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Lube Lube Lube!

Zaxef

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Jan 13, 2009
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Ok so I just lubed my 4x4 cube with a Silicone Lube I got from Canadian Tire..
It turns really nicely but it almost seems to lock up even more now?
It's a storebought Rubik's 4x4.. It's always annoyed me with lockups and it's crap quality..

So I'm a bit nervous about what it would do to my 3x3..
Either way I plan on buying a stickered Diansheng anyway but I don't want to keep using this lube if it's not good..

To be more specific it's Silicone lube that "Contains petroleum dissilates, heptane, isobutane and propane"

Is that ok to use?
 

Zaxef

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Canadian Tire sells Jig-a-loo, thats what most Canadian Cubers use.

I didn't see it there but I'll look again.. I heard that eats away at the cubes too or something though?

And thanks I guess I have to clean them out..
I believe you're thinking of WD-40 do not use it! Try getting silicone spray.

Yea I know to get Silicone spray.. That's what I got but it contains the petroleum stuff so I guess I need to find a different one.. The Canadian Tire by my house didn't have any Silicone sprays without the "gas" type elements in it..
 

bundat

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Apr 17, 2008
Messages
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CRC Heavy Duty silicone, one of the most popular silicone lube brands, also contains petroleum distillate.
Cyclo Silicone spray, the main brand used by the PCA (Philippine Cubers Association) and Philippine top cuber JB Canares (until he switched to the cheaper Mag-1), also contains petroleum distillates.
So it's no problem I think.

Maybe because petroleum jelly eats cube plastic, people are now paranoid by petroleum-"anything".
But afaik, petroleum distillates are commonly used as propellants, and evaporate immediately as soon as they leave the can, even before the spray hits your cube, so it's fine (unless you use the small straw fixture thing to spray directly into the cube without giving it a chance to evaporate).

So your lube is fine. I've tried a myriad of brands (CRC heavy duty, CRC food grade, McKenic, 3-in-1, Cyclo, etc.), and while there is a slight difference, anything silicone is good.

Rubik's big cubes on the other hand, are completely random. I've encountered a 5x5 that will lock up with the simplest face turns, and only got worse after being broken in for a few months and being lubed. While I've seen a 4x4 that's almost better than an EastSheen out-of-the-box. I'd say you just got unlucky with your Rubik's, and it's not the lube. Get an ES instead.
 
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abr71310

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It really depends where you live that measures teh availability of silicone lube...

I'm in Toronto, and I've yet to find any trace of CRC (There's Jig-A-Loo EVERYWHERE, but right now I have two cans of CRC that I LOVE!!!!)...
When I was in South Carolina I picked up a storebought + 2 cans of CRC (Jig-A-Loo was RIGHT BESIDE the CRC) at the local Wal-Mart, no problem! -- I still can't find a hardware store here, though. :(( (CRC is like 2 dollars / can; Jig-A-Loo is like 5-6 dollars!!! (WTF))
 

HGYPOT

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Hi, I'm new on here and posting for advice for my son. He's only 9 but is really into speed cubing and gets some pretty good times. I'm at a total loss when it comes to lube. I dont know how to know if they need it or which one to get. I have read through some of the posts on here but you all seem to be using proper hardware shop lubricants. Do you not use the ones they sell on speed cube websites? I was looking at GAN magic or the cosmic Galaxy stuff?? I was thinking just one that suits all at the moment? I am in the UK and will probably order online. He has GAN 3x3, GAN Skewb, QiYi 2x2, Pyraminx and a MOYU 4x4. Do they all need different?? Any advice would be great. I'm way out of my depth.
 

LBr

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Hi, I'm new on here and posting for advice for my son. He's only 9 but is really into speed cubing and gets some pretty good times. I'm at a total loss when it comes to lube. I dont know how to know if they need it or which one to get. I have read through some of the posts on here but you all seem to be using proper hardware shop lubricants. Do you not use the ones they sell on speed cube websites? I was looking at GAN magic or the cosmic Galaxy stuff?? I was thinking just one that suits all at the moment? I am in the UK and will probably order online. He has GAN 3x3, GAN Skewb, QiYi 2x2, Pyraminx and a MOYU 4x4. Do they all need different?? Any advice would be great. I'm way out of my depth.
This thread is ancient (nearly 14 years old) and was posted before lubes specifically for cubes existed, hence why people back then used the best alternatives.

These days people obvs use lube from cube shops, almost entirely made by SCS and Thecubicle. The general opinion on the community is that tc is better as most of their lubes were formulated by a chemist, but SCS are still popular. I have only ever used lube from tc, and the most popular lubes from there are dnm, silk, weight 5 and mystic. SCS also have their own weight 5 and Lunar, which serves the same purpose as dnm, and Martian that serves a similar purpose to silk. There are others but the ones I mentioned above are a safe bet.

As you live in the uk, your best option is probably kewbz as uk shipping is cheaper, but the lube itself is more expensive. They’ll sell lube from both the main suppliers

If you’re questioning what lube actually does, it is essentially maintaining the performance of the cube. Dnm and silk are piece lubes, dnm being fast and silk being slower and cushiony. Weight 5 is a great all purpose silicone lube that can be used on springs, tracks and pieces while mystic is fast and makes the cube feel great and is also good for the tracks but keep it away from the core.

And that’s pretty much all there is to say - jawed
 
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HGYPOT

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Hi, thanks so much for the advice. Why do you have to keep mystic away from the core?? If I go for the weight 5 can this go anywhere in the cube without causing trouble?
 

HGYPOT

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Nov 13, 2022
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Also, forgive my ignorance but these lubes that are viscous and slow the cube down... Why are you wanting to show it down? I thought the idea was to get faster?
 

Thom S.

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Sep 26, 2017
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Also, forgive my ignorance but these lubes that are viscous and slow the cube down... Why are you wanting to show it down? I thought the idea was to get faster?
In a simplified way, Cubes have had a history of becoming faster each year and cubers wanted that. Each new flagship cube was more effortless to turn. Somewhere down the line, cubes could be so effortless, you'd overshoot your turns most of the time. So we have these heavier lubes and magnets to help these cubes be more controllable.
 

HGYPOT

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Nov 13, 2022
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👍 I see! So higher viscosity for a fast cube (my sons skewb is crazy effortless) but lower viscosity for a slower cube? His 4x4 seems less smooth so might benefit from something like weight 3 or 4? 🤷🏻‍♀️ Seems the cubicle ones are now only being sold by Kewbz in the larger of the 2 sizes so I might go for the ones in the syringes? I think the larger bottle of silk might be too much. Or should I just go for the silk??
LBr suggested weight 5 as good starting point but isn't this the most viscous? 🤯
 
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Don’t worry you can just get a slow and fast lube. I only have lunar and my cubes are great. You also don’t have to get a very big container because the lubes last forever. He might want several if he is like super fast at the event and his cubes aren’t that great but by your description they seem fine.
 
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