They say that the game of billiards originated in Asia several thousand years ago. And billiard balls were first made of wood, metal and stone. And only in the 15th century, billiard balls began to be made of ivory.
Billiards is a very ancient game
The game of billiards appeared about 3000 years ago. Some historians say that India is her homeland, others say China.
In Europe, in 1469, the first billiard table was made. It was presented to King Louis XI of France. Even then, this table was located on a stone base, covered with a soft cloth of the finest workmanship, and its balls were carved from ivory.
Best quality balloons
At first, billiard balls were made of ivory. The best balls were made from the tusks of female Indian elephants. Because it is in the tusk of the female that the canal in which the nerve is located passes exactly in the middle of the bone. When a ball was carved out of such a tusk, it was perfectly centered, and the rotation of such a ball during play became flawless.
In the tusks of males, the canal rolled up to the end of the bone, and therefore the balls from them were of the second grade. They were played by beginners who did not know how to take full advantage of the perfect top-notch balls.
Finding other materials for making balls
By the early nineteenth century, billiards had become very popular in Europe and America. The famous factories of Schultz, Freiberg, Erikalov alone produced up to 100,000 billiard tables a year at that time.
But to make one set of billiard balls, the tusks of two elephants were required. Therefore, manufacturers thought about finding another material for the production of good balls. The American company Philanne & Collender has awarded a prize of $ 10,000 to the one who creates the best artificial material for this.
John Hyatt experimented a lot, trying to find such a substance, and during one of the experiments he cut his finger. Opening the medicine cabinet, he knocked over the colloid vial. The solution spread, and after some time, hardened. Then John decided that he could be used as glue. By mixing colloid with camphor, he obtained a plastic suitable for making balls.
John Hyatt's balls became quite popular, but had one drawback: they sometimes cracked during the game. They were replaced by balls made of phenol-formaldehyde resin. This resin was poured into a mold and simply allowed to solidify without applying any pressure. It was the most efficient and inexpensive technology.
Modern billiard balls for professionals
About 90% of the billiard balls used by the entire modern "billiard" world are produced by Saluc. And balls made from phenolic plastic are considered the best.
They are entirely composed of this material. But they can only be played by top-class players. Because these balls roll on the cloth just like on ice. Therefore, a number of professionals like to play on "slow" felt, on which the trajectory of the balls is better visible.
Billiard balls for beginners
Beginners do not know how to take advantage of high quality, expensive balls. Therefore, on the tables of the "amateur" level, balls made of polyester are used. These balls roll more slowly, which allows amateurs to see if the shot is correct.
But on polyester balls, potholes and dents begin to appear pretty quickly. This is especially noticeable on the so-called "cue ball" - a ball that is most often used in the game.
Nostalgia for billiard connoisseurs
With proper care, phenolic balls can last over 40 years without losing their excellent qualities. But experienced players who have played real ivory balls claim that elephant tusks were, are and will be the best material for the production of billiard balls.
