If you are frequently unscrewing and screwing a yoyo, stripping it is inevitable. I didn’t know this when I first started so I stripped two very good yoyos (ILYY Falcon, VSNYYC Battosai). Once I understood this, I stopped unscrewing every time I had a knot and started using a string pick. I have not stripped a yoyo since.
Another thing is that if a yoyo falls onto a hard surface from about 3 to 5 feet than it will likely receive damage that will cause vibe that is similar to but not as severe as stripping. This has happened to me with 3 yoyos, 2 over the past year and one a few years ago. It has happened more frequently to me because I moved to a place without any carpet.
I’ve only stripped a Roller Woody. That was because I tried to shim it out, not realizing I was then only engaging a few threads.
I have a G5 that along with a G.5 was almost the only yoyo I played for about eight years. The axle over time has pushed through both halves. I have to hold my finger over the hole on one side and carefully center it, but it still plays fine!
Not the axle, but the threads that the axle screws into. The axle is usually steel and the yoyo half aluminum, so the yoyo half is most often what gets damaged.
I have crossed threaded a couple to be honest, but only ever stripped one. Just hand tapped the threads and had to loctite an axle in it. The poor yomega dash will never come apart again but works like a charm.
That’s a good idea. I do that if there’s any grit in the threads the first time I take a yo-yo apart. I blow it out with air and use a lubricant and a q-tip to get every last bit of grit out. The lubricant helps the grit stick to the q-tip and helps prevent further damage to the threads.
I have stripped one yo-yo, but that was from dropping it—it ripped the axle out of one half along with all the threads. YYF replaced it though
I also had a yo-yo where the bearing had a little burr on the inside of the inner race that shredded the bearing post when taking apart the yo-yo. I almost chucked it because the bearing didn’t sit right when reassembled; the outer race scraped against the bearing well, but with some minor effort a little at a time I was able to clean it up enough to fix it. It’s pretty vibey now, but it plays fine and makes for a great beater.
I’ve only stripped 1 yoyo in recent times…and not even sure how it happened. My Duncan Raptor had taken a fall off my desk and hit the floor, threads got ripped out.
My Werrd Minute has come close to stripping somehow though but a little thread seal tape fixed it, still runs buttery smooth.
Stripped my brand new weekender just a little bit when I tightened it too much, as it has an open axle system. I can’t tell the difference in how it plays. Just goes to show it’s not always the end of the world when one strips. Just broke off the metal shaving and went on my way.
I recently cross threaded my grasshopper GTX when I was playing somewhere and forgot to bring my string pick. I felt the threads meshing weird and and stopped when I realized what I was doing . I could see the damaged thread, and just a bit of good thread at the base so I was able to get it back together correctly.
This is my first ever cross thread on a yoyo, but I’ve done this with my Subaru’s tensioner pulley bracket. You never know when it’s gonna strike.
When reassembling a yoyo lightly turn the half backwards until you feel a “click”. Then turn forward to assemble. If you do this every time it’s nearly impossible to strip during assembly.
^THIS!
Setting the threads is key to getting them started correctly. Set the threads, make sure you’re holding the halves parallel to each other (I like to hold one half flat in the palm of my hand while using my fingertips on the opposite hand to spin the other half, as if I was delicately screwing the lid onto a small jar) and don’t give 'er a ton of torque after it bottoms out and you’ll never strip a good yoyo.
I like to use the tips of my fingers to do the final torque, not my wrists.
. I could see the damaged thread, and just a bit of good thread at the base so I was able to get it back together correctly.