I used to clean and apply the tiniest amount of thin lube possible, spin it a few times to work it in, reassemble the yo, throw a hard sleeper than tug up and if the string moved AT ALL I would re clean it and try again until it was perfectly unresponsive from the first throw. Ive since determined that this is completely unnecessary and a waste of time and resources. Even if you put a little too much in it will spin itself out and play fine after a bit of play. Anyone else feel like this is something people are too obsessive about? Even to the point where some people wont even put lube at all in their bearings (Ive also done this so im not judging or telling you youre wrong for that) anyways like with everything different strokes for different folks but I think this is definitely a thing haha
I think for the vast majority of us non professionals, things like this get overblown a lot. While it does suck to have an unresponsive respond unexpectedly and smack your knuckle at break neck speeds, I don’t find it much of a problem because I do several safety throws after cleaning to make sure before injuring myself . Same with minor vibing throws. Mostly non issue for the majority of throwers.
Overthinking thin lube is on par with the hype about vibe. Mostly it’s all misguided perception, and the ordinary, average guy really will never really be able to discern either one…
Before lube, vibe was the lube, for fixies, lol.
Thin lube is kinda more about reducing noise and increasing bearing longevity more than anything in my experience. but im kinda new to fullly unresponsive so im not super sensetive to drag from thin lube. if i need more response i go to thicker lube and just a tiny dab. Me over thinking it…
I use pretty much the same process as Shredding to lube my bearings, except I give the yoyo a half-dozen throws and a Gyroscopic Flop. THEN if it’s still semi-responsive I know I put in too much lube and I usually re-clean and re-lube. I too noticed that the first throw after maintenance tends to be a little responsive but it quickly goes away.
I have a pin that somehow acquired a 90-degree bend a fraction of a millimeter from it’s tip, and that little “L” shape holds the perfect amount of lube for my bearings via capillary action.
Lubing a bearing for me is all about extending it’s lifespan at the cost of a tiny bit of drag and I’m good with that trade. Usually I end up tangled before the yoyo runs out of energy anyway.
Ivan
Also worth noting that both Gentry Stein and Adam from Yotricks in their bearing lube videos they both put a little more than most people do and they both said the same thing about throwing the yoyo around until it thins out.
Might I suggest the HyperspinTM method by @codinghorror. I think it works great and you’ll never have too much lube in your bearing ever again!
This is basically what I do. I put the bearing on the end of a chopstick to hold it, drop as small of a drop as possible into the bearing, spin it a few times with my finger, then blow into it with the compressed air a few times to really work it in and blow out the excess.
Edit: The paper cleaning method is another great trick to getting smoother bearings. You’d be surprised how much gunk gets in there.
The paper cleaning method is great, don’t get me wrong, but I would not really use it unless absolutely necessary (like the bearing still doesn’t spin smoothly after soaking in a solvent). It’s a bit risky as you might get a piece of paper stuck inside the bearing which is very difficult to remove.