So I have heard that some throws come “dry”. I was wondering what luring a bearing does? And what kind if lube I should use for an unresponsive throw. Also, do I have to take of the shields to lube a bearing?q
I’m a brain lube fan, so other than that I’ll defer on the type. I put on a small drop, spin it, blow it off w/compressed air. Works fine for me. It works best if you remove the shields. My feeling is that a lubed bearing runs smoother overall. I also believe it keeps the bearing from locking up.
Lubed bearings are smoother, quieter, and don’t lock up as often.
Dry bearings can be loud, not as smooth but longer spinning.
Taking the shields off of a bearing is for cleaning. Some people just leave them off. Dirt can get in them quicker.
All liquid lubes will cause drag. Some more then others depending on viscosity.
What lube would y’all recommend for a dm2? Or any yoyo?
I use this - synco super lube
Available at most hardware stores. It’s the same as brain lube that yomega sells. Others prefer thinner stuff. A small drop, spin the bearing and blow it off w/compressed air.
They also sell a lower viscosity lube w/o PTFE, but it’s harder to find.
I use ceramic bearings. (I’ve got one from fjh123 up above) and you don’t need to lube them at all. They are louder but overall less maintenance. I would message John (fjh) and see about getting a bearing from him.
The purpose of lubrication is to minimize wear. We really shouldn’t run our bearings dry. We run the risk of galling, which will destroy a bearing.
What fjh123 said is correct. Any liquid lubrication will create some amount of drag. We choose between thick and thin lubes to control performance and adjust the drag to where we want it. It will also often help quiet noisy bearings. I’m not saying don’t lube. The small amounts of performance decrease from a maintenance amount of thin lubrication fluid will off-set the problems that can occur from a bearing locking up by preventing it. Besides, as long as you have more than enough spin to complete your combos and bring the yoyo back, then it really doesn’t matter.
I do have to admit I’m very much sold on the Terrapin X Dry Play product. I don’t know what it is about it, but it makes even a dry bearing spin longer and faster, sometimes upwards of 20 seconds. I have a Trifecta bearing, fresh from the package spin for 35 seconds. After using Terrapin X Dry Play, I’m getting darn close to a minute of spin. The Trifecta bearings ship dry and un-lubricated.
Regardless of what you do, I do recommend lubrication of some sort, be it liquid or Terrapin X Dry Play. I have YYJ Thick and thin, which I use in my loopers. I also have VM4, which I use in my OD 10-Ball bearings, but I’m converting those to being Dry Play treated. Everything else, I Terrapin X Dry Play treat. I’m almost to the point where I’m just gonna take any new yoyo and its bearing, clean it my way and then Dry Play treat it after I do an initial evaluation play(say, anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour). I got a BIG collection. I have a LOT of bearings to clean!
Where do I get some of that x dry play stuffs?
It’s sold by John. He’s a member here. You could PM him and ask. His username is fjh123