Anyone play with a dry bearing?

I was just stating my bearing maintenance and what I do. I by no means said this is what everyone should do. I just stated my experiences. Your method is good too but it is not the only way to do it either. For me they are quiet clean and dry. And that is my experience with it but someone else may have different results that’s why I said “for me”. With that being said,I would like to try some other kinds of lube to see if my experiences are any better with that. I’ve only tried the some other site thin lube and I don’t think it’s that good. I might pick up some od v4m and I am a photographer and my dust pump thing broke a while ago but your method has given me some motivation to get another one and try that. Thanks doc! :wink:

Whoops don’t know how I managed to do that. I was trying to add to my pos but somehow quoted it and then added to it so thats why I posted again. Lol

Was going to post almost the same thing as yoyodoc, but a lot less wordy :smiley:

You have an object that is 100% metal. If you have 0 lube in the bearing and it is quiet, it is an exception. Metal on metal makes noise. With even a small amount of lube, it provides a barrier between the metal and allows it to be quiet.

Do I have some that are dry? Yes, but that is an exception for me. The vast majority of mine have enough Brain Lube in them to lube the majority of YYE members yoyos for a year ;D

Well I guess quiet is a relative term. Yes mine make a little bit of noise but it’s still pretty quiet. I’m sure they would be quieter with lube but for me they are quiet enough. Basically I prefer a tiny bit of noise to it playing responsive. Of course over lubing is user error but I can almost never get the right amount, either too much or not enough. The idea of the dust blower thing might change my mind though.

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Mine are over lubed on purpose, no error :smiley:

Lol. I was talking about me if you thought I was implying that you over lube yours.

Just joking around, knew what you meant haha

Ok good. Lol. I have had to be more careful lately because some people round here can seriously dish out some jabs and jokes but can’t take any joking around at all if it’s not them doing the joking.

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Anyone tried dry lube? For ceramic bearings? Worth it?

-bbdave-

If you are referring to powdered graphite, skip it. It’s very messy and gets all over everything. Makes your string black and coats the response system.

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Is Terrapin dry lube powdered graphite?

If so, that stuff can work fairly well if a minute quantity is applied.

Don’t know. But people tried graphite awhile back and it was a mess. No experience with the Terrapin product.

From the manufacturer: “This is comprised of a metallic/polymer .003 micron mix that lubricates the working surfaces of a bearing without the drag created by liquids.”

https://shop.yoyoexpert.com/collections/terrapin/products/terrapin-dry-lube

It is a bit of a production, though probably no more than yoyodoc’s ritual. There aren’t good instructions included, so here is a good YT video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpqvSJsBNwA

I’ve tried it, and it is excellent. Unfortunately I get lazy about this kind of thing. I usually just play my yoyos new or used as they come unless there is a problem.

Having said that, the Terrapin Dry is definitely worth a try!

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Terrapin dry lube is NOT graphite.
It’s pretty interesting stuff.

As to the other parts of this post, yoyodoc is not wrong. --In fact, he’s never wrong. It’s possibly his worst quality :stuck_out_tongue:

But, personally, I run them all dry.
And my bearing may wear out faster.
So with the very low amount of friction that takes place in a yoyo bearing, my bearings may only last 15 years instead of 12.

The lube in the bearing is going to get pretty awful if you just let it sit that long anyway, so I’m not really all that concerned.

If I don’t throw my throws for a while (years) and have to buy a couple bearings every now and then(every couple years), I’m willing to risk it.

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^ Pretty much sums up my feelings as well.

I think a couple of other things that make the wear issue, not as much of an issue, are the facts that most of us have so many yoyos that we switch between, and that most of us like to buy new gear, including new types of bearings, or ones we haven’t tried yet.

If you have one yoyo, and one bearing that you use almost exclusively, then the lube/wear issue might become more pressing or obvious.

Again, I really like the Terrapin Dry, and one day all my unresponsive yoyo bearing will be treated with it. One day… :-\ ::slight_smile:

So I should stop lubing my bearings with red loctite? :-\

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Ehhh, NO!! :wink:

Isn’t this the preferred method to turn any modern yoyo into a fixed axle? (Well, technically a transaxle?) :grin:

Well pontificated!

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I find comfort in the fact that you at the very least; read my warning.

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Be assured, I read the entire missive and I enjoyed it. :smiley: