Yo Yo Help

V

Vivi

BANNED
Joined
Dec 4, 2005
Messages
5,095
I'm going to look for a dedicated yo yo forum to post this at, but I thought I'd try here first.

I found all my yo yo's recently and I've been trying them out. Can still do all my old tricks, but I still notice two problems I have with a lot of my yo yo's and I'm looking for some fixes.

1. When doing intricate string looping tricks based off the trapeze trick, the string won't slide or the yo yo will just get caught and try to return. It makes tricks like splitting the atom pretty much impossible. I've played around with single looping my string around the axle instead of my usual double loop and making sure my fingers are really dry. Also tried replacing the string and adjusting the string loop. Can't seem to get a good fix.

2. This is a problem I've had since buying my first roller bearing Yomega. I throw a sleeper and when I try to return it, nothing happens. I've literally pulled a yo yo so hard it's come within an inch of my hand and not had it return, it'll just drop back down. I'll throw it out in front of me for an astro loop and it just won't come back. This is with single or double looped strings, triple looping them makes it so they won't sleep so meh. Don't know what to do here. I have yo yos I won't even use because they do this so much.

If anyone has some suggestions I'd be grateful. These two issues severely limit how many tricks I can do.
 
Wish I could help, but I don't know much about fixing yo yo's. I got into them a bit last year, and I got advice from some very good pro yo yoer's about what to get, ect. I could give you there e-mail addresses if you would like, they will know what to do. They are sponsered by Duncan, so they get questions from strangers quite often. Let me know.
 
I'd appreciate it. I just registered at a Yo Yo forum. I think even once I get these issues fixed I'm going to browse there and learn a bunch of new tricks and stuff to challenge myself with.

Here's my email address if you need it: Raumien@gmail.com
 
You always want just a single loop around the axle. More than that causes binding in string tricks. No offense intended but I think you just need to practice more on Splitting the Atom. It can take a LONG time to get it right. Sure a better yoyo will help, but practice is always needed. That being said, Yomega yoyo's are generally crap. It will return a little better if you lube the bearing slightly (mineral oil or 3 in 1) just a drop or so. Or you could look into adding a friction sticker from the Duncan line of yoyo's. You can also learn to do a "bind" to get the yoyo to return.

I've been into yoyo's for a long time, and I'd highly reccomend Duncan's Proyo and Profly for a beginner. You can pick them up at Walmart for $3 or $4. It's best to learn on a fixed axl and then progress to a bearing yoyo. For bearing yoyo's I love my Duncan Free Hand Zero (about $15 online).

Some of my favorite yoyo sites:

http://www.yoyoing.com
http://www.kwos.ca/yoyo-tricks.htm
http://sector_y.yoyoing.com/ (not updated anymore but still good)

I really find yoyoing to be a great stress reliever (even though I'm not that good). It forces you to concentrate on the yoyo and lets you escape for a little while.

Here's a funny video by one of my favorite yo'ers, Steve Brown:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ejZsjY4C-V0

have fun,

Jamie
 
Your problems are just the basic stuff, as far as yo-yos are concerned. You want a yo-yo that is responsive enough to do some looping, and to have the yo-yo return to your hand easily. You also want the yo-yo to be smooth and unresponsive enough to do intricate string tricks. This is what everyone wants. The problem is in finding that magic spot, where it all comes together.

First off, the magic spot is about 80% practice. The best yo-yo player can take a really bad yo-yo, and do amazing stuff with it. It’s called a skill toy for a reason. It takes a lot of skill. Skill takes time to develop.

But while you’re developing your skills, there are a few things that you can do, to make the practice more pleasant. First, single loop the string. Double looping the string is good for looping only.

Second, lube that bearing. Adds small amounts of lube, and work in it good, before adding more. Lube will heat up and lose viscosity as you play, so the yo-yo will naturally become less responsive as you continue playing. When you get to the point that the yo-yo will just barely return after 20 minutes of continual play, and will still allow for a good hard throw down, you’re pretty close. The yo-yo should slide well on the string at this point, with few snagging problems.

You might also consider a string that is not 100% cotton, if you will be doing mostly string tricks. String like Slick6 makes string tricks a whole lot easier, IMHO. It’s not so good for looping though ,as the yo-yo tends to loop at a very high angle.

If you are using a Yomega with a starburst response system, you may need to sand down the starburst slightly, to get rid of snagging problems. Again, this will also cause the yo-yo to loop higher than normal.

Also check into concave bearings for string tricks. A concave bearing does not have a flat surface for the string to sit on. A concave bearing actual holds the string in the center of the bearing, so it stays away from the starburst, thus reducing accidental snagging.
 
I used to do the yo yo thing a lot. One thing I found that helped responsiveness a lot is to put a little glob of pelrolium jelly behind the bearing spacers. (Be cautious; sometimes this works a little to well. Damn near broke my hand on the rebound.)

Another thing to check is your string. A string that's too stiff (if it won't drape freely over a pencil, it's too stiff,) generally won't work. Stiffness can be caused by oil getting on the string, or build up of sweat.

To correct a stiff string;

Wash the string really well. Use soap and water and keep at until the water stays reasonably clear. (if you let the string dry at this point, it'll be even stiffer than before. Proceed to step two.)

Now, mix up some fabric softener and water in a microwave safe dish. You don't need a lot; a tablespoon or two of water, and a few drops of fabric softener. Now, put your sting in this mixture and stir to saturate. Microwave on high until it boils (caution: this will make your microwave smell like Snuggles for a bit.) Take it out, stir the string around a bit, and give it a minute to cool. Wring out the string, and hang it up to dry. If you're in a hurry, you can use the microwave again to vape off some of the moisture. (works really well for drying socks, too.)

This works pretty well on cotton strings. I'm not sure how it'd do on synthetics.
 
I think it's only been about 50 years since I played with yo-yos, but all I remember about making them work better was to just wax the string, probably with parrafin, or maybe bee's wax.

PLEASE, don't anybody let Lynn Thompson hear about yo-yos, though! Next thing you know he'll have combat yo-yos in the next Cold Steel catalog. You may or may not know, but he has been promoting strips of pretty cloth called sarongs as some sort of field expedient "weapon" lately. :jerkit:

Don't get me wrong, I like and own a lot of Cold Steel's products and I think many are excellent artifacts for the money, but a "fighting skirt" is about as far into the realm of the ridiculous as Lynn Thompson has gone yet. :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top