Hey! Just wanted to give an update on my yoyo progress this month.
I got the N12 Shark Honour as my first proper yoyo (before this I only had a cheap $4 toy one, if that even counts). I directly started with unresponsive because my parents weren’t okay with buying two yoyos—like I mentioned in my older post asking for suggestions.
Even though it was tough at the start, I had a lot of fun. It felt amazing when I finally landed tricks after trying the whole day. During the first week, I was yoyoing so much I thought the string would cut my finger . But now, I can play for hours and it doesn’t hurt—except when the yoyo hits me during a knot (those hurt ).
I’m going through the first 50 tricks, and right now I’m trying Barrel Rolls. I did skip a few tricks and tried stuff like Plastic Whip and Gyroscopic Flop, even though my Breakaway and straight throw are not perfect yet. They usually lean or tilt while spinning. I’m working on it by throwing again and again and adjusting slightly each time.
Problems I’m Facing:
1. My throws lean a lot
No matter how much I try, the yoyo tilts after the throw. I’m trying to fix my wrist and throw straight but still not consistent.
2. Can’t do Snap Start or Quick Wind
Tried so many times, but I just can’t get it to work with unresponsive. I watched videos and all, but nothing is clicking. Right now, I just wind it by hand
3. Yoyo becomes responsive again after some time
I cleaned the bearing using Zippo lighter fluid and it worked for a while, but after 1–2 hours, the yoyo becomes responsive again and makes weird sounds like something’s stuck (but there’s nothing inside).
I don’t have proper yoyo lube, so I’m planning to try 3-in-1 oil mixed with lighter fluid (1:3 ratio) and use a small drop. Will that work? Or is the bearing dead?
Yo you’re crushing it yo
1 your throw will straighten itself out on its own like dw about it, just keep playing and getting more comfortable
I think this restart is pretty easy just like go for a make it rain type motion and pinch the loop when you go to return it. Dw if it doesn’t come all the way up like let it go back down and try to bind off the spin it has left. Keep trying and youll get it. Having a restart without hand winding is really helpful.
Bearing is probably fine just make sure to shake it a lot in the solvent and make sure to let it dry really well
That was the first restart that actually worked for me, I still do it from time to time. It’s a good one.
Bearings and jam up more quickly if your string is all fuzzy and shaggy. A lot of times you can just play thru the noise and it will be fine, but if it happens too much it can slow the bearing down.
Shark is a good yoyo, it can be beat and keep on going. For the snap start find your self a good movie/show and wrap the yoyo around your throw hand till you have like 6-8 inches and just practice snapping it, mainly focusing on your thumb doing the work.
My bearing doesn’t have shields, and I soaked it properly for a good amount of time. I also made sure it was fully dry before using it again. I didn’t have any lube with me, but since the bearing only spins a little and sometimes gets stuck, I thought maybe adding just a little lube would help.
Lube will not make a bearing spin longer, this is a common misconception. Lube will make the yoyo spin quieter, but for unresponsive play, it is most common to play the yoyo “dry” as it gets the longest spin times that way.
As you all mentioned I cleaned my bearing again but this time I used the paper slip method and yeah there was a lot of black gunk on the paper, once done I rinsed the bearing again in the lighter fluid, now it plays well. Hope it stays this way and I will update if the bearing still gets responsive just within few hours.
I’m trying the Restart method for winding the yoyo, once learn that it will make my life a lot more easier.
I know I’m probably cheaping out, but can I reuse the lighter fluid I used for cleaning? I thought I’d need to clean the bearing once a week, but now it seems like I have to clean it every day (if the paper slip method doesn’t help me). Also, is it safe to just pour the used lighter fluid down the sink once I’m done?
You can save it to reuse if you’d like, watchmakers save cleaning fluid for many batches of parts cleaning all the time. I just run mine through a coffee filter after I run my machine to filter out the debris washed out from the service.
Anyway, once you get your bearing good and clean, it should be good for a while, especially if you’re actively cleaning it like with the paper method you described.
Just 5–10 minutes after cleaning, the bearing became super responsive again. It also kind of jerks while spinning at regular intervals. I checked and don’t see any visible debris inside the bearing this time.
Not sure what’s going on. Maybe the bearing’s just dying?
MagicYoyo bearings come with some serious lube in them, which is likely causing your responsiveness even after cleaning
I highly recommend 100% acetone for cleaning your bearings, lighter fluid just didn’t do as good of a job in my experience. Give it a good long soak, some shakes, spin the bearing a few times and drop it back it. Remove and flick it out
If that doesn’t clean it, bearing needs to be replaced
If all the solvents fail you, I use dawn dish soap and hot water with a brush to scrub the bearing gently. I put it on a paintbrush end and blow all the water out with a blower (you can use canned air or you can put it in a washcloth and use centrifugal force to dry it by spinning your arm)
Then I add a very small amount of lube to quiet it and spin it with the blower for a bit and usually I’m good to go. Some bearings just never smooth out no matter how clean. I tend to replace those.
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