newtonbase
Premium Member
I magnetised my GTS tonight. I used 2 x N35 on each face to keep it nice and symmetrical. Initial impressions are that I have gone way over the top with the strength but I'll loosen and lube it tomorrow and go for the WR.
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- Thread starter MarcelP
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newtonbase
Premium Member
!!!ti oD
pipkiksass
Veteran
Oh thank god, not another YT style review of "here's me having done 12 solves with this cube". I did a YT search for Gans 356 UM review today, and that's literally all there is. That plus a few sub-10 solvers knocking out round-about PB averages, but nothing overly special for them... Instead we get what I was REALLY hoping for...
So now I interrogate you, in true Colditz style! Could you tell me the size of your ring magnets that you used for your Valk? I've been planning on using DMCubing's YT tutorial, which covers safe dismantling, and also briefly discusses magnet strength. He recommends 4x2mm N35s, but if your N42/44s are smaller they may be of comparable strength. I've got a magnetic strength conversion website bookmarked, so...Here's a Valk M review.
Also, he mentions stickerless plastic seems to be a little thinner (my experience also, especially given the way light penetrates stickerless 4x4+ edges). This project will be a little more pushed for time than I'd hope, so I'd ideally like to get it "right first time", although I appreciate that strength of magnets (much like sticker shades, cube choice, and tensions) will be a largely subjective thing.
Also, how's the blu-tac going? I've been wondering this since you first posted your gallery. I'm not generally clumsy with cubes - I don't drop them much (although I dropped my first Valk and chipped a corner, which practically made me cry). Have you had any droppages? If so, have you noticed any magnets working their way loose? I'd be particularly concerned about having to re-do one of the fragile corner assemblies - I'd say I'm more likely to snap a plastic prong than to drop a cube!!!
I suppose (clearly it would take me twice as long if I wanted to mess about with such things) that I could always buy 50x N35s and 50x N42s, and install one set, then up/downgrade if I felt the magnets were too strong/weak. Again, advantages of blu-tac over glue, I guess!
Do you have any intention to eventually replace the blu-tac with glue, or is it a permanent thing?
I share your love for the Valk, hence buying my 3rd to magnetise, and it's the only 3x3 I've bought since returning to cubing late last year. I'd love to do it justice, and any advice you can share would be massively appreciated.
TIA.
pglewis
Veteran
If you're truly interested, do it. I really only set out to dip my toe in the water but discovered getting started was a lot easier than expected. OP corners is just Y perm (or actually as it taught me, Y perm is just one OP corner case). M2 isn't much harder to learn the mechanics.
pipkiksass
Veteran
My main problem is time - I'm soon going to be returning to work after 6 months off, but that's 6 months of generally feeling crappy and unproductive. I want to magnetise my new Valk, improve at 4x4, finish OLL (nearly there), take a second look at WV, improve at 5x5, and ABOVE ALL, not give up cubing again due to the time constraints of having a job, commuting by car everywhere, and having an exceptionally demanding 4 year old who is hella cute and wants to spend every waking moment playing with daddy. I've had to be harsh the last 18 months, because my body hasn't been up to much play, so now I owe her big time.
More than slightly concerned that BLD is a step too far for me right now... but soooooo tempted!!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I can tell you, it doesn't full cut out of the box.
. (Yes, my turning is bad enough to lock up a Gans 356 AIR.)I'm still really adjusting to the feel of the cube.
Actually, the N42/44 is the approximation as if they were 4x2s. I used 5.0mm outer, 1.5mm inner, 1.5mm thickness N50 magnets. If you try to figure out how they compare to the normal 4x2s, it isn't easy... and they feel very different from the ones in the AIR, I'll tell you that.
No idea on stickerless vs. stickered, I only have stickerless Valks. So "no help here" I will say, stickers make a cube "feel" thicker, IMHO.
It has been my main for a month. I very commonly fidget with my cube doing sexy moves OH, or PLLs. Just anything to try and help my hand strength.
I've probably dropped it onto carpet by now... several times. No problems.
If you think about it... at "rest" the blu tack doesn't have to actually support anything, the magnets attract each other. There's not much the blu tack has to do. I see no need to go back in "yet".
Have I thought a magnet might be a bit loose or off "maybe"? I've thought one side may be a bit different than another, but I'd bet a Valk all 48 magnets are in place still.
