Flying Squirrel Tune-Up

Yo-Yo Mods and Maintenance
1

I recently acquired a Duncan Flying Squirrel. Out of the box it played horribly. It would sleep for about 10 seconds and it rattled and wobbled like it had rabies. ;D

If your Flying Squirrel also has rabies, follow these 3 simple steps to make it play like a boss!

  1. The 8 weights located in the side caps fit extremely loose out of the box. Apply a small amount of Elmer’s blue poster tack to each weight so they fit extra snug in the recesses. This will eliminate the rattling and wobbling. It also adds a slight amount of weight, which makes the yoyo feel more solid in your hand (Will also help with sleep times).

  2. The 2 rubber response stickers make the Flying Squirrel extremely grabby. By removing 1 of the response stickers, the yoyo will play a lot better. It is still responsive, but in not too grabby. It is also a good idea to stretch out the 1 remaining response sticker. They tend to be a little small and will rub against the bearing.

  3. Clean out the atrocious yellow grease that Duncan puts in their bearings. Take off one of the shields of the bearing and soak it in lighter fluid for a good 15 minutes (parental assistant recommended for all you youngsters ;)) Dry it out thoroughly and spin it on a pencil until it spins freely and smoothly. Apply a few drops of any thick lubricant of your choice (I use Super Lube for responsive bearings). Put the yoyo back together and throw a couple of long sleepers to break it in.

Your yoyo is now ready for some string tricks!
I hope this info can help anyone that is frustrated with their Flying Squirrel. :slight_smile:

2

When cleaning out bearings, it’s HIGHLY adviced and HIGHLY recommended that you remove both shields. This helps ensure all the stuff that you’re trying to remove is removed quicker and easier.

I can confirm that horrible grease Duncan uses. I’ve seen it in the Flying Panda, Pro Z(not all of them), Metal Drifter(new ones), Freakhand, FH2 and the Butterfly XT to name a few.

Also in my testing of various cleaning methods, not to push my “mineral spirits followed by acetone” cleaning method, but I’ve found that mineral spirits and/or acetone does a better job of removing the grease that lighter fluid and the electrical contact cleaner. Lighter fluid and the contact cleaner DO work, but it takes longer and requires more cleaning.

3

Duncan puts no grease in their bearings. They buy them that way.

Other than that your guide is good.