I need help in lubricating your cube

[Xquare-1]

It is sort of a newb question, but should you use Vaseline or W40 for lubricating?

People tell me that using vaseline will cause the cube to decay, but my dad told me that W40 will make my cube smell. I tried vaseline, but i found black stuff inside the cube, maybe thats the decay.

But which should I use?

 

[Corpsez]

It is sort of a newb question, but should you use Vaseline or W40 for lubricating?

People tell me that using vaseline will cause the cube to decay, but my dad told me that W40 will make my cube smell. I tried vaseline, but i found black stuff inside the cube, maybe thats the decay.

But which should I use?

You should use CRC heavy duty silicon spray, or Jig-A-Loo.

 

[Cride5]

Petrolium-based lubes like WD40/Vaseline aren't good for the cube plastic, and will cause it to deteriorate quickly. Silicone-based ones are much nicer to your cube and used by most cubers.

There's loads more info on cube lubes here, in the wiki

 

[Xquare-1]

Thanks! So both of them are bad!

 

[Cride5]

Yup The only household product which may work is furniture polish.

 

[iamwilliam]

Thanks! So both of them are bad!

yes you can find jigaloo or crc at a target or walmart

 

[Inf3rn0]

Just jam it with some silicone spray, should be algood.

 

[VP7]

I need help in lubricating your cube

I think I can lube my cube just fine without your help.
Thanks for the offer.

 

[Tim Major]

DONT USE WD40. it will melt in your hands. vaseline wont but after 3-4 months maybe longer or shorter, it will break. vaseline helps heaps, but in the long run, will break it.

 

[PatrickJameson]

Yup The only household product which may work is furniture polish.

Pam can work well too, for a while. But nothing compares them to CRC or jigaloo.

Also: it seems once you start lubing a cube with Pam, it may not be a good idea to switch to another lube. This may be false but it didn't work out well for me.

 

[Akuma]

When lubricating METALS you'll use oil-based lubricant such as bikeoil etc.
When lubricating PLASTIC you should only use Silicone-based lubricant.

Thus, it is quite obvious that you need a Silicone-based lubricant for your cube.
There's millions of lubrication techniques on how to apply the lube.
Here's mine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcZtZp368CM

 

[Lumej]

DONT USE WD40. it will melt in your hands. vaseline wont but after 3-4 months maybe longer or shorter, it will break. vaseline helps heaps, but in the long run, will break it.

I have a cube with vaseline in it since.... 21 months. It works very nice, especially if it's warm. That's exceeding you 3-4 months extremly

But if you can choose I'd say silicone-spray, too. It works better.
I use Caramba, but what you use depends on where you live, and what you can get.

 

[Cride5]

There's millions of lubrication techniques on how to apply the lube.
Here's mine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcZtZp368CM

:fp The vast majority of friction on a cube comes from the cubies rubbing together, not the centre pieces twisting on the core. The centre pieces and core have virtually no resistance when the cube is assembled since the cubies pull on the springs and hold the centres away from the core pieces. Another major issue with doing this is you are far more likely to have your centre pieces unscrewing from the core while you solve!

 

[Akuma]

First - I've been using my cube for so long that the sticker are coming off entirely. Probably more than 3 months.

When lubing the piece of the cube I did not notice any effect at all on my cube, fact is, the entire cube was soaked and very smelly of Silicone. When lubing the core I noticed an immediate effect and much smoother and no stinkyness or stickyness.

NOTE: The cube I am using is a Rybiks brand standard Store-bought $21 cube. I have no idea what this lubing technique will do to other cubes that has a different architecture.

 

[4Chan]

There's millions of lubrication techniques on how to apply the lube.
Here's mine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcZtZp368CM

:fp The vast majority of friction on a cube comes from the cubies rubbing together, not the centre pieces twisting on the core. The centre pieces and core have virtually no resistance when the cube is assembled since the cubies pull on the springs and hold the centres away from the core pieces. Another major issue with doing this is you are far more likely to have your centre pieces unscrewing from the core while you solve!

Yayy, physics.

Since there are more areas of contact... in theory the coefficient of friction is greater along the cubies.

I concur with Cride5

 

[Twofu2]

It is sort of a newb question, but should you use Vaseline or W40 for lubricating?

People tell me that using vaseline will cause the cube to decay, but my dad told me that W40 will make my cube smell. I tried vaseline, but i found black stuff inside the cube, maybe thats the decay.

But which should I use?

I never heard that wd-40 smells, but I haven't used it before so i wouldn't know. Both of those lubes corrode your cube. Try crc silicone spray, but make sure its 100% silicone, cause i used one and it had petroleum something in it and the plastic on my cube got so thin the pieces started breaking apart

 

[piemaster]

Sorry. I already lubricated my cube.

 

[Logan]

First - I've been using my cube for so long that the sticker are coming off entirely. Probably more than 3 months.

When lubing the piece of the cube I did not notice any effect at all on my cube, fact is, the entire cube was soaked and very smelly of Silicone. When lubing the core I noticed an immediate effect and much smoother and no stinkyness or stickyness.

NOTE: The cube I am using is a Rybiks brand standard Store-bought $21 cube. I have no idea what this lubing technique will do to other cubes that has a different architecture.

You spent twenty bucks on a store-bought??? I think my heart just skipped a beat (or two).

 

[blackhelium]

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Never use an oil or grease based product, use crc or jigaloo.I prefer jigaloo.

 

[Akuma]

You spent twenty bucks on a store-bought??? I think my heart just skipped a beat (or two).

That's what the Rubiks-brand standard cube costs in Sweden.
I found it at the cheapest place possible:

129 SEK ~ $18 USD.

So yeah, I was off by 3 bucks but still.
That place where I bought it was the cheapest place in the entire country where I could buy one. Most other stores sell it for 5-6 bucks extra.

EDIT: On Rubiks.com the regular 3x3 (non-DIY) costs $12 USD so it's really not that much off.