How
To Maintain Your YYJ “Yo-Rings”
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We
all get so wrapped up in the standard maintenance stuff -- taking off
shields, cleaning bearings, worrying over string thickness and type, and so
forth -- that we sometimes forget that there's another critical component in
YYJs. The o-ring(s) used for
response. Here's some observational history and a great tip: So
I had a NM3 that used to be really smooth.
Hadn't played it in awhile, and when I dug it out of my case, it had a
bad vibration that I couldn't get out.
I tried everything: the axle wasn't bent; the bearing was clean,
properly installed, and not rusted; there were no cracks in the hub or
bearing journals; the weight rings were fine; the string was fine and was
centered on the KK bearing; etc. It
drove me crazy for days. The
vibration continued to be horrible, and the response was like it was heavily
lubed, even though the bearing was clean and the gap was shimmed way
open. I was about to cut it up for
pieces. It
finally occurred to me that the o-rings might have gotten a bit dry. I knew from days keeping aquariums that
o-rings need to be kept supple or they start to get brittle and crack. Even though they looked
"normal," I popped out both o-rings and put them in a small
container. I covered the rings with a
heavy, non-rubber attacking lube (in this case, Fellows Cutter Oil - get it
at Office Depot or the like). I let
them soak for about 8 hours. Then I
took them out, wiped them down carefully with a lint-free paper towel, and
reinstalled them in the yo. Wow,
what a difference! No vibration, no
snagging (other than from my bad technique!), and, get this: the loop on
suicide tosses opens up so wide that I've hit more consecutive suicides that
I've ever hit before, regardless of string-type. I
could not see any physical difference in the rings, however, there is a huge
performance improvement. I think this will form a part of my standard Jam
maintenance. Y'all
try it out and let me know if you have the same observations! |
Good Luck!
Hope this helped!
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