Silicone secrets?

Does anyone have any secret techniques that they use for siliconing? I use a straw and cut a piece into a cone shape and use it for a disposable tip.

I use a syringe to apply it and a plastic triangle with rounded corners to make it concave.

when i’m done siliconing a yoyo Instead of trying to blow all the leftover silicone out of the tip, I just put a screw in there so when it dries I can just pull the silicone out and throw it away.

I believe some people use guitar pick for finishing the recess.
I’m not sure if ‘finishing’ is the correct term.

I’ve found using a guitar pick on flowable isn’t that great of an option. What it does is just grap deeper into the recess and removes more silicone, so if that’s your objective, it works good. Keep in mind that flowable self-levels.

Now, if your goal is to shape the silicone, you’ve got to use something else, such as red, blue or black gasket making silicone(red seems to be a common and popular choice), in which case, a guitar pick can work fine although many people prefer the back of a spoon. I never hear if they use a sugar spoon, tea spoon, table spoon, wooden spoon or a measuring spoon.

Different picks have different shapes. Different recesses have different widths.

I would recommend using guitar picks for non flowable RTV/sealant if you want concaved result.

What silicone brand are you using? I was trying to find this

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since it was what Sniffy suggested and I can’t find that exact brand here.

I’ve looked at all the hardware stores that I encounter and I still can’t find this exact one.
Any suggestions?

edit : removed link.

Also, do not link stores other than yoyoexpert, especially if they carry the product.

I found permatex flowable (same as yye) at autozone for 5$

Oh. Sorry about that. It was ignorant enough to not see that yye has those too…

???

It’s alright. They just don’t like it. Your link will always get deleted

It’s forgivable.

People here want you to learn as much as you can about whatever your yoyo-related queries can provide to you. Removing a link isn’t a big deal.

I’m not sure if using guitar picks are a good idea…the nitrate-based celluloid is known to be quite reactive. I don’t know what the solvents will do to the pick material…

IMO, the best thing to use are disposable plastic spoons. They take out just enough silicone and they’re so cheap you don’t need to worry about cleaning them.

I also much prefer flowable to RTV. It is a lot easier to install and many times easier to remove (important for an anodizer).

There is a difference in the feel of the bind between flowable and RTV though, so it’s good to try both and determine which you prefer.

Sili question (pun intended):

how do yall keep the silicone away from the bearing seats? Im pretty new to this and Ive only done it three times, every time I had some overflow into the seats. Easy enough to clean up, but still Im always afraid Ill miss a bit and it will get into my bearing when I install it…

I never have a problem with mine getting into it. If you apply it slowly and spin the yoyo (don’t move your hand) you should be able to get it in without any overflow. You can also use a straw for a nozzle to help keep it in the recess.http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/11/21/yzagy7u5.jpg

Nuzzles are, in my opinion, a waste of silicone. Just pour the content into the groove by droplets, it will level itself out. What I do is “stretch” the droplet as soon as the viscous fluid touches the groove to spread it evenly in the groove.

My advice is to just be careful about it. Even so, you can still get some in the bearing area. So, you should get some sort of bright light source so you can examine things when you’re done. Do your clean-up the best you can shortly after you have done your silicone job(say, a hour or so if you want). Otherwise, what I do is I just let it cure, then use that bright light to help me find any excess and then remove it using a wood toothpick. If you are worried, use some compressed air to blow it out as well.

Other options might include packing the bearing seat with something like cotton. I get these “beauty coils” since my in-laws run a beauty/barber college so it’s a supply they use frequently. Just seems too much hassle.

Other than that, use less, and be more on the “outside” so it should flow OUT and away. It takes some practice, you’ll get it soon. Don’t worry. Noticing you have the issue is a major step towards being able to fix the problem. I have little doubt you’ll be able to do this without worry fairly soon.