Hi all! I am new here and I have a question about the original type of string that came with the older Duncan professional Slimline yo-yos from the late 70s early 80s. The original string was a bit smaller in size but I changed it because it looked old and worn out. And replace it with what I think after further research might be a type 8. Now it doesn’t respond very well to string tricks. Probably because the string is too thick?
Mind you these are used yo-yos that I bought that came with an original string, and appear to with come with a smaller string with fewer strands. Possibly a type-6 string I’m guessing. But was it 100% cotton or a blend of cotton and polyester. When I look at the type 6 Strings available now online they all say 50/50 cotton polyester. Was it the same back then on the Duncan Professional? Is 50/50 polyester cotton the only thing available in a type-6 string?
Hi Dan. All the old Duncan stuff I have around has type 8 cotton, but I know a lot of it is not original. The most original looking string is from an 80s era Wonder Woman yo-yo and it is type 8.
When you say the string doesn’t respond well to string tricks, do you mean it is too responsive and catching too soon, or not responsive enough to get to tug return?
Metal axles are a little weird, but you may do well to try slick 6 or just fiddle around with the string tension. Also some string takes quiet a bit of playing to loosen up and start behaving right.
Yes. With the type 8 string it’s too responsive. I have two other Slimline professionals that have a smaller string that they came with. I just don’t know enough about them as to whether they were all a hundred percent cotton back then, or was it a blend like
the one you’re recommending.
They would have come with cotton string, but slick 6 should work. On some of the old Duncan stuff I got, there was rust on the axle, you may need to clean it up by wrapping an old string around the axle a couple times and pulling it out, kind of polishing the surface up.
Well I’m happy to say the Slick 6 worked! I get quite a number of throws where it sleeps four times as long as the original cotton string, and certainly longer than a type 8. I have older Duncan Imperial yo-yos that are from the late 60s that now perform better than ever. Thank you for your suggestion!