# Bearing spin time with a finger flick **URL:** \ **Category:** Yo-Yo Mods and Maintenance\ **Created:** [October 4, 2013, 6:56pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/bearing-spin-time-with-a-finger-flick/59870 "2013-10-04T18:56:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![fjh123](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/fjh123/32/325_2.png) [@fjh123](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/fjh123)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 2:00pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/bearing-spin-time-with-a-finger-flick/59870/21 "2013-10-06T14:00:33Z")
> [@hebooz](#): > > Is that my Axiom there on the right? It plays awesome! Just a question, the ceramic bearings have been working fine so far, but when tested recently it only spins for 13 seconds compared to about 25-30 in the past, is it time to clean it? Yes, just pop off a shield, put it on a stick and spin it in a bit of acetone, flick dry. ---
**Author:** ![hebooz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/hebooz/32/534_2.png) [@hebooz](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/hebooz)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 2:06pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/bearing-spin-time-with-a-finger-flick/59870/22 "2013-10-06T14:06:27Z")
> [@fjh123](#): > > Yes, just pop off a shield, put it on a stick and spin it in a bit of acetone, flick dry. Can it be cleaned with the normal method? (pop both shields, soak in acetone and dry for 5 mins) ---
**Author:** ![fjh123](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/fjh123/32/325_2.png) [@fjh123](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/fjh123)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 2:56pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/bearing-spin-time-with-a-finger-flick/59870/23 "2013-10-06T14:56:07Z")
> [@hebooz](#): > > Can it be cleaned with the normal method? (pop both shields, soak in acetone and dry for 5 mins) no need to soak, spinning it gets it all out, flick dry takes very little time with acetone. ---
**Author:** ![hebooz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/hebooz/32/534_2.png) [@hebooz](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/hebooz)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 3:05pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/bearing-spin-time-with-a-finger-flick/59870/24 "2013-10-06T15:05:24Z")
> [@fjh123](#): > > no need to soak, spinning it gets it all out, flick dry takes very little time with acetone. Can I use lighter fluid or mineral spirits for it as well? Or would it harm the treatment? ---
**Author:** ![fjh123](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/fjh123/32/325_2.png) [@fjh123](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/fjh123)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 3:10pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/bearing-spin-time-with-a-finger-flick/59870/25 "2013-10-06T15:10:39Z")
> [@hebooz](#): > > Can I use lighter fluid or mineral spirits for it as well? Or would it harm the treatment? It will not harm anything just may not work as well. Give it a try and see. Never needs lube ---
**Author:** ![hebooz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/hebooz/32/534_2.png) [@hebooz](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/hebooz)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 3:15pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/bearing-spin-time-with-a-finger-flick/59870/26 "2013-10-06T15:15:08Z")
> [@fjh123](#): > > It will not harm anything just may not work as well. Give it a try and see. > Never needs lube The S/C ceramic has performed well over the years, and is still spinning while I had some others have died. They are the best bearings I own, without a doubt. I will surely recommend them to my friends and continue buying from you =). Thanks for the great work you have done. ---
**Author:** ![kyo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/df705f/32.png) [@kyo](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/kyo)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2013, 4:32am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/bearing-spin-time-with-a-finger-flick/59870/27 "2013-10-07T04:32:30Z")
> [@Midlifeyoyoman](#): > > Well, be it on its side, upright, on a yoyo etc… Why don’t you elaborate on how to conduct a correct “scientific” experiment? Not trying to be rude but “Come On Mann!” Trying to help get a database of bearing performances here not shoot down the idea. > > Using a unresponsive yoyo to test spin time with each bearing will be kinda hard to replicate the exact tightness/string tension/how the yo is wound for each test in my noob mind. Correct me if am wrong but being that a few winds with a gap need to be made before the string starts grabbing would make this a tad harder to replicate exactly for each wind. > > Any thoughts… On this as I see using one throw and the same string tension to be a GREAT way to test the bearings since obviously the bearings own makeup (outer race weight/ball weight/etc…) can also affect the flick-o-matic test. What part wasn’t I clear about? I’m talking about putting a yo-yo in a fixed holder, held by the outer race of the bearing just like a string would, then accelerating said yo-yo to a given a rpm… using a motor with a set rpm or whatever method you’d like. You eliminate any variable about response systems, bearing shapes, string choice/tension/etc, precession problems, throw inconsistencies, etc. You simply break it down to bearing performance and nothing else. I’ve done it. I did it quite a lot for many years and there are some very old posts about it somewhere, but these days I just don’t care quite enough… all the bearings out there work more than well enough for what we need. Kyle ---
