Hey cubers (if thats the name for cube solvers?)

[penfold1992]

hey i go under the name penfold, i recently got my very old rubiks cube from when i was like 5 and it really took a intrest with me and ive got my time to 1:45 and about 2minutes average. the cube is a bit rubish and to make things worse i lubed it with vaseline which has made it super nice... but looks like it will be prone to pop within like 2 more days...

i wanted to say hi and introduce myself and ask a few questions.

vaseline, absolute no? ive heard mixed opinions. im planning to get some silicone stuff on saterday.

im using dan browns method as when i started out i saw people recommending him as a good teacher which worked out really great! however... now i want to get around 1minute and ever faster then that and dont know where to go! ive seen lots of suggestions but nothing really to set my mind without being hella confusing.

i just brought a speed cube from ebay it was only £1 so i thought it will be worth one pound and decided it would be better then the one i have atm with the crappy pealing plastic on the front and all that crap on it but what do you guys think http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....ksid=p3907.m29&_trkparms=algo=LVI&its=I&otn=2

anyway talk to you soon guys!

 

[cheiney]

Welcome to the cubing community, penfold!

I would personally suggest you learn a new method. The Dan Brown Method is very good for beginners, but it only gets you so far. If you improve your times to around one minute, then you should switch to a new method. I would suggest Fridrich, because most people tend to use that. If you are more logical and would prefer block building over various algorithms, then you should learn Petrus or Roux. Overall, I would suggest researching on how to improve your overall times and researching as many methods out there as possible. Don't just go with the norm; try to find the right method for you. I hope that helps.

 

[holypasta]

that is a lot of questions; lol. i'll do my best to answer fully....

Vaseline
pros: smoother than silicone (though not necessarily as fast), cheaper and more readily available than silicone, dissolves inside of cube over time for less friction
cons: tends to form 'clumps' on the inside of the cube over time, dissolves plastic (slowly, over time; don't condemn vaseline for this reason)
Silicone
pros: faster than vaseline (though not necessarily as smooth)
cons: rarer and more expensive than vaseline

final summation: vaseline feels better at first, but kills your cube over time. i prefer silicone.

i recommend you learn fridrich. it is the most common method, so there are many, many people who can help you. also, the world record holder uses fridrich. i recommend badmephisto's youtube tutorials, and his site.

the cube you ordered seems fine based on the description, but it's risky ordering a non-name-brand.

 

[penfold1992]

im about 2 go 2 sleep but ill check this beginner video
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=ofZFUgaxlTQ and see whats different and adapt to that nd try to adapt to solve the first layer on the bottem

the cube i ordered has to be better then the one im using now, its probably not perminant but for a quid i sure cant go wrong lol.

i have to say im suprised how quick the response was from 2 people with 2x posts! thanks a lot!

another question...
the layer it takes the most time to solve is the first layer for me. the last layer (using dan browns video) has 1 case for orienting and 3 for permuting...
i saw somewhere that the cross or top face can be solved in 9 moves i think it was, it takes me 30 seconds at least for that layer, any tips?

 

[Ellis]

i saw somewhere that the cross or top face can be solved in 9 moves i think it was, it takes me 30 seconds at least for that layer, any tips?

Wait, which one, the cross or the top face? I assume that you mean doing the cross on the top face, but solving the cross is not a face? Was it a typo- "or" instead of "on"?

anyway, the cross can be solved in much less than 9 moves, It just takes practice. The actual first layer is usually solved along with the second layer with many advanced methods (even the beginner method I used to use), so its hard to give an accurate time for for just the first face, but its much more than 9 moves, which is why I think you just meant cross.

 

[not_kevin]

anyway, the cross can be solved in much less than 9 moves, It just takes practice.

http://www.cubezone.be/crossstudy.html. Yep.

 

[abr71310]

Welcome to the cubing community, penfold!

I would personally suggest you learn a new method. The Dan Brown Method is very good for beginners, but it only gets you so far. If you improve your times to around one minute, then you should switch to a new method. I would suggest Fridrich, because most people tend to use that. If you are more logical and would prefer block building over various algorithms, then you should learn Petrus or Roux. Overall, I would suggest researching on how to improve your overall times and researching as many methods out there as possible. Don't just go with the norm; try to find the right method for you. I hope that helps.

I disagree. My little brother (he's 14, still "little", though LOL) can get sub-25s with Dan Brown, and this is literally FULL DAN BROWN, i taught him the clockwise U-perm since he started beginner's Roux, but honestly he's become so fast that sometimes, even when using my superior Fridrich, I get pwned by this kid.

Silicone
pros: faster than vaseline (though not necessarily as smooth)
cons: rarer and more expensive than vaseline

I disagree with your con.
I found a can of CRC at Wal-mart for $1.97. A travel-size package of Vaseline costs $4.49. Both are quoted in USD prices.

The can of CRC is significantly bigger, too.

I also found that CRC sold at home hardware stores is actually $1.86. Vaseline even from a place that sells in BULK can only get as cheap as $3.99, with a coupon maybe $3.29.

ALSO: Welcome to the forum, Penfold! Hope to see you break my PR's soon with that awesome new cube that you will soon get!

 

[penfold1992]

ok just got the cube but had a epic fail lol

its a tiled cube and one of the tiles came off, what should i use to glue the tile back again. also one sides springs i can hear turning and grinding i dno if thats good either however if its not, is there any advice on stopping this before i really play about with it

the cube is pretty awesome in its self, a bit poorly made as i said with the loose tile and 2 of the cubies were stuf together and i had to take it appart and those bits may need a bit of tuning as the glue that stuck them can rub a bit.

it came with this lube, its like a goouie white lubricant which is pretty good. i think im gna get some crc and clean the cube and replace the lubricant to help it even more but for now its fast as hell, even faster then my vaseline eroded cube which now is pretty good (especailly for cutting corners)

im pretty impressed with it other then those few things.

thanks for you guys that help answered the questions and thanks in advance for people helping me this time ttyl guys!

 

[CubeThing]

ok just got the cube but had a epic fail lol

its a tiled cube and one of the tiles came off, what should i use to glue the tile back again. also one sides springs i can hear turning and grinding i dno if thats good either however if its not, is there any advice on stopping this before i really play about with it

the cube is pretty awesome in its self, a bit poorly made as i said with the loose tile and 2 of the cubies were stuf together and i had to take it appart and those bits may need a bit of tuning as the glue that stuck them can rub a bit.

it came with this lube, its like a goouie white lubricant which is pretty good. i think im gna get some crc and clean the cube and replace the lubricant to help it even more but for now its fast as hell, even faster then my vaseline eroded cube which now is pretty good (especailly for cutting corners)

im pretty impressed with it other then those few things.

thanks for you guys that help answered the questions and thanks in advance for people helping me this time ttyl guys!

Well as for the tile problem, by new good tiles or stickers from www.cubesmith.com or www.cubeforyou.com

Yeah, it will be a god idea to just clean the cube and spray CRC, Jigaloo - Whatever Silicone You want - WD 40 Doesn't work for me.

To get rid of the glue get some sand paper and just rub over the pieces which have glue on. This will sand down the surface whilst removing the annoying friction causing gunk.

Hope that helped

 

[penfold1992]

appart from the tiles link...

i have the tile, just want to know what to use as a glue thanks for the rest though! i will be asking dad if he has CRC 2nyt if not ill get some on saterday

 

[blgentry]

^ I've used 3M spray adhesive when one of my cubesmith tiles came off. It works well, but make sure to mask off the cubie with tape so that you only spray the part of the cubie where the tile will touch. It works best if you spray both the cubie and the tile (the underside of the tile), and let them dry for 1 to 2 minutes before pressing the tile onto the cube. The only down side is, that spray adhesive can be rather expensive if you don't already have some.

Otherwise, I guess you could use any kind of glue that will bond plastic to plastic, but it's going to be rather more permanent than the spray adhesive. Even superglue will probably work; though I haven't tried that myself.

Brian.

 

[Bomber]

I am just wondering, penfold1992, if you are from the UK. I noticed you expressed currency in Sterling and linked to eBay UK. I bring this up mainly due the silicone 'issue'; CRC is not available in the UK. Obviously you can buy it through the internet but from high street you will have to check out a few other places.

In the UK you can easily find silicone lubricant in Maplin, Halfords, or where I bought mine, Lidl. They have their own brand called W5 Car Care. It actually works really well.

I have also accumulated an amount of 'no-name' cubes, the one you purchased being one of them. My feedback is not entirely positive.

 

[penfold1992]

wow bomber thanks! thats really helpful of you.
its been going ok, the missing blue tile is rather annoying atm but the cube itself seems to me rather good. however i wouldnt know about popping as im not that violent with turning patterns yet so i cant comment on that.

anyway is there anything to look at with the springs i can hear them when i turn the cube sometimes and i dno what it is but it sounds rather annoying or damaging... thanks you guys! really helpful!

 

[penfold1992]

ok what does PLL and OLL mean

i know its permutating and orienting last layer but what exactly do they mean?

also can any1 else name a good glue to stick it back on

 

[byu]

Well, in OLL, you take all the LL pieces and make them all have the same color facing up (for me it's yellow). Then, in PLL, you move all of these pieces to the right place, without messing up the OLL.

 

[panyan]

make sure to mask off the cubie with tape so that you only spray the part of the cubie where the tile will touch.

Brian.

why dont you just spray the back of the tile instead?

 

[Nevrino]

Its another Pro with vaseline, it can be used to other ehem "sports"

 

[CubeThing]

Use:
Super Glue
PVA Glue - Not sure about this, should work

 

[04mucklowd]

may we have another UK cuber?

 

[CubeThing]

I am from the uk, essex