Love the idea of snow tires, love the convenience too. However, for me, not my cup of tea. They can be a bit unpredictable, snaggy, and just are sassy little thangs!
Two days ago I siliconed (clear) the following:
AC2
Beater
Big Dipper
Compass
Manatee
Wildfire
I threw my favorite bearing in each of them, taking turns to feel the performance. I was completely blown away! I love CLYW, and still play my bvm, peak…so this really just feels “at home.” So much smoother and binds are tiiiiiight!
That’s it, don’t hesitate if you’ve been thinking about silicone. Try it! You don’t like it- remove it, put something else in!
Did you use flowable permatex or something else? I’ve got a YYF monometal that I love but it’s a little snaggy and it already has “normal” weight string on it so I’ve been thinking of putting some harder pads in, but maybe I should try silicone.
I got 2 tubes of VersaChem Brand Flowable Silicone (clear windshield & glass sealer) at O’Reilly’s and both have cracked the caps. The first tube was completely stopped up and blocked, so I got a second. I won’t get a third. I haven’t had it long enough to give a review of it’s reliability or longevity. I used Permatex Red Gasket Maker last summer and it was pretty reliable and long-lasting. I’m gonna try some kind of clear Permatex next. Not sure if “Flowable Silicone” is better than the high-temp clear gasket maker. I kind of think that the high-temp would probably be better just because yoyos spin fast.
I just realized last month that I have got a tech tool repair kit a while ago that included a bunch of jewerly sized screwdrivers as well as a bunch of spudgers (plastic and metal) and a couple of those are really perfect for scraping out small amounts of silicone to get it recessed a little more when I’ve accidentally put too much in. I’ve also used plastic spoons.
The rso landing pads sold here fit the clyw and are much more flush like a silicone job. Ive swapped out the snow tires for these in many models and it makes the binds less snaggy. I like the ease of the sticker pad of silicone as well.
I got an AC and it has a tiny gap. Thats what made me try. Now i do it to a ton of my clyw
I had a similar experience with snow tires in my first clyw (borealis 2). they sat EVER SO SLIGHTLY proud of the groove and that was it lol.
i recently discovered that RCS Gamer pads are the perfect replacement for snow tires. they are just thinner than snow tires to make it so it sits flush with the groove, after a few weeks of heavy play no snags and tight, snappy binds.
Really was about to do my manatee! Took it apart and everything. I’m gonna see if it turns up and replace it if it’s lost by the weekend. My wife is on the hunt and she has an uncanny ability to locate stuff. I am confident my Manatee will be siliconed and spinning by Saturday morning.
Yes, but do we really know how much friction hear is generated by the string stopping a yoyo spinning several thousands of times per second? And considering that the center is moving faster than the edge, it could be pretty warm in there for a fraction of a second.
I guess it can’t be hot enough to melt string. I don’t think i ever thought it was getting really hot in there, but I wondered if the high temp silicone was maybe stronger and more highly adherant to the yoyo.
LOL sorry to be that guy but, as a record nerd turned yoyo…ummm…enthusiast, I have to point out that the edge is moving faster than the center, not the other way around.
