# Alternatives to thin lube? **URL:** \ **Category:** Yo-Yo Mods and Maintenance\ **Created:** [July 22, 2010, 7:49am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/alternatives-to-thin-lube/16974 "2010-07-22T07:49:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EvanW](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/evanw/32/564_2.png) [@EvanW](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/EvanW)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 7:49am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/alternatives-to-thin-lube/16974/1 "2010-07-22T07:49:35Z")
I really need to clean my bearing ASAP but I don’t have any thin lube at the moment, should be getting some soon though. Is there anything that will work just as good or even better than thin lube? Preferably something that is a common household item or is at most hardware stores. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Apetrunk](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/apetrunk/32/148_2.png) [@Apetrunk](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Apetrunk)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 11:18am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/alternatives-to-thin-lube/16974/2 "2010-07-22T11:18:31Z")
This has been asked many times before. Please use the search button next time. You aren’t trying to clean with lube, right? The purpose of cleaning is to get out all the lube and other things in there that don’t belong (hair, dust, etc). Lube is put in afterwards to keep the bearing lasting much longer. 3in1 oil, trumpet valve oil, and sewing machine oil are some of the better ones out there. ---
**Author:** ![Hardcore\_Max1986](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/hardcore_max1986/32/288_2.png) [@Hardcore\_Max1986](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Hardcore_Max1986)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 11:43am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/alternatives-to-thin-lube/16974/3 "2010-07-22T11:43:47Z")
to add to what apetrunk sugested, try some unsented baby oil. ---
**Author:** ![yoyoz1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/yoyoz1/32/388_2.png) [@yoyoz1](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/yoyoz1)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 12:19pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/alternatives-to-thin-lube/16974/4 "2010-07-22T12:19:02Z")
Some people also suggest gun oil. ---
**Author:** ![mikelz777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@mikelz777](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/mikelz777)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 12:42pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/alternatives-to-thin-lube/16974/5 "2010-07-22T12:42:28Z")
The oil used for hair clippers. ---
**Author:** ![icedoc](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/icedoc/32/556_2.png) [@icedoc](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/icedoc)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 1:27pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/alternatives-to-thin-lube/16974/6 "2010-07-22T13:27:17Z")
Kenmore sewing machine oil is easy to to find at Sears. As I understand it, 3 in 1 is thicker. I also found a lube kit at Walmart for fishing reels made by Berkeley. It had a bottle of thin oil and a small container of white silicone grease good for transaxle sleeves. ---
**Author:** ![anonyo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@anonyo](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/anonyo)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 2:30pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/alternatives-to-thin-lube/16974/7 "2010-07-22T14:30:50Z")
Everything suggested in this thread is good to use accept baby oil. It has paraffin’s in it that will gunk up your bearing. Also 3-n-1 is more like a thick lube. ---
**Author:** ![x52](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/3bc359/32.png) [@x52](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/x52)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 3:00pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/alternatives-to-thin-lube/16974/8 "2010-07-22T15:00:21Z")
> [@Hardcore\_Max](#): > > to add to what apetrunk sugested, try some unsented baby oil. That’s bad actually, gunks up your bearing like Icthus said. ---
**Author:** ![thrower121](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@thrower121](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/thrower121)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 3:14pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/alternatives-to-thin-lube/16974/9 "2010-07-22T15:14:42Z")
use lighter fluid ---
**Author:** ![x52](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/3bc359/32.png) [@x52](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/x52)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 3:17pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/alternatives-to-thin-lube/16974/10 "2010-07-22T15:17:56Z")
> [@thrower121](#): > > use lighter fluid He’s asking about thin lube, not cleaning bearings. ---
**Author:** ![EvanW](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/evanw/32/564_2.png) [@EvanW](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/EvanW)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 7:08pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/alternatives-to-thin-lube/16974/11 "2010-07-22T19:08:50Z")
So will any of the lubes here work as well as thin lube? Or are they not as good? ---
**Author:** ![mikelz777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@mikelz777](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/mikelz777)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/alternatives-to-thin-lube/16974/12 "2010-07-22T20:39:59Z")
Yes, they would work as well. I’d bet that nobody would ever be able to tell the difference in a blind test. ---
**Author:** ![icedoc](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/icedoc/32/556_2.png) [@icedoc](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/icedoc)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 8:50pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/alternatives-to-thin-lube/16974/13 "2010-07-22T20:50:05Z")
Thin or thick, the more lube the less sleep time and the more response. Even the thin lube should be applied very sparingly by first placing a drop on a pin, then just touching a portion of that to the inside of the bearing. It’s not the Tin Man from the wizard of Oz that we’re talking about! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Apetrunk](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/apetrunk/32/148_2.png) [@Apetrunk](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Apetrunk)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 2:29am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/alternatives-to-thin-lube/16974/14 "2010-07-23T02:29:40Z")
> [@icedoc](#): > > Thin or thick, the more lube the less sleep time and the more response. Even the thin lube should be applied very sparingly by first placing a drop on a pin, then just touching a portion of that to the inside of the bearing. It’s not the Tin Man from the wizard of Oz that we’re talking about! 🙂 This is true, but honestly, I don’t see why people freak out to no end if they get a whole drop in their bearing. It’s 10 times easier to just put a drop in and play with it. If you do the whole needle thing, you have to go find the needle and be ever so delicate. Plus, for some of the rather young kids here, you risk poking yourself, which doesn’t really feel good. ---
**Author:** ![BiG\_DaddY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@BiG\_DaddY](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/BiG_DaddY)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 12:44pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/alternatives-to-thin-lube/16974/15 "2010-07-23T12:44:18Z")
> [@Apetrunk](#): > > This has been asked many times before. Please use the search button next time. > > You aren’t trying to clean with lube, right? The purpose of cleaning is to get out all the lube and other things in there that don’t belong (hair, dust, etc). Lube is put in afterwards to keep the bearing lasting much longer. > > 3in1 oil, trumpet valve oil, and sewing machine oil are some of the better ones out there. I used sewing machine oil, cause i didn’t have any thin lub it works like a dream, i had a problem in my bearing like a crunching sound i cleaned it and putted some oil perfect. ---
**Author:** ![samyoyos](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/samyoyos/32/605_2.png) [@samyoyos](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/samyoyos)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 4:07pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/alternatives-to-thin-lube/16974/16 "2010-07-27T16:07:01Z")
i have a hybrid response system and u can go to sears and just buy some thin lube