Bleaching Cheap Golf Balls - How to Make Them The Right Color

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around methods for bleaching cheap golf balls to achieve a desired color. Participants share their experiences and suggestions for household products that could be used in the process, while also expressing concerns about safety and effectiveness.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes their initial attempt to clean cheap golf balls using hand soap and bleach, noting that the process resulted in crystallization without changing the color of the balls.
  • Another participant suggests a method involving trisodium phosphate (TSP), bleach, and water, emphasizing the need for safety precautions and the effectiveness of TSP for cleaning.
  • A participant expresses concern about not having the necessary tools or TSP, while also reporting interesting results from their own mixture that formed crystals.
  • Safety warnings are raised regarding the mixing of bleach with vinegar or ammonia, which can produce harmful gases.
  • One participant mentions that bleach can sometimes discolor items to a yellowish tint instead of whitening them and suggests hydrogen peroxide as a potential alternative.
  • Another participant discusses the challenges posed by winter conditions in Canada, which limit their ability to access supplies and suggests waiting until spring to continue their attempts.
  • Concerns are raised about the effectiveness of various mixtures, with one participant noting that the golf balls have not changed color despite multiple attempts.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express various methods and concerns, but there is no consensus on the best approach or the effectiveness of the suggested methods. Multiple competing views and uncertainties remain regarding the best way to achieve the desired results.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention limitations such as lack of access to specific cleaning supplies, safety concerns with certain chemical mixtures, and environmental conditions affecting their ability to experiment.

munky99999
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Ok I bought some really cheap golf balls. They were like 1 cent each and i got lots of them.

I basically used hand soap to clean up all of them.

Except a few. They were weird coloured. So I've tried bleaching them, using tide and water and soap. All at once.

Then i sort of forgot about this since like november 04. Today I find the thing and its all crystallized pretty cool. But the balls still haven't changed colour.

Why did it crystalize so sweet. How should I go about making these few balls the right colour other then paint; household products probably would be best.
 
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Try this: 1/4 cup trisodium phosphate [TSP] dissolved in a solution of 1/2 quart bleach and 1-1/2 quarts water [makes 1/2 gallon]. Soak golf balls for about 30 minutes then scrub with a brass brush. Wear rubber gloves, the stuff is pretty potent. You can get TSP at just about any hardware store, it's often used to prep surfaces for painting [it works real good on tile floors, grout and caulking too].
 
the problem is i don't have the brush nor TSP, i was looking for a cheap way to do it. But I am not sayign i won't try that method though. But it might be little while till i bother.

But instead i tried it again. But it's really sweet, over night it like dissolved all the crystals and formed like little egg looking things. I think i might just start adding some more things.

For safety reasons, is there anything that should definitely not be added?
 
Don't add vinegar or ammonia to bleach, or you will produce chlorine gas. Whatever you wind up doing, don't do it indoors.

- Warren
 
munky99999 said:
the problem is i don't have the brush nor TSP, i was looking for a cheap way to do it. But I am not sayign i won't try that method though. But it might be little while till i bother.

TSP is pretty cheap. A little bit goes a long way, but be sure to follow the safety precautions Chronos suggested (read the box carefully, and know what it says to do if you get it on yourself before you begin).

Bleach can discolor some things to a yellowish tint rather than whiten them.

Hydrogen peroxide might help, depending on what's discoloring them.

Whatever you try next, rinse them off thoroughly so you don't mix too many things. Read the labels carefully: as chroot pointed out, you don't want to mix ammonia or vinegar with bleach. Bleach may also be listed as sodium hypochlorite on a label, or on dumbed down labels, may be listed as "contains chlorine" or "contains chloride."
 
Well I am in Canada so there is at least 1 foot of snow. The thing will freeze pretty quickly so outside not good.

I also don't have car insurance so driving to hardware store will be bad idea; especially in snow conditions.

So currently i have put bleech, tide, something else that's for super cleaning(which saves colours) & water, there has been one of those dishwasher tab things, with the blue liquid and stuff all in it.

VinegaR i never would have thought of putting in. It's like the same colour as the golf balls. Not likely to be a good choice.

Ammonia I don't think I have in the house, other then pee(urine) i guess, i can't think of anything.

Also the golf balls just haven't changed any colour at all. I think i'll try some peroxide. but i might just wait till spring though.
 

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