Types of Bowling Pins & Their Weight
The normally used pins are 4.75 inches in width and they are 15 inches in height. The normal weight of the pins is 3lb.60z but in the present-day game, the weight of the pins is allowed to weigh 3lb and 10oz.
Tenpins
Ten-pin bowling is the most commonly played bowling game around the world in which a set of ten Ten-pin bowling pins are used. The pin can be described as wider at its hips, narrow neck, and a base slightly less wide than its hips. The neck of the pin is marked with red stripes.
The standard specifications are set by the USBC. The Ten-pin bowling pin has a height of 15 inches or 38 cm. The base diameter is 2.03 inches or 51.6 mm and the diameter of the widest part of the hip is 4.75 inches or 121 mm. A standard ten-pin bowling pin weighs between 3.3-3.5 lb or 1.5-1.6 kg.
Duckpin
A Duck-Pin bowling pin is a dwarf version of the ten-pin with a smaller base and slightly smaller hips. Due to its peculiar shape that resembles a duck and hence the name Duckpin.
Comparatively the Duckpin is much lighter than the standard Ten-pin. The specification of the duckpin is set by the National Duckpin Bowling Congress. The height of a Standard Duckpin is 9.4 inches or 23.3 cm. At its widest point, the hip measures 4.125 inches or 104.8 mm in diameter and the base diameter measures 1.375 inches or 34.9 mm.
The Duckpin weighs at 1.5 lb or 0.68Kg which is almost half the weight of a ten-pin. In different versions of Duckpin bowling, a wide rubber band is placed around the widest part of the pin to increase the impact when struck by a bowling bowl.
Fivepin
Fivepin bowling is another version of bowling mainly played in Canada. The bowling ball used in fivepin bowling is smaller than the ones used in ten-pin bowling.
The scoring of fivepins bowling is different from that of the Standard Ten-Pin bowling. Each bowling pin has a different point. The fivepin is 12.5 inches or 31.75 cm in height. The diameter at the widest part of the hip is 5 inches or 127mm and a base diameter of 1.625 inches or 41.3 mm. A heavy rubber band with a thickness of 1 inch or 25.4mm is wrapped around the widest part of the pin. It weighs from 1.5 kg to 1.7 kg
Candlepin
Candlepin bowling is a version of bowling mainly played in Canada’s maritime provinces and the New England region of the United States. As the name suggests the Candlepin is a bowling pin that resembles a candle. The shape of the pin is almost cylindrical.
This pin is used in the Candlepin bowling version of the bowling game. This pin is the tallest of all the bowling pins with a height of 15.75 inches or 40 cm. The diameter at the hip is measured at 2.9375 inches or 74.6 mm. The base diameter is 2.125 inches or 54 mm. The Candlepin weighs almost the same as the bowling pin. The candlepin weighs 2.43 lb or 1.1 kg.
Ninepins or Kegels
Ninepins or Kegels is a version of the bowling pin played in European countries and they have a different set of rules. In simple terms, they can be called the European cousin of Ten-pin bowling. The Ninepin bowling pin weighs 1.3 kgs. The Ninepins or Kegel’s pins used in Kegels are a combination of designs from both Ten-pins and Duckpins with wires attached to its head that is connected to the pinsetters.
Construction of Bowling Pins
Core
The raw material used to construct bowling pins is unused, hard maple wood. The block of maple wood joined together with the help of glue and turning on a lathe to form a specific shape. After getting a perfect shape of the pins to require beautification through the coating.
Coating
After forming a proper shape these pins are coated with a glossy plastic material, painted, and finally covered with a clear glossy finish. The Ethylcellulose coating is also done to enhance the durability of the coating. It is a seven-layer process. In the first step, the pins are dipped into a coat to seal the pores of the maple wood blocks and then apply the second layer to provide a solid bond for the following layers. Finally, 5 more layers of Ethylcellulose are applied.
Just after the first layer of Ethylcellulose, a nylon mesh sock is used to cover the pin, which acts as a solid iron reinforcing bar or the same as a straw in bricks that provide a stable structure for all the layers.
DuPont’s Srlyn and nylon are two types of coating material available. Nylon coating has a lower cost and during the molding process, it is more forgiving than Surlyn. It should remember to dip the core into latex material to protect the nylon from cracking.
Design
The three primary factors must be kept in mind during the designing process. These factors are durability, scoring, and sound. The durability of pins can be increased by using a multi-piece core and strong coating.
Scoring and sound both are produced by the bowler’s preferences and are majorly controlled by the raw material used in the core. The primary purpose of the bowling pins is to fall over. If pins do not fall over, the game loses its interest.
The sound of pins creates an aura in the bowling game and that is created by wood bowling pins. No other material except wood will be able to create this amazing sound of bowling pins.
Conclusion
So, bowling pins play a major role in the bowling game to produce a high score and create a thrilling and exciting aura during the game with its falling sounds.