**Author:** ![Midlifeyoyoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Midlifeyoyoman](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Midlifeyoyoman)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2013, 7:25pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/bearing-spin-time-with-a-finger-flick/59870/28 "2013-10-07T19:25:36Z")
> [@kyo](#): > > What part wasn’t I clear about? > > I’m talking about putting a yo-yo in a fixed holder, held by the outer race of the bearing just like a string would, then accelerating said yo-yo to a given a rpm… using a motor with a set rpm or whatever method you’d like. > > You eliminate any variable about response systems, bearing shapes, string choice/tension/etc, precession problems, throw inconsistencies, etc. You simply break it down to bearing performance and nothing else. > > I’ve done it. I did it quite a lot for many years and there are some very old posts about it somewhere, but these days I just don’t care quite enough… all the bearings out there work more than well enough for what we need. > > Kyle Sorry yeah I wasn’t specific either lol. I saw the dyno machine and it looked like the string was used to either spin the yo or hold it. I don’t know how that one works. The same thing was missing from your post of how exactly the yoyo is fixed in place. I’m just trying to get technical here and mean nothing bad by it. I’m an engineer so enjoy experiments. Can you give details of how the yoyo is fixed in place? I like the motorized (guessing wheel) approach. That’s what I was thinking would be best for flick-o-matic but since we need to have the yoyo in the experiment too then just trying to get a mental image of how to set it up. What needs to give the yo a fixed axis I guess is the best way to put it. I know just about any bearing that will spin freely for say 10-15 seconds should be fine but with more and more $20+ bearings coming out it would be cool to see how much they differ in spin times. ---
**Author:** ![PlasticWhip](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/plasticwhip/32/896_2.png) [@PlasticWhip](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/PlasticWhip)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2013, 9:19pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/bearing-spin-time-with-a-finger-flick/59870/29 "2013-10-07T21:19:39Z")
> [@kyo](#): > > What part wasn’t I clear about? > > I’m talking about putting a yo-yo in a fixed holder, held by the outer race of the bearing just like a string would, then accelerating said yo-yo to a given a rpm… using a motor with a set rpm or whatever method you’d like. > > You eliminate any variable about response systems, bearing shapes, string choice/tension/etc, precession problems, throw inconsistencies, etc. You simply break it down to bearing performance and nothing else. > > I’ve done it. I did it quite a lot for many years and there are some very old posts about it somewhere, but these days I just don’t care quite enough… all the bearings out there work more than well enough for what we need. > > Kyle Didn’t you do some tests and basically prove that no bearing is truly “Superior”? ---
**Author:** ![fjh123](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/fjh123/32/325_2.png) [@fjh123](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/fjh123)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2013, 3:40am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/bearing-spin-time-with-a-finger-flick/59870/30 "2013-10-08T03:40:35Z")
A flick is a quick and easy way to check the condition of a bearing. I do it to every one I clean and treat. When you do enough of them you will know if a problem exists. ---
**Author:** ![kyo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/df705f/32.png) [@kyo](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/kyo)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2013, 8:21am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/bearing-spin-time-with-a-finger-flick/59870/31 "2013-10-08T08:21:24Z")
> [@WildCat23](#): > > Didn’t you do some tests and basically prove that no bearing is truly “Superior”? The conclusion was simply that between the high quality bearings, there wasn’t enough of a difference to matter on anything short of sleeper records. And even in the low quality bearings, they were plenty adequate for the job. To the question on my setup… The yo-yo was screwed together through a ‘wall’ that acted as a fixture… the hole in the wall was sized precisely to fit the bearing snugly, just as a string would. This gives you a yo-yo totally fixed into an idealized position. The motor was simply a variable speed motor attached to a rubber wheel that contacted the rim… when spun up, you get a yo-yo at a precisely determined speed. ---
**Author:** ![n01mportant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/48db29/32.png) [@n01mportant](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/n01mportant)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2013, 9:37am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/bearing-spin-time-with-a-finger-flick/59870/32 "2013-10-08T09:37:27Z")
It’s not the be all end all to me, but I like to do is more as challenge type thing. The best results I’ve got were just shy of 50 seconds, I’d like to try for 60 but but anything around 20 is acceptable in my book. In my opinion it does have some merit, but I realize I do a lot of overkill. [Previous page](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/bearing-spin-time-with-a-finger-flick/59870.md?page=1)