# Modded Mosquito **URL:** https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/modded-mosquito/15173 **Category:** Yo-Yo Mods and Maintenance **Created:** [June 4, 2010, 12:31am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/modded-mosquito/15173 "2010-06-04T00:31:24Z") **Posts on this page:** 1 **Showing post:** 15
### Author: ![dirty\_birdy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/dirty_birdy/32/299_2.png) [@dirty\_birdy](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/dirty_birdy) #### Post date: [June 9, 2010, 10:17am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/modded-mosquito/15173/15 "2010-06-09T10:17:47Z")
For what it’s worth, here’s my old Mosquito weight mod, pulled together by combining a few posts from some other forums… Continuing our series of modding inexpensive Duncan yo-yos, today’s topic will be the diminutive, yet nicely shaped, lime green Mosquito, as pictured below. The Mosquito is a small butterfly shape with a wide gap, ideal for the younger set with little hands. Unfortunately, it possesses the typical shortcomings of most low-priced Duncans, light weight and friction stickers. While others have recessed Mosquitos for silicone, as I have here, super gluing BBs into a yo-yo for weight is irreversible, not pretty, and may result in the end caps permanently attached! Proposed here is a simple system, quick to make and install, and fully reversible… Our next victim: ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/yoyoexpert1/original/4X/d/f/c/dfcce10eae998069580a0f32e96afc79cb93c0ba.jpeg) ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/yoyoexpert1/original/4X/3/d/9/3d92eed13b8df3dc8da6eb30b784357b10a0bb51.jpeg) Here’s the inside of one of the halves. Note that the screw holes to attach the end caps are located right near the outer edge, precluding the addition of a solid washer or ring for weight. ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/yoyoexpert1/original/4X/5/d/1/5d1589cd9fe937fcd51e8680ca3f74f919b534e4.jpeg) The solution is simple and elegant. Simply go to your nearest hardware/home store (such as Home Depot, Lowe’s, etc) and purchase a length of 5/16" diameter (3/16" ID) vinyl tubing, as shown here. I get 20 feet of this for about $4 at Home Depot. ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/yoyoexpert1/original/4X/4/0/d/40d8edf2c06006d520565c84265e9346ed22d3ac.jpeg) ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/yoyoexpert1/original/4X/3/f/8/3f8f5d7198667745f8a064e8fd05cb4a5b6876b4.jpeg) Next, cut four pieces of tubing, each to a length of 1 3/4". ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/yoyoexpert1/original/4X/c/d/7/cd71c77d1cbd5ed8252e0505f176a45673da55ac.jpeg) Curve/bend the tubing to sit on the outside edge of the inside of the yo-yo, the ends should press against the raised screw hole recess to hold them in place, like this: ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/yoyoexpert1/original/4X/5/b/b/5bb8ba2269dce1d418878f5d81b9371f686ecc92.jpeg) ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/yoyoexpert1/original/4X/4/2/d/42d09e3786c11539f869846670a9babacef4acee.jpeg) Screw the end caps back on and away you go! I haven’t weighed the yo-yo yet, but it feels like it now weighs on the order of 60-some grams, much better than the original, lightweight value of about 47 grams. I’ve also added a fairly wide recess for silicone on one of the halves, it’s about 3 mm wide and a little more than 1mm deep. This is just a first attempt for a recess, I may do something on the other side once I remove the friction sticker. Here’s a picture of the recess. ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/yoyoexpert1/original/4X/a/8/5/a85f77cd257e23076dceef17dcd1987cab77eec3.jpeg) Once the bearing was cleaned and lubed the Mosquito plays very nicely, now that it has a nice weighty feel to it. One thing I have noticed about the Duncan bearings is that they are kind of hit-or-miss. Sometimes you clean a brand new one and it spins silky smooth, others run with a little vibration, don’t sleep as long, and ultimately get binned for the looping yo-yos. Hot off the scales: The original Mosquito weighed in at 47 grams. The Mod version comes in at 57 grams. The scale is accurate to +/- 1 gram. The mod version is still a little light…hmm, we’ll have to come up with a simple weight addition program…BBs? For the BB weight lovers here, 50 Crosman Copperhead BBs weigh in at about 17 grams, so 32 BBs weigh about 10.9 grams. …As I sit here I’m adding the next mod. The variable weight system! Why did I pick this size of vinyl tubing, you ask? Simple…it fit in the yo-yo, and, guess what fits snugly inside the tube, especially when the tube is bent around the edge of the yo-yo? You got it…BBs! So, I’m adding 32 BBs right now, eight in each tube, which should add about 10-11 grams of weight. I’ll see if they stay in place once I get done and throw it a little…Sorry, I’ve taken no pics of the BBs in the tubes, use your imagination! Final weight: 67-68 grams. None of the BBs appear to be moving after a good number of throws…Success! I hope you’ve enjoyed this edition of Duncan Mods. Come back next time and we’ll take on the Dragonfly with the same weight technique, only this time we’ll make a complete tubing circle with the same, cheap tubing!!! Enjoy! db --- _[View the full topic](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/modded-mosquito/15173)._