OK, let’s lay it all out.
You need:
Masking tape.
Razor blade or other sharp cutting tool.
Wood Glue. I am using TiteBond II, but any quality wood glue is fine. Any not so quality wood glue should work OK as well. Elmer’s School glue can work too. Feel free to try something else. Whatever it is, you won’t need much
Yoyo string, your choice. Old is fine as long as it’s not too worn. You can always change it out later.
Clamp or tape or some way to hold something together.
Paper towels and/or newspaper to protect your work surface/area
Damp rag for clean-up. Paper towels work good too.
One of these: Toysrus.com, The Official Toys”R”Us Site - Toys, Games, & More – Toys"R"Us, which you can get at Toys R Us.
A touch of insanity
Nothing else better to do.
Parental permission. Parents, ask your kids before you do this. Singles: you’re on your own.
Sorry for no pictures. I was up late and am over-tired and didn’t feel like running downstairs to get the camera.
Let’s get started. Pick a place to work that’s well lit, protect your work surface with the newspaper, assemble the rest of the stuff and let’s get going.
Step 1: The string is attached to the wooden axle Yup, just crammed in there then the axle jammed over the end. So, you’re going to need to take this yoyo apart. Unwind the string best you can and then proceed to step 2. The string is NOT going to come out at this point.
Steo 2: Place masking tape on two areas across the gap. Mark one span with a single line, making sure you cross the gap with your mark. Mark the other with 2 lines with both lines crossing the gap. This is for alignment ASSUMING your yoyo already has a consistent gap. Most don’t. NOw, use the razor and slice the tape between the gaps.
Step 3: You’re going to need to rock and twist to take this yoyo apart. It’s OK, it’s secured well into the other side. BE PATIENT. I did one in 5 minutes, I did a second and it took like 30 minutes. DO NOT USE TOOLS or you’ll mark up this yoyo.
Step 4: Now that it’s apart, you can take out the string. Yo can see it’s a cord, not a string. Trash it or use it to make a hangman’s noose for your action figures. I’ll maybe detail how to do the noose in another posting. I’m using saving it to make a noose to be the keychain for a bearing puller I’m gonna order from another member on here.
Step 5: Use just a LITTLE glue and put it right in the bottom of the open hold in one half of the yoyo. Remember, the string was in there earlier. DO NOT replace the string.
Reminder: NOT MUCH GLUE. However, if you make a mess, you’ll have time to clean it up.
Step 6: Press the yoyo half with axle INTO the hole in the other half. Twist at least 360-degrees to get good glue coverage. If glue comes out of the hole:
Step 7: Take it apart NOW. Clean off excess glue everywhere there is glue. You may have to repeat steps 5m 6 & 7 several times. The good thing is that you need the glue on the INSIDE of the hole anyways.
Repeat back to Step 5, perhaps using a little less glue this time.
Step 8: Assuming you have your mess under control, you’re almost done. Line up your tape marks and see if your gab is consistent. If not, you might have to twist more until you can get it as good as you can. Use a clamp or tape or something to hold things together. If you have some devices that you can use to ensure you have a consistent, do it. Some of you definitely have better skills than I do. Next time I do this, I’m going to use a pair of scrapers I have(Hyde 5-in1 painter’s tool, available at Home Depot, I have 2 of these, but you can use 1/8" square dowels, which might actually work better, or pairs of quarters for thickness) Once the glue sets, you’ll be fine. Just make sure you do clean up the glue with the damp rag or else anything you place into the gap might get stuck there.
Step 9: Once your gab is as good as it’s going to get, it’s time to secure things up for a bit. Tape, or clamp or otherwise do something to compress it down, but do it evenly. We’re not trying to stuff 10 pounds of you know what into a 5 pound bag. Just enough pressure to ensure things stay together.
Step 10: PATIENCE!! The glue I am using recommends 24 hours for full set. Put it in a location where people aren’t going to want to mess with it.You can choose to wait that long if you want to. I waited overnight, which combined with when I did the modification, was over 14 hours. Read your instructions carefully. The worst that can happen is if you throw too soon, it might all fly apart and you have to re-glue and wait again.
Step 11: String it up and have some fun. Or at least try to.
The play on this is horrible. The inconsistent gap doesn’t help. Double looping helps a bit on it coming back. Sleeping doesn’t work so well, but maybe it needs to be broken in. Then again, my throw arm is weak right now due to injury, so maybe I can’t work it good right now.
Suggestions for future attempts:
Some sort of response system.
Coming up with some solution for this to be in a take-apart design with a metal or wood axle using off the shelf parts with minimal costs and modifications but without compromising the cute graphics.
Not exactly a mind-blower, or even a challenge for a first mod. Sometimes, you just do it because you can.