High-quality billiard balls give a lot of pleasant moments during the game. So popular, common today. Many fans of this desktop entertainment are interested in what billiard balls are made of, what materials are used to achieve the best properties of products. The methods of their manufacture are constantly changing, only the requirements for the cue ball were preserved.
Ivory
During the existence of billiards, balls were made of several materials. Therefore, there are several answers to the following question. What are billiard balls made of? The most famous of them is ivory. On occasion, lovers of rarity like to boast of balls from this material.
Not all tusks are suitable for making balls. The best balls were made from tusks of females of Indian elephants. They had perfect balance and rotation. In the elephant tusk are the channels in which the capillaries are located. In females, the channels pass through the center of the tusk, and in males it turns to the edge, which makes the ball unbalanced.
Only 5 balls were made from one elephant's canine. To create one set, it was necessary to get the tusks of two adult individuals. The more popular billiards became, the more rapidly the number of Indian and African elephants declined.
Ivory was also used to make cues - such accessories were considered a sign of special wealth.
As a result, this material has become too expensive. After all, the process of turning the bone into a ball was long and laborious. With the transformation of billiards from ordinary entertainment into a serious sport, a need arose for the production of balls of the same size, weight and density. At that time, it was very difficult to achieve this from elephant tusk products.
Other materials
To preserve the animal population, it was necessary to find new material for making balls. For this purpose, began to use the teeth of various large animals: hippos, boars, sperm whales, etc. But the balls were of poor quality. Manufacturers tried to find a material that at least approximately corresponded in its characteristics to ivory.
Chemist John Hayet suggested using celluloid. But products from this material were not very popular. Soon they were replaced by billiard balls made of cheaper bakelite, which was distinguished by simplicity in decoration.
In 1863, Filan & Collender offered $ 10,000 for a patent to someone who would find new material for making balls. The award waited for the owner for thirty years, but was never presented.
In the 30s of the last century, phenol-aldehyde resin spheres appeared. It was poured into molds, waiting for solidification and baked in a special furnace. A similar manufacturing method is used today.
What are billiard balls made of right now
The most popular materials for balls at present are various composites. What are billiard balls made of today? 2 materials are common: phenol-aldehyde resin and polyester.
Phenol Aldehyde Resin
The uniformity of this material, scratch resistance provide ideal properties. Resin for a long time retains the strength, elasticity and gloss of products. The price of these balls is high, but it pays off in a short time. Their service life is several times longer than the life of various composite analogues.
Polyester
This is a cheap material for billiard balls, which has gained immense popularity due to its performance characteristics. Polyester has several drawbacks in comparison with other materials - large mass, poor scratch resistance, loss of gloss, short service life and others. But still, this is a good option for economy class billiards. Most polyester balls are made and sold in China.