Zero jeans and zero unpolished leather… you’re a mysterious man Mr. Codinghorror.
How’s your sandpaper supply? Really fine sandpaper, like 3000 grit, will polish without removing ano if you’re not too aggressive with it. Just cut a small square and gently rub around the response area.
Perhaps you can buy some jeans - for science!
I’ve considered it.
We were the first to make bearing seats for the blast and we still do it on a few yoyos but it largely became a non event for most people. (Original DNA if you wanna check history. That yoyo was also the first to use 1/2 spec / full spec to change response). The first strings typically wear and rough surfaces down after that there rarely is an issue. Ironically even when masked the first strings still do some buffing.
Singularity is being replaced this summer and it’s replacement will have a masked area.
As to ‘why you’? I think it’s because you have more new yoyos than the average bear 
Aha! This answers many questions I had! Thank you sir.
The Scotch-Brite pad on a kitchen sponge works pretty well too.
Yeah I’ve had a few that seemed to be cutting string. Most of the time I feel like it’s the rough blast/finish. I’ll usually polish the response bump with 8000-grit sandpaper and that seems to solve it.
So far I’ve experienced it with a b-grade Pivot (heard Tom from Throws N Brews complaining of string eating with the Pivot, too), Rain City Skills Showgirl, 6061 Woofa (with the really aggressive blast) and a couple of others.
