Is my lube right?

[leden]

I managed to get some silicone spray, this one: link
It appears to be CRC / Kontakt Chemie. Still, it's the best (and only one) I found.

I'm using Rubik's store bought 3x3x3 which is totally broken in (to the point where all the stickers are ruined), solved 500+ times.

Now, I have some questions. I've read on this forum and elsewhere that lube is supposed to dry up after 1h-overnight, depending on amount and type. First of all, during the first few hours after applying it, it is still liquid and the cube feels sticky and greasy. The next day, the cube turns much easier than ever before (but I can't compare). However, looking and touching the inside, if I try, I can smudge the lube (mixed with cube dust although it was cleaned beforehand), and it feels like I'm smudging chocolate at room temperature. Is this considered "dried up"?? I sprayed the silicone for about one second (i just popped 3 pieces), then worked it for half an hour.

Compared to new unlubed Eastsheen 4x4x4, I can say that the initial friction on my lubed Rubik's appears to be greater, but once it starts moving, it is pretty easy to turn it. If I spin a side with one finger, it makes jumpy moves at moments (unlike the Eastsheen).

 

[rubiks to the third]

well i am betting you solved it more than 500 times, but you should invest in a DIY. out of the box they are so much better than store bought cubes. and the stickers will never come off

 

[Mik]

That's how my store bought cube is as well. It's awkward to start moving but once it gets going it's fast. I'd say you probably did a good job, though I can't say for sure since I can't see or test the cube myself. The jumpy movements are fine, I've never seen a lubed store bought that doesn't react weird to the lube.
Also, just like Rubiks to the third said, DIY's are generally much better. Once you find a tension you like and lube them up they're amazing. They're smooth all the time and cut corners way better than store bought cubes. I wouldn't say their stickers never come off, but you can go to places like http://www.cubesmith.com/ to get some real quality tiles.

 

[skinnyandweak]

well i am betting you solved it more than 500 times, but you should invest in a DIY. out of the box they are so much better than store bought cubes. and the stickers will never come off

that's an opinion =P. yu nakajima uses store bought cubes, and look at him, one of the fastest in the world. it's all personal preference.

lenden : i suggest you buy CRC heavy duty silicone spray. the lube isn't supposed to feel like how to described. after it dries up, you shouldn't feel any liquid in the inside, it'll just feel "slippery".

 

[abbracadiabra]

The lube you bought is silicone and it says it is safe for plastic. Looks fine to me.

I think you should take the cube apart, clean it, and re-lube it.

One reason that you shouldn't just pop out an edge piece and spray inside is that it doesn't give the lube a chance to dry (no air flow), and it doesn't give the propellants (usually propane or butane) a chance to evaporate. These chemicals are in all aerosols (that's what makes the aerosol spray). They evaporate as soon as they hit the air, but if they get onto the parts and pieces of your cube they can degrade the plastic.

When you lube it remember that less is more. You don't need a heavy coating of silicone - just a tiny bit to make the plastic more slippery. Also, hold the spray can several inches away from the pieces you're spraying - this way the propellant chemicals will evaporate before hitting the parts and pieces of your cube.

I don't think stickers are inherently better on a DIY - it all depends on the stickers themselves. Vinyl stickers last longer than the laminated stickers that come on a store-bought Rubiks cube, and tiles last even longer than vinyl stickers, but the longevity of the stickers is entirely dependent upon the stickers themselves, not the cube they are stuck to. At any rate, it's pretty easy to get replacement stickers and to resticker a cube.

As for a DIY being "better" than a store-bought cube, that depends entirely on the DIY and how well it's been assembled. It's also a matter of personal preference.

 

[leden]

Yesterday, I sprayed the whole pieces separetely and let them dry overnight. Today, before I assembled it, I checked if silicone had dried up but found that it had NOT (after cca 23 h) - I could easily remove the silicone just as before, it is near liquid. So there is really something wrong with the silicone?
The cube now spins smoothly without jumps, and a little easier than before (when I sprayed only a bit inside the cube).

 

[Dcuber]

That's like my cube, but I gave it a 3 day rest to "cool off"

 

[Lofty]

I think most people will agree a DIY out of the box will turn better than a storebought out of the box. yes Yu uses storeboughts but his are considerably broken in.
If you live in the US just go to Walmart and buy CRC Heavy Duty Silicone. Mine takes about 1 or 2 solves to work in and is completely dry after that.

 

[alexc]

I got some CRC Heavy Duty. I tried spraying it inside by sticking the nozzle in between two cubies. I let it dry overnight. I didn't notice a huge difference the next day. I think it didn't work cause I didn't clean out the cube before I sprayed and secondly I didn't take apart the cube.

So, I'm gonna try CRC again, but clean the cube and take it apart to do it.

 

[leden]

It's been over a week now and the silicone inside is still liquid, this is weird isn't it?
And I also sprayed on some flat plastic part of some toy and let it dry for a week and again it is liquid.