wanted: how to guide making a shop brought cube (genuine rubiks) into speedcube

[panyan]

i want a guide on how to turn a rubiks cube into a speed cube please. I found a really old cube in the loft and it was unable to turn. I opened it and put a tonne of vaseline in there to loosen it up (this was before i knew about speedcubing and silicone) and it was really sticky and dirty etc. The other day i saw a guide on how to improve your cubes and the method was to sand the edges of the cubes until smooth. I diassembled the cube and washed every piece to remove the vasaline and sanded each piece. It is better but not great. I then put in some silicone spray that i got from halfords. Again, better but still horrid and hurts your hands to do even one solve!

so how would you make a really bad rubiks cube into a speedcube without buying one?


thanks
pan

 

[PCwizCube]

Well it greatly depends what kind of cube you have. If you have a cube you got from the dollar store chances are it won't ever be very good.

You might have to break it in. That means play with it for a long time so the internal pieces get smoother and it will turn faster. This might take a few to several hours to work.

And what is the exact name of the silicone spray lubricant you are using? Some silicone sprays stink and others are amazing. That may have something to do with how well your cube is turning.

 

[minsarker]

just buy a new cube, seems like your current cube si just old

and vcaseline and such kills your cube, so chances are your cube is done

 

[Fobo911]

A store-bought cube doesn't cost much at all. Do you really have that much of a money problem? I honestly think that it's worth the money to buy a new cube and lube it instead of trying to spend minutes and maybe hours trying to make a really old cube work.

 

[panyan]

thanks for you replies:

1) i am using the silicone spray sold by halfords and is the halfords brand
2) i already have 2 really nice cubes but i likw working on projects like this
3) no the money is not the issue - read 2
4) i washed off the vasaline and the cube seems fine
5) it is an official rubiks cube (from rubiks company)


thanks

 

[nitrocan]

Here's a very easy way to turn your rubik's cube into a speedcube:

Sell that rubik's cube to a friend for a very high price. (and maybe lose that friend as a consequence)
Buy a DIY cube with that money.

(I'm sure someone said this before in another thread)

 

[mrbiggs]

A decent storebought is not that bad a cube, but you have to spend a lot of time working it in and you need to make sure it's always well-lubed.

Didn't Nakajima use a storebought until relatively recently?

 

[nitrocan]

He used a storebought to win the WC2007 I think, but since then he's using a Rubik's DIY. (he knows how to get a cube ready for speedcubing, I mean look at his megaminx)

 

[jcuber]

He should start a buisness where you send him your cube, and he makes it really good and sends it back (for a fee of course). He would probably make a lot of money.

 

[nitrocan]

Or he could just send you a good cube and it'll be cheaper.

 

[shelley]

The thing with store bought cubes is that since you can't adjust them DIY style, there's a limit to how much tuning you can do. Aside from lubing it and breaking it in with normal solving, the biggest part of making a good store bought speedcube is choosing a good one to begin with. That's mostly luck of the draw, unless you know a place that lets you take cubes out of the package and try them out before you buy them.

If you know a lot of people who are interested in learning, buy a whole bunch of cubes, test them all out, keep the best ones for yourself and sell the rest to the newbies. Or just get involved with a project that involves a lot of cubes (e.g. making our cube trophies and cube-in-a-jar prizes for US Nationals)

 

[d4m4s74]

you can get it looser by pulling the centers from the core and holding them there overnight (put something like an Popsicle stick between it)

and then hope it won't get TOO lose

 

[fiveseven]

I just finished modding my rubiks storebought - it locks up a little more but its about 2x faster and 10x smoother (cuts corners now).

Since you cant adjust the tension of the rivets, i sanded 1mm off each cubie to make them physically smaller (including all contact edges inside the cube) using fine grit paper, then re-break it in by leaving the plastic filaments inside it. Finished with some grease and it works pretty well.

The only thing i suggest would be to make sure you sand the pieces all the same amount to reduce the chance of locking up. (erring towards smaller and rounder corner cubies than edges imo)

 

[ImNOTnoob]

so how would you make a really bad rubiks cube into a speedcube without buying one?

I see the question as: How do you buy a rubik's cube without buying one.

Answer: Simple. Steal from the shop!


Joke..


PS if you stuff popsicle sticks between the layers, the cube breaks in the long run. I DONT recommend that..

 

[panyan]

I just finished modding my rubiks storebought - it locks up a little more but its about 2x faster and 10x smoother (cuts corners now).

Since you cant adjust the tension of the rivets, i sanded 1mm off each cubie to make them physically smaller (including all contact edges inside the cube) using fine grit paper, then re-break it in by leaving the plastic filaments inside it. Finished with some grease and it works pretty well.

The only thing i suggest would be to make sure you sand the pieces all the same amount to reduce the chance of locking up. (erring towards smaller and rounder corner cubies than edges imo)

hmmm, ok then, so you suggest sanding every piece ALOT so that all the cubbies are smaller and then leave in the plastic filings?

ill give it a try and get back to you

 

[PianoMan]

Would letting petroleum jelly wear the pieces down a little make the cube looser? I don't like DIY's, so I use Rubik's. My main problems are tightness and cutting corners.

 

[bamman1108]

Just lube a Rubik's brand storebought. Sanding it might make it cut corners better, but I haven't tried that yet.

 

[bamman1108]

Would letting petroleum jelly wear the pieces down a little make the cube looser? I don't like DIY's, so I use Rubik's. My main problems are tightness and cutting corners.

It worked for me, but before you use ANY lube, take it apart, grab a box of cotton swabs, and REALLY clean each piece. It took me more than one swab per piece when I did it.

 

[daniel0731ex]

http://www.unicube.tw/06/force_adjust.htm

pictures says everything



or, you could just simply buy another screw&spring set and a core and cut the center off the cube(from the old core)
and you'll get a diy~

 

[xchiltonx]

http://www.unicube.tw/06/force_adjust.htm

pictures says everything



or, you could just simply buy another screw&spring set and a core and cut the center off the cube(from the old core)
and you'll get a diy~

Let me translate that for you:
http://translate.google.com/transla....unicube.tw/06/force_adjust.htm&sl=auto&tl=en