The only use my bearing yoyos have gotten in the past month (since I picked up that gorgeous Clean Machine from you JRod) has been to teach a friend that’s getting back into yoyoing after a 17 year absence from the hobby. So I can probably consider myself part of the Fixed crew.
I don’t miss the following:
The ease. I am not by any means super awesome with yoyos, but I know a bit. Throwing fixies is is going from an automatic car to a 10-speed bike. Ball bearing assisted spin spoiled me.
I will reiterate one of yours now. Daydreaming. Fixed play, like you said, forces you to pay attention. To be in the here and now.
Babying throws. I never minded dinging a metal throw; that being said, I used to always have to worry about having at least one holster and a small bag to keep my aluminum a safe from unintentional harm. Nowadays when I go to leave the house, I put a couple throws in my pockets and venture out.
Whilst I haven’t fully converted to fixed axle play, I’ve been playing it more and more. I picked up my first ever Tom Kuhn on Black Friday, and I’ve been enjoying it thoroughly. The tiny catch zone means that even catching a trapeze is a struggle, so it’s really forcing me to work on my technique.
Still haven’t got the hang of this yet, but I’m getting there. Fixed axle play should definately have a place in everyone’s yoyo routine, it’s great fun.
Tell you what though, those Tom Kuhns take a fair bit of effort to get them apart and put them back together. I ended up whacking mine with a hammer a few times to get the hex nut back in, I thought I was going to break something…
@gambit never use a hammer. remove them just like you would fhz caps. turn the yo-yo over (ideally on a carpeted surface or cardboard or something). hold both sides of the half and press down slowly adding weight to the bolt until it presses the nut up and out. i’ve never met a no jive that could take more than about 20lbs of force before the nut comes out.
@jrod so psyched for you. i hope we get to throw together while you’re on the journey.
Oh it wasn’t the taking the nut out that was the difficult part (although I was scared I’d bend the axle putting force down on it like that… thankfully I didn’t).
I mean when it came to putting the nuts back in to their little hex shaped holes. It was like the holes had shrunk since I removed the bolt, the only way I could get them in was with a good hammering. I don’t condone my actions and I’m sure there must have been another way, but fortunately it worked without damaging anything. ;D
I dont really plan on taking it apart again at any rate so it shouldn’t be an issue. The flying camel configuration didn’t work all that well with the Mandela engravings so I’ll be keeping it as it is from now on.
right on. in that case i usually invert the process. put the half down on a low counter, center the hex, and lean on it until it presses in. some are definitely a tighter fit than others, and some of mine even protrude a little bit because they have shallower wells.
Hope everyone’s fixed axle adventures (of varying degrees of commitment) are going well! Didn’t want this thread to die out, because I think the commitment it takes to do something like JRod is doing is amazing. It inspired me to start playing a little bit of fixed axle, which turned into a pretty heavy obsession with my FAT’s (my acronym for my Fixed Axle Throws).
Berto, I hope you’re gearing up for your year! Are you still planning on doing it?
I’ve got a friend that’s started playing ball bearing throws so I’ve spent a little time with my 1a throws, to teach him what I know, but I actually taught him double or nothing throwing my Clean Machine. It was fun throwing wood while my friend is throwing his new Yelets. Now if I could only figure out how to get a strong enough spin to pull off a Gondola or Gyro Flop…a man can dream, can’t he?
To be honest, besides a select few models that are made in plastic and an SB2 or 4 made in metal, I’m not likely to throw it. I prefer my wood and cotton…
TMBR has a black hops video with a wood throw, I do mostly stall play since the spin is not that long but some classics like the jamaican flag, rock the baby, trapeze, double or nothing, the matrix, or the never disappointing walk the dog are always crowd pleasers.
Just ordered one of the new EHs and bulk cotton string… I will dial it up a little more and keep this Fixed axle Fifteen to maybe 3-4 throws… meaning, I will only play those 3-4 throws for 12 months. I am very excited about starting this journey as my wife and I just sold our big house and bought a smaller place, closer to a fun downtown where we plan to “live simpler while I play simple”
Thanks Mr. Haponik for getting me back to fixed playing.
I just bought a new Wood Duncan Butterfly. It seemed like the one I had as a kid played better, but that was a long time ago. I think I will enjoy this one.
Yeah, I haven’t figured out a way yet. I don’t know very many advanced tricks on my 1a throws so my list of tricks to throw out on a FAT is short right now. Mostly just throwing loops and stalls, with a few mounts peppered in. The gap and walls on my curriers don’t really allow for advanced string tricks and my no jive is only partially playable with a cracked axle sleeve. It’s making the response finicky.
Got to see my Christmas present today, because my sister thought the wrong one showed up. But it ended up being the right one. I’m receiving a TMBR Baldwin, the oak laminate with bubinga veneer face. I can’t wait to be able to try it out, she only let me take a quick look before she wrapped it up. But from what I saw it looks awesome, crafted very very nicely; I’m so excited.
I’m probably going to join fixed axle 15. I already ordered a John Higby Profly that looks awesome. But that also means for me no offstring yoyo for a year. And I really want a Zeekio Saturn V. I’ll probably argue with myself for a few days If I want to play fixed axle for a whole year.
