Ball Burn is a phenomenon seen most commonly on American pool cloths. You can recognise a ball burn mark as small dots on the cloth where the colour has lightened or discoloured a little.
In way, ball burn could be seen as the American equivalent to a cue stab on an English pool table cloth.
What causes Ball Burn?
The image above hilights ball burn on the spot of an American table.
Ball burn comes about in a way that is very unique to American pool cloths. A ball burn mark is left behind when a ball suddenly accelerates (by being struck by the cue), generating friction between the cloth and the ball. This friction then results in heat, which is what very gradually burns the top-most fibres of the cloth, resulting in the discolouration of the cloth in spots over time.
The image below shows ball burn marks along the baulk line of a table. We've edited the image to make the marks more visible for the sake of clarity.
Due to the nature of this kind of burn, you will most likely find ball burn at the baulk end of the table on or around the baulk line, or where all the object balls are racked.
The reason for the discolouration is down to the bare ‘weave’ of the cloth. Unlike an English pool cloth where a furry, fuzzy texture protects the base weave, an American Cloth does not have this, leading to discolouration.
Is Ball Burn a Problem? What Can You Do About It?
Much like a cue stab, ball burn on an American table is largely just an inevitable part of owning an American table. The positive to take away from it however is that the burn marks themselves are purely cosmetic and do not actually affect the play of the table at all.
That said, there are actually ways to go about reducing ball burn on your table if you wish to take the extra precautions.
The first thing you can do is to use more premium pool balls. Sets like Aramith or Cyclops balls generate much less friction when in use, reducing the amount of burning that a typical standard set of pool balls would give.
The second option you have is to keep your pool balls clean with either some ball cleaner, or using a ball polisher. Over time, balls will puck up trace amounts of chalk, dust and even oils from our hands as we rack a triangle or a 9-ball diamond. These deposits over time, will increase the friction between your ball and the cloth, so cleaning the balls helps to reduce this. Aramith Ball Cleaner or one of our ball polishing machines.
If you would like to hear more advice on ball burn or general table care, don’t hesitate to contact our team on 0800 622 6464.