Is there a difference between the flowable silicone you buy “specifically for yoyos” and the stuff you can buy at an automotive store for sealing windshields?
If not, what are other products able to be used for a yoyos response system?
If you look at the picture closely, you’ll see it actually is “windshield & glass sealer”, So I would think if you find the same product at a store, it should do just as well.
I hadn’t seen that in the store. I had only seen the MFD and whatnot. I guess I’m Cpt. Obvious this evening.
Have you tried the Monkey Finger or any of the other name brands?
From the YYE FAQ re: flowable silicon:
"Is VersaChem® Flowable silicone better than any other brand’s?
To my experience, the answer is no. Just about anything that says “Flowable silicone windshield and glass sealer” will work just as good. "
Monkey Snot is awesome, I use it in my MFD yoyos and others as well.
Thanks! I’m thinking about ordering some, since you can get pretty much any color you want. I can pick up windshield silicone just a few minutes from my house though…decisions, decisions. Haha.
I believe this is the stuff that ILOVEYOYO uses in their yoyos. It’s a European version of the Permatex brand silicone that you can buy at your local car parts store. Several years ago, I bought a tube of Motorsil D for 20 dollars plus shipping because I had finally found the grail. What did I discover by ordering this magic potion? It’s nothing special, just vibrantly red and uncommon in the American markets. Stick with the local source, don’t be fooled into paying the premium online.
But red is the fastest color. Everybody knows that. 
Seriously, my experience has been that they all perform about the same, and I’ve used a ton of different types of silicone.
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I don’t have extensive silicone experience, but I will say this: the flowable is less likely to “stick” to the walls of the groove. This is good in that it makes for clean removal when the time comes. But it is “bad” in that I have had some pop out on rare occasions. I mean… when they pop out, you can re-apply… it’s not like they pop out after only a few days or something.
The non-flowable is a pain to manage, and can also pop out, particularly if you don’t make sure there are no air pockets in it. But it is a bit stickier in terms of adhesion to the walls of the groove. Or so I’ve experienced. All anecdotal evidence here, which is always a shaky thing. 
All that to say: if you can’t find flowable, or if you want something with colour to it (red is the fastest!) you can use RTV/high-temp gasket maker. It doesn’t self-level, but it makes a great response.
I think with my initial try, I’m definitely going with flowable. That way I don’t have to worry about leveling. I wonder if you can get yellow or green without buying the monkey snot…hmmm, have to do some research into that. I’ll be siliconing whichever throws response runs out first, not sure which it will be, I jump back and forth between my Cypher and Horizon so much they may wear out at pretty much the same time.
Is it considered wise/unwise to silicone offstring throws?
I LOVE using Flowable Silicone over any type of pads I have purchased, but hten again I really like a snappy bind.
The Permatex here at YYE is I believe $6.00, but the Monkey Snot is $7.00. Give the Monkey Snot a try. It’s a little softer after it cures than Permatex, which gives you a very affirmative bind.
It’s also ridiculously easy to pour, and comes in various colors as well. It’s all I use lately.
Just sayin…
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I’m also a Monkey Snot fan. Trivial to use, store and (crucially for me) re-use at a later date. I like the binds it gives, and the great bit about flowable for me is that I feel I can, to some extent, tune the degree of snappiness. This can be achieved by very slightly altering the level of the flowable in the groove. I’ve also never had flowable that I’ve applied pop out. And of course it auto-levels 
Couple all of this with some funky colors and I wouldn’t look elsewhere. I certainly don’t buy pads because I don’t have the time or inclination to sort through which size, shape, depth, weight, height, elevation, number, favorite eye color… and everything else you seem to need to find the right pads.
The different types of pads I’ve used are basically all YYF. The green, yellow and white I have tried. How does flowable compare to these?
I’ve had that happen as well, which is why I started leaving roughened up grooves in the yoyos I mod. I love, though, that flowable flows down into the groove, which leads me to the downside with RTV …
[quote=“GregP,post:9,topic:70164”]
RTV doesn’t flow, and if you don’t tamp it into the groove well enough, there can be airbubbles under the surface, which reduces the life of the response. And it starts to harden quickly once it’s exposed to the air, so you need to work more quickly than with flowable. Also, for anyone who hasn’t used it, it also smells terrible.
@OP - Anywho, I’m no eXpert ::), but this is one of those things that it’s easy to over think. Any of these products under discussion here will serve your purpose well.
You’ve always got great advice jrod.
So anything flowable works. With it being flowable, it will also work the air bubbles out on its own, right?
It doesn’t quite always manage to let the bubbles flow out, but if you’re reasonably careful you won’t get any bubbles at all.
With flowable you sometimes get very small airbubbles that are usually easy to remove with the corner of a credit card. But even if you just leave them, it’s not a big deal in my experience. With RTV, the air bubbles are much bigger in my experience, and more of a pain to eliminate - but certainly doable.
Frankly, there was a time back in the day when folks were super into the red RTV that came in ILYY yoyos - a lot of folks felt that their particular red RTV lasted longer and performed better. I couldn’t ever tell a difference myself. That said, the red definitely looks cooler than the clear flowable, and my guess is that the coolness factor was (and is) a big part of the attraction.
Seems like a lot of opinions on the “best” in the yoyo community are based on hype. I’ve never heard anything but good things about ILYY, so I’d say the hype surrounding their technologies is warranted. That being said, I will be applying silicone for the first time ever, so I’d say flowable is the best bet.
The first time you apply flowable, you may find the application is not as neat as you’d like it to be. Perhaps have some paper towels/tissues or something of that nature on hand to tidy up the area around the response groove. It is often said that this area is easiest to clean up after the response has dried, but initially I found it best to remove any excess or erroneously applied flowable right after I’d got the level I wanted in the response area.