Hı. My unresponsive Silenus became responsive in one week. I cleaned it with nail polish remover and it is still responsive. I don’t have lube and I can’t buy one because shipping costs 30 dollars. I made my own lube with sewing machine oil and deluted with asetone. It is still responsive what should I do?
I think your bearing has broken, try to change it
Shipping costs 30 dollars.
Clean the bearing again and don’t lube it. You may want to use something other than nail polish remover as well. If the bearing is clean it should spin quite well without lube. Many people never lube their bearings as lube increases responsiveness. However, the bearing will be a bit noisy. If the yoyo is still responsive it may be the bearing or your response pads. It’s often a good idea to try a new string as well.
If you need a new bearing you should be able to match it from your local hardware store.
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Try this method:
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CL6jBtchWJ6/?igshid=17uiub0ysz982
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What should I use instead off nail polish remover.
mineral spirits
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Has anyone actually tried this method of cleaning a bearing?
Avoid using Soap/Water on your bearings. Anything that can leave a residue like that is not going to fully clean your bearing and you will just end up having to do it all over again very soon.
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You can replace soap and use any degreaser of your preference that you feel more comfortable with.
If you use soap or water you need to make sure not residues are left.
I personally have used this method for many years and no need to buy any replacement bearing.
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definitely do not use soap and water… that sounds like a nightmare… as others have said mineral spirits is pretty tried and true, if thats hard to find look for 90% iso alcohol, and make sure it dries completely
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Good applicable tips can be found here:
skate board bearings really should not be treated the same as yoyo bearings, really really different purposes when cleaning it, a skateboard bearing is cleaned to get dirt out… a yoyo bearing needs to be cleaned as to not be responsive like the creator of this post wants, a skateboard does not have the risk of becoming responsive. You really need to be specific about leaving no residue in you bearing if you want it to be truly unresponsive, I would not use the bones bearing instructions as a base for yoyo bearing maintenance
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Agreed—the reference was for the cleaning section and the type of degreaser you could use.
The rest should be only applicable to skate board bearings.
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To be more precise, this section only:
“1. Clean your bearings when they become dirty or noisy with the most environmentally friendly cleaner you can find that is suitable for dissolving oil, grease, and removing dirt from the steel, plastic and rubber surfaces. We have tried many cleaners and solvents and many of them can be used safely. Citrus based cleaners can work, but they tend to leave behind a slight residue. Solvents are dangerous to use, but often provide a superior solution to cleaning very dirty bearings. If you use a water based cleaner like a citrus cleaner or a detergent, be sure to dry your bearings IMMEDIATELY and then re-coat them with lubricant to prevent rust. Some solvents/commercial products that we have used are: pure, or almost pure, isopropyl alcohol (The kind normally found in markets is only 10% pure and does not cut grease well.); Gumout® carburetor cleaner (found in auto parts stores); acetone (found in hardware stores). If you can’t find any of these solvents like acetone or pure alcohol, you can use paint thinner or lacquer thinner, but these cleaners are oil based and may leave an oily residue on the inner surfaces of your bearings.”
If you have acetone you can use that to clean the bearing, then leave it dry or only with a SMALL amount of lube. Lube makes a bearing more responsive.
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Let’s just say never use Soap and Water to clean your bearings. I’d rather not have to start fielding questions from customers about why their bearing stopped working properly when they used a soap/water method…
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You can find a lot of useful info on bearing cleaning and lubing here (along with other useful tips):
I think you were referred to this section before. Take some time to take a look at it.
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Can I use lighter fluid?
Yes, it’s actually one of the better solvents IMHO.