Lubing V-Cubes

[It3ration]

As everyone's getting their V-Cubes, there seems to be a lot of talk about how to lube them, and what kind of lube to use. I figured we could organize all that talk into a new thread. Some questions are:

1. How to take the cubes apart (assuming it's different for 5x5x5, 6x6x6 and 7x7x7).
2. Is it necessary to lube all the pieces individually? Or is it better to apply some lube, then twist for a few hours?
3. What kind of lube to use. It would be good to know if some lubes eat the plastic.

It might be good if people could post some pictures illustrating solutions to the aforementioned questions.

 

[Jason Baum]

When I lubed my 6x6x6, I took the puzzle apart and sprayed all of the pieces. The best way I've found to pop open a 6x6x6 is to put your thumb in between the two center edges. Then just push your thumb over a little bit and you should start to see one of the center edges and its adjacent outer wing start to come out. I took out all of the pieces and sorted them so that all of the similar pieces were together. Then I grouped them together and sprayed them all with a good amount of silicone spray. I waited about 10 minutes and flipped the pieces over and sprayed the other side. I used the same stuff I use for all my puzzles: CRC Heavy Duty Silicone. I again waited about 10 minutes and then I put the puzzle back together. Lubing it only made a small difference though, so I wouldn't recommend taking it apart to lube like I did (unless you're interested in seeing what the insides look like). You can probably just spray some lube in between the center edges and wear it in that way.

 

[cmv0116]

I opened my 5x5x5 by taking out one of the wings by pushing it toward the cornerand separating it from the center edge and then popping it out. Then you can spray lube in that opening. Just make sure you play with the cube right after you lube it or the pieces get fused together.

 

[Erik]

This question is asked a lot of times I think, only for the cubes we already had. V-cubes are not different, they are still cubes made out of plastic who love lube.
1. I'll let you puzzle on question number 1, it's not too hard.
2. This is one of those questions asked million times I think, again I don't see why V-cubes should be having a different treatment than your other cubes, I'd say just take out a piece, spray, play etc. I really don't see the point of taking all pieces out... (unless you have too much time you want to waste )
3. Lol, again a quite trivial question, if your lube works well on your other cubes it'll be good for V-cubes too.

 

[UMichSpeedCubist]

This question is asked a lot of times I think, only for the cubes we already had. V-cubes are not different, they are still cubes made out of plastic who love lube.
1. I'll let you puzzle on question number 1, it's not too hard.
2. This is one of those questions asked million times I think, again I don't see why V-cubes should be having a different treatment than your other cubes, I'd say just take out a piece, spray, play etc. I really don't see the point of taking all pieces out... (unless you have too much time you want to waste )
3. Lol, again a quite trivial question, if your lube works well on your other cubes it'll be good for V-cubes too.

I totally disagree. The plastic is probably somewhat different, especially that it is *white*! Maybe... maybe you can apply the same treatment as other white plastic cubes such as the white-DIY 3x3, but I think the original post asks good questions. In my experience, white plastic tends to be "slipperier" somehow.

Another issue is the much larger amount of internal surface area involved compared to previous cubes. I could imagine certain lubes working better or worst because of this factor. My opinion is to use "dryer" lubes (if you're not going to take it all apart, lube, let it dry, then reassemble - which I bet is tedious at 213 pieces).


-Doug

 

[hdskull]

Hey Doug, I have a question out of topic: Where did you get that sticker ? I've always wanted my own, but cubesmith no longer sells them.