A student brought in a bumblebee where the string kept slipping in between the bearing and spacer and was jamming. He asked me to take a look at it.
We took it apart, bearing and spacer look normal, and it seems to fit together snugly- but the string still gets wedged in after a throw or two. Ideas? He’s a kid so I don’t know what his finances are like so I felt odd telling him to just buy a new piece. Thoughts?
You can try sanding down the back of the spacers. If the seam between the spacers and the bearing is exposed at all in the gap, then the string can usually slip in between. Sanding down the spacers can fix that by putting that seam further into the shell of the yoyo where the string won’t reach it. This will also make the gap a bit smaller.
Does it use the old brake pads like Bumblebees used to back in the day (the starburst-like pads that look kind of like cork)? If so, it could be that the break pads are worn down too much, and that new break pads could keep the string from being able to get to the edge of the bearing and slip off.
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First of all, make sure that the spacers are on the right way. It sounds silly and obvious, but it happens more often than you think.
Make sure there is nothing between the spacers and the yoyo. A little gunk could be pushing the spacer away from the body, exposing the gap between the bearing and the spacer.
Confirm that both spacers are the same. Duncan has many different sized spacers, and if you’re not using the proper bumblebee ones, you could have a problem.
Make sure that the yoyo is tightened all of the way. It might look like it is, but it could just be jammed. Shake it a little. If you hear a rattling or a knocking, it probably means that the axle or bearing is jiggling around. Try tightening it some more.
Replace the pads. If I recall correctly, the cork pads wear out pretty quickly, and need to be replaced regularly. I’m not exactly sure on how the cork pads function, but I’d be willing to bet that they help keep the bearing away from the gap between the bearing and the spacer.
Those are the only possible problems I can think of right now. Good luck fixing the yoyo!
Thanks guys! I gave a bumblebee of my own and compared, they looked the same. But I’ll take another look. I’ll show him your responses and give him a hand with it.
If it is a loosely wound string the threads can slip between the bearing/spacer
It is either not tightened, there is something causing it not to tighten- small thing in the spacer or bearing or under the spacer.
When you tighten it all the way, does it feel FIRM. Or does it feel loose?