I didn't use any tools to open my corners, and I tried to avoid touching, the prongs. It worked, and I'm pretty confident I could pull the cube apart, and put it back together without harming it... but it is something to be... delicate about. There is a small amount of force and "rocking" of the "foot" involed.
I might make another one instead... I wouldn't risk a cube I really like, and I really like my Valk.
(note: I have ~100 more magnets of that size around the house... so making another cube isn't that big a deal.)
pglewis
Veteran
Totally know where you're coming from, @pipkiksass; so many hobbies, so little time. The guitar hobby demands a chunk of time too.
kbrune
Veteran
My 10th comp in the books!
Hightlights of the day:
- Beat 2x2 single with a 4.18. Previously 5.86 which extends my 2x2 single PB streak to 5 (if the double 5.86 counts lol)
- Beat 3x3 average with an 18.30. Previously 18.59. Another happy surprise! I did not expect to beat it so quickly. especially since I didn't get any practice time in before my first solve which ended up at 25.xy. Oddly enough I felt relaxed after botching the first solve. as if I had given up hope of getting a good ao5. So I felt pretty relaxed for the last 4.
- Improved skewb average with a 14.34. Better then expected since my practice average was around 16 seconds.
- Got to meet @megagoune and @teacher77. However briefly. Sorry I didn't have more of a chance to chat. It was quite busy all day with helping out and such.
Near Successes:
- Had a super easy scramble in OH. I rarely make OH cutoffs and if I hadn't fumbled the E perm so badly it would have been my first comp sub 40 sec.
- Same idea for 4x4. I'm not sure if I'd have gotten sub cutoff of 1:15 (would have been close) but one of the 2 scrambles had an easy start. And once I got to my cross edge pairing. one of them was solved already and the other 3 were easy. I messed up everything after that lol.
Thanks for the encouragements all!
Hightlights of the day:
- Beat 2x2 single with a 4.18. Previously 5.86 which extends my 2x2 single PB streak to 5 (if the double 5.86 counts lol)
- Beat 3x3 average with an 18.30. Previously 18.59. Another happy surprise! I did not expect to beat it so quickly. especially since I didn't get any practice time in before my first solve which ended up at 25.xy. Oddly enough I felt relaxed after botching the first solve. as if I had given up hope of getting a good ao5. So I felt pretty relaxed for the last 4.
- Improved skewb average with a 14.34. Better then expected since my practice average was around 16 seconds.
- Got to meet @megagoune and @teacher77. However briefly. Sorry I didn't have more of a chance to chat. It was quite busy all day with helping out and such.
Near Successes:
- Had a super easy scramble in OH. I rarely make OH cutoffs and if I hadn't fumbled the E perm so badly it would have been my first comp sub 40 sec.
- Same idea for 4x4. I'm not sure if I'd have gotten sub cutoff of 1:15 (would have been close) but one of the 2 scrambles had an easy start. And once I got to my cross edge pairing. one of them was solved already and the other 3 were easy. I messed up everything after that lol.
Thanks for the encouragements all!
kbrune
Veteran
Very awesome!! Guitar is also on my list of hobbies. Only I've neglected it for quite some time and im afraid I've lost my skills! Very nice video. Im jealous of your skills!
h2f
Premium Member
I havent cubed a lot last week but I keep practicing predicting first pair. Today I had a nice jump from 17.97 ao50 to to 17.29 ao50. I'm too tired to continue the session.
newtonbase
Premium Member
I know from experience that superglue is not drop proof. I expect that blu tak is less brittle.
It takes a lot of time to learn but you can dip in and out. There's no hurry.
mafergut
Legend
Congratulations on that average! All of you keep getting faster while I am stuck at high 18 average. I should go back to practicing 3x3. So many events, so little time.
Sent from my Nexus 4 with Tapatalk
In fact. I've found the blu tack cube pretty resistant to day to day stuff.
For everyone: Remember, I cube OH, with a stickerless cube. What is one thing you can count on that happens: I drop my cube.
BLD is actually GREAT for small amounts of time. It doesn't sound it... But there's many small skills you must master. OP corners, M2, basic cycle tracing, and memo.... Never mind parity, etc.
Each of these is a "bite sized" thing in BLD