# The ultimate maintenance guide **URL:** \ **Category:** Yo-Yo Mods and Maintenance\ **Created:** [April 18, 2022, 8:25pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/the-ultimate-maintenance-guide/356078 "2022-04-18T20:25:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![erebus](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/erebus/32/156121_2.png) [@erebus](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/erebus)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 8:25pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/the-ultimate-maintenance-guide/356078/1 "2022-04-18T20:25:14Z")
1. bearings: i find the first thing to when my bearing is messed up is de-shield if you don’t know how to do this yotricks has a great video right here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LQ62wy0qjI&t=160s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LQ62wy0qjI&t=160s) this video also shows you how to clean your bearing I find isopropyl alcohol works better but if you want a quick run down you fill a small cup or shot glass to about 1/8th and soak the bearing for like and hour this is if your bearing is crusty of if you over lubed it, anything significantly hindering its spin. to take bearings out you can carefully use plyers or use a special tool (make sure the plyers have a circular opening in the back) other wise use thin lube for an unresponsive yoyo when it becomes responsive and thick for when a responsive yoyo turns unresponsive 2. response pads: you don’t need to know too much here if they fall out or if its hard to bind then replace them, in terms of preference it depends thicker response pads bind tighter but sometimes accidentally bind aka snag and slim ones don’t bind as hard so you may sometimes miss but otherwise its really up to preference ( i prefer slim) 3. axel: if the axels stuck CAREFULLY grip it with plyers and twist otherwise yoyofactory bearings have a hole on one side and if you have one of their bearing removal tools you’ll find there’s a little metal stick you can put it in the hole and its kid of like a screw head (only do this if you have to and make sure you check if your yoyo even has a removable axel) 4. vibe: for bi metals you can take a hammer and put a towel on top of the side and CAREFULLY hit it around the outer rims this will drive them further into the yoyo and reduce vibe (this only works of your yoyo has outer rims if you want to learn how to do it with a different type of yoyo like the og edge or a yoyo without outer rims click here [How to fix Bi-Metal Vibe](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/how-to-fix-bi-metal-vibe/352680) ) for monometals maybe screw it together otherwise try different axel or bearing configurations if you have something else to add please reply to this thread p.s thin lube alternatives: sewing machine oil, trumpet valve oil ---
**Author:** ![mable](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/mable/32/194074_2.png) [@mable](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/mable)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 8:30pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/the-ultimate-maintenance-guide/356078/2 "2022-04-18T20:30:17Z")
> [@erebus](#): > > axel: if the axels stuck CAREFULLY grip it with plyers and twist otherwise yoyofactory bearings have a hole on one side and if you have one of their bearing removal tools you’ll find there’s a little metal stick you can put it in the hole and its kid of like a screw head Highly advise against doing this unless you absolutely have a reason to. If your yoyo is playing fine, don’t remove the axle if you don’t have to. It’s a good way to either strip your yoyo or strip the threading on the axle. I feel like I’ve seen more people complain about having ruined their axle because they wanted to remove the axle for no real reason and took pliers to it. Also keep in mind the yoyos that don’t have removable axles. People taking pliers to a Replay Pro axles and ruining them feels like a pretty regular occurrence. ---
**Author:** ![suspense](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/suspense/32/178499_2.png) [@suspense](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/suspense)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 8:37pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/the-ultimate-maintenance-guide/356078/3 "2022-04-18T20:37:14Z")
I think Flowable Silicone is worth mentioning. I was a bit overwhelmed with pad variety so I just went with flowable and I’ve never looked back. The only downside is you have to wait 24 hours for a full cure. ---
**Author:** ![Marioyo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/marioyo/32/303068_2.png) [@Marioyo](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Marioyo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 8:37pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/the-ultimate-maintenance-guide/356078/4 "2022-04-18T20:37:23Z")
How to remove stuck axles with no risk: Jam nut ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/yoyoexpert1/original/4X/d/b/e/dbeeb448a2c338cfb3011e0e79f6c7ca8bba8f3e.jpeg) Lock them together then unscrew the lower nut. Only works of you have enough thread to work with. ---
**Author:** ![erebus](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/erebus/32/156121_2.png) [@erebus](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/erebus)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 9:17pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/the-ultimate-maintenance-guide/356078/5 "2022-04-18T21:17:36Z")
guide updated! ---
**Author:** ![erebus](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/erebus/32/156121_2.png) [@erebus](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/erebus)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 9:18pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/the-ultimate-maintenance-guide/356078/6 "2022-04-18T21:18:23Z")
didn’t even know that existed ---
**Author:** ![jhb8426](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/jhb8426/32/631_2.png) [@jhb8426](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/jhb8426)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2022, 5:40am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/the-ultimate-maintenance-guide/356078/7 "2022-04-19T05:40:11Z")
It would seem there’s more than meets the eye to being “the ultimate…” Take a look here: [Useful modification & maintenance guides -- clean, repair, tune, fix yoyos](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/useful-modification-maintenance-guides-clean-repair-tune-fix-yoyos/16461) ---
**Author:** ![Schtang](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/schtang/32/121928_2.png) [@Schtang](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Schtang)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 11:49am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/the-ultimate-maintenance-guide/356078/8 "2022-06-14T11:49:21Z")
yep - another here for the flowable silicone ---
**Author:** ![CaptainFoxxButt](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/captainfoxxbutt/32/197384_2.png) [@CaptainFoxxButt](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/CaptainFoxxButt)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 10:37pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/the-ultimate-maintenance-guide/356078/9 "2022-06-14T22:37:41Z")
Anyone want to add a knowledgeable fixed axle maintenance to this? Specifically tmbr axles? Anyone know how to safely change them out? ---
**Author:** ![Exmime](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/exmime/32/40143_2.png) [@Exmime](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Exmime)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 11:55pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/the-ultimate-maintenance-guide/356078/10 "2022-06-14T23:55:58Z")
> [@CaptainFoxxButt](#): > > Specifically tmbr axles? Mini Strap wrench for the axle ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/yoyoexpert1/original/4X/d/2/8/d28ae6c91c8d0b65f2bf9beacdeb965977b7b12d.png) and the dull end of a butter knife for the caps ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/yoyoexpert1/original/4X/3/5/0/35066fe8c25495b0f7f5d089f6c6737859c6d7ec.png) Don’t be forceful, slow even tension ---
**Author:** ![dfurtke](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/dfurtke/32/178326_2.png) [@dfurtke](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/dfurtke)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2023, 2:34pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/the-ultimate-maintenance-guide/356078/11 "2023-01-11T14:34:20Z")
> [@erebus](#): > > 1. axel: if the axels stuck CAREFULLY grip it with plyers and twist otherwise yoyofactory bearings have a hole on one side and if you have one of their bearing removal tools you’ll find there’s a little metal stick you can put it in the hole and its kid of like a screw head (only do this if you have to and make sure you check if your yoyo even has a removable axel) I successfully protected the axle of my Krystal yoyo by tightly and thickly wrapping it in electrical tape before attempting to remove it from the hub, as it had become stuck in the wrong orientation. This method allowed for easy removal without causing any damage. ![Crystal Tape](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/yoyoexpert1/original/4X/1/d/0/1d023dd3abee00f1647a72b26a873df01aba2623.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![jhb8426](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/jhb8426/32/631_2.png) [@jhb8426](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/jhb8426)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 6:07am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/the-ultimate-maintenance-guide/356078/12 "2023-01-15T06:07:12Z")
> [@dfurtke](#): > > This method allowed for easy removal without causing any damage. So does this one, and it works so much better… ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/yoyoexpert1/original/4X/1/0/9/1093d22913062638ad81260c1880b9e2fd7e0103.jpeg)