Yoyo maintenance
After a certain period of time, about 3 hours of pure yo-yoing time, it is a good idea to replace the string. The old string is no longer as bright as the new one, it is greasy, dirty, inelastic and generally looks very used. You can easily tell this, you will no longer yo-yo well with a used string. Try to untangle knots as soon as they form. If that doesn't work, replace the string.
Once you have determined that the string needs to be replaced, here is how to do it. Hold the yo-yo in your left hand and with your right hand start untangling the string near the yo-yo. After a while, you should be able to see the eye around the bearing, which is gradually getting bigger. When the eye is wide enough, you can remove it from the yo-yo. This way you don't have to unscrew the yo-yo at all and it will last you much longer. Do the same procedure with the new string. You grab the right end (not the one with the loop) and slowly start twisting it until a small eye appears at the end, which you then pull over the yoyo. Then you wind the string back onto the yoyo.
Sometimes it's a good idea to shorten the string, especially for smaller yoyoers, so that they don't hit the ground so much and can yoyo at all. The recommended length of the string is from the belly button to the ground, but for smaller yoyoers, we recommend a slightly longer string. When the yoyo with the string is lying on the ground, grab the string by the belly button and fold it over. At this end, make a classic knot so that the loop that forms there is neither too long nor too short, about 2 cm. Tighten the knot tightly and cut off the excess end. You have created a new loop, through which you can thread the rest of the string, and now you have a tightening loop that you can attach to your finger.
If your bearing is sticking, rattling, not spinning as it should or is completely responsive (returning when it shouldn't), it's most likely dirty. Don't worry, this is a completely common thing that happens to all yoyos. After a while, dirt, dust, a piece of string or hair will get into the bearing and it needs to be cleaned. After cleaning, the bearing should spin easily, for a long time and unresponsively (a yoyo with a clean bearing should not return). A clean bearing will also not spin completely silently, but will make a more or less loud sound when spinning.
To clean the bearing, you will need (in addition to the bearing itself): technical gasoline for lighters (can be purchased at any newsstand), a small clean container with a lid, tweezers, a pin, a napkin or a piece of toilet paper, and a little oil.
First, remove the bearing from your yo-yo. The bearing has sidewalls on the edges, which we recommend (but don't have to) remove so that all dirt from the bearing can get out. Take a pin and use it to remove the tiny wire from the side of the bearing that holds the sidewall in place. One end of the wire is adjusted so that it points away from the bearing, so find it and use the pin to remove the wire. Watch out for your fingers! You don't have to put the sidewalls and wires back into the bearing afterwards, because it's a good idea to clean the bearing regularly, so it'll save you work next time. Put the bearing, thus removed, in a container, into which you pour a little technical gasoline, so that the entire bearing is below the surface. Shake the glass and leave it for a while (for about 15 minutes). Then use tweezers to remove the bearing from the container and place it on a napkin to dry. After a while, put the bearing on the tweezers and spin it as much as possible. If the bearing spins properly, for a long time, does not rattle or brake, then congratulations, you have cleaned the bearing correctly. If not, clean the bearing in this way once more, even several times, until you achieve that the bearing is properly cleaned. At the end, you can drop a few drops of oil into the bearing. The bearing will run smoother and not as noisy, it will also last longer, but it will spin a little less. So if you want your bearing to be responsive (the yoyo will return when you jerk your hand), lubricate it with plenty of oil.
Removing the bearing is necessary if you are going to replace or clean the bearing. There are two basic ways to remove the bearing from a yoyo. You can use a Yoyofactory Multitool or suitable pliers.
Carefully wiggle the bearing from side to side until it falls out. Sometimes the bearing may be very tight on the yo-yo. In that case, you need to use a little more force and wiggle a lot more. If you are using pliers, you can put a cloth between them and the bearing to avoid scratching the bearing or the yo-yo. The basic advice is to be very careful, the bearing and the surface of the yo-yo can be easily damaged. When you put the bearing back, gently place the bearing on the yo-yo and press it in with your thumb.
When you screw the yo-yo back on, be very careful again. Tighten the yo-yo firmly, but not too much so as not to damage the thread. Never pull the yo-yo!
After a while of yoyoing, the string gets tangled. And that's not good, the yoyo is harder to wind and spin, and most importantly, you'll never do any tricks with a tangled string. That's why here's this tutorial that will teach you how to untangle the string. The easiest way, especially for beginners, is to take the string off your finger and hold the yoyo in your hand so that the string hangs freely underneath it. The string will untangle itself nicely. You can also hold the string between the thumb and index finger of your other hand to be sure and run your hand from top to bottom along the string.
For more advanced yoyoers, there are two other methods. The first one is probably the most used. You throw the yoyo into the Sleeper, grab the string in your non-throwing hand. It is important that you do not hold the string tightly, but only hook it around your finger, it must move freely. Then just pull up with your throwing hand and at that moment put your other hand next to the yoyo. The string will start to unravel. This method works on both sides, so after one attempt to unravel it, check if the string has really unraveled. If not, unravel it on the other side, i.e. put your hand on the other side next to the yoyo. The last method is suitable for very advanced yoyoers. The string is unraveled using the UFO trick, Sidewinder, etc.
The same string check applies to all methods: whether the string is untangled correctly. You can tell by putting the yoyo and the end of the string with the loop together, like on. If the string doesn't twist, you've won.
The return system in a yo-yo is a very important thing that needs to be taken care of. There are different names for return systems, such as pads, stickers or snow tires. They differ according to thickness, width and manufacturer. In all cases, it is a small wheel that is sticky on one side and covered with a special rubber on the other side that allows the yo-yo to be returned to your hand.
The best way to remove the old pad is to use something sharp, but be careful not to scratch your yo-yo. Once the pad is out, you need to check the groove for any old glue, pieces of string or other debris. If there is any, it is important to clean the groove thoroughly so that the new return system sticks as well as possible. Then take a new pad, peel off the paper from the sticky side and carefully stick the pad into the groove. Finally, you can run your finger over the pad to make sure it sticks properly. Do this on both sides of the yoyo and you're done.
And how do you know when the return system needs to be replaced? It's simple, the yoyo spins poorly and returns poorly. If you change the pad, always check our website to find out what specific return system your yoyo uses.