I recently purchased a Leviathan 2 on ebay. The bearing that was in it seemed to be too big. I couldn’t get it out with the bearing removal tool or pliers. I ended up just cracking the bearing in half to remove it (it was the only way to get a good one in the yoyo). In the process of trying to remove it, I scratched the area near the response rings with the pliers a little bit. It’s not a big scratch but you can slightly feel it when you rub your fingers over it. After about an hour or so of play, it snapped my string.
Is there an easy way to smooth out the area? I’ve been told to sand it down but I feel like taking sandpaper nearing the response/bearing seat is a really terrible idea. And seeing as it’s a Leviathan 2, I’d like to keep the risk of destroying it as low as possible. Does anyone know how I could smooth out the scratch so it doesn’t snap anymore strings?
The Leviathan 2 plays amazing normally though. The scratch doesn’t seem to affect the play at all other than occasionally snapping some strings.
No. Steel wool is a very fine abrasive. You only use it on the affected area until you think the edge has been taken off. A few passes I’m sure. Then the sandpaper will “polish” it even smoother. I’ve used 350-grit wet/dry to good effect, but if you can get 500 (I can’t find any around here), all the better.
You are going to be shaving off a microgram. Trust me, despite all the interest in “yoyo voodoo” around here, that’s not going to suddenly induce vibe.
500 grit is definitely preferable for a job like sanding the response area, but my time repairing fountain pens lead me to find a really great product that does a much better job than standard sand paper.
MicroMesh is a line of highly-flexible and cushioned abrasives that run anywhere from 1,000 grit all the way up to 12,000. The crystals on their pads last at least 10 times longer than standard sand paper, too, so one 3x4" square of each grit will last years even if used regularly. I use the 6,000, 8,000, and 12,000 grit pads all the time when working on pen nibs and I’ve only worn out a small corner of each pad.
For yoyos, I like to use the 4,000 grit pad. It does a great job of smoothing down dings and taking off burrs, plus it allows you to apply a good bit of pressure to the object you’re working on, thus giving you a more control and a feel for what you’re removing.
You can buy MicroMesh at the link below. It is more expensive than regular sand paper, but the fact that it lasts so long and works so darn well make it completely reasonable for your average hobbyist in any category as far as I’m concerned.
