Unfortunately, Celluloid is naturally an unstable material and they found that these balls would occasionally explode during rough play. The industry continued to experiment with various other synthetic materials.

Today most of our pool table balls are made from plastics and resins which are permanently hardened when heated, making them resistant to chipping and cracking.

Design

A billiard ball has two parts, a minor portion and a major portion. The minor portion is a small cured resin core that is approximately two inches in diameter. This core is covered with the major portion, another thick coating of hardened resin. Special machines are used to ensure a perfect spherical shape without any pockets of air. This makes the ball perfectly balanced. It is during this process that the designs of the ball are applied. Numbers and images are molded in as part of the ball.

Care

The buildup of chalk and oil from your hands will cause your pool table balls to become dirty and affect play. They need to be cleaned regularly to maintain their best performance. Gently put them in the sink with warm soapy water. Wash them with a soft cloth, rinse, and then dry with a soft cloth. Applying a small amount of billiard ball wax will restore their shine and performance. Don’t use harsh abrasives or scrubbing pads, as this can damage the balls. Of course, using a cleaning agent especially for pool table balls is always recommended.