So, long story short, I’ve been very very… short on money, like I don’t have a dime. I usually take my time cleaning my yoyos and make sure all are nice and clean so they play great all the time. Recently, I ran out of lighter fluid and I tried cutting down my yoyoing time until I can afford some and now all my yoyos are super noisy and weird playing !! I still can’t afford any lighter fluid and I’m seeking your help for a last resort cleaning solution that I can use! Here’s what I have in mind:
Vinegar: I use it to shine my silver chains after wearing them for long
Alcohol: for the woooooonds
Soap & water & blow drier: I’m thinking what if I wash my bearings really well then blow dry it right away?
Lube: yes I have lube, does lubing my yoyo without cleaning make it any better?
I’ve a bunch of cleaning detergents that my mom uses, but I don’t think any of them should be used to clean bearings!
I’m Dry Play treating mine(along with acetone) and I haven’t had to clean those bearings since I cleaned and treated them. Unless the bearing is bad, I’ve had zero issues.
Also, don’t think using lube will clean your bearing. Lube is to prevent wear. If you’re just using lube, it will break down, so adding more lube(say, 1/2 drop every month if heavily played, less often if not heavily played, say once every 3 or more months)(note: bearings are shielded). If your bearing doesn’t have any foreign debris in it, you shouldn’t need to clean it.
But, if pressed, Dawn dishwashing liquid(it’s designed to break down oil and help wash it away) with a strong rinse and aggressive drying(blow into it if you have to). I recommend Dawn because of the fact it is tough on removing oils, and like other dishwashing detergents, it is designed to rinse completely away.
I have 4 yoyos that I use excessively, almost everyday, I use AT LEAST 2 of them everyday, last time I cleaned them (I always clean all at once) was about 5-6 weeks ago that was also the last time I applied lube on them
What exactly are “foreign debris” ?
So for the washing method I just shake them in water with Dawn and blow dry them? I think I have compressed air blower so that should work fine!
Should I put half a drop of lube once they’re dry?
BTW I lost the C ring for my protostar bearing, so I can’t really put the shield back on… is that really bad? Or normal? I mean it still works lol so I’m guessing its not a big difference? I use my protostar for freehand which I don’t do THAT often but fairly practiced
Vigorously shake in water with some Dawn (or whatever you have). Vigorously rinse in just water. Blow it out with the compressor until dry.
If you want lube at all (I always do, but your mileage may vary!): Half a drop of lube, spin it around on a chopstick or whatever, then spin it some more with the air compressor. The blast from the air compressor will dislodge an extreme excesses of lube and the high-speed spinning will give you a jump-start on breaking it in.
yes air compressor, my dad used to be a dentist… but yeah, I think half a drop is what I put last time I lubed and it lasted this long which is perfect so! Thanks a lot Greg and Studio42 Thank you both. I’ll get on it as soon as I can, sounds pretty simple and easy!
If you don’t need to clean the bearing, then why do it?
While I’m advocating cleaning bearings and I clean all my bearings as much as possible when I first get them. That is MY choice. Most don’t need cleaning in the first place.
it’s true nail polish remover has acetone in it, but it has way too many other things that you really don’t want in your bearing! I cleaned it with water and Dawn then dried it with the air compressor and now it works like a charm.
Gasoline man, I could have sworn it’s the best bearing cleaner ever, easy to find, cheap, and works at as good as lighter fluid.
Also I recommend doing the paper slip cleaning afterwards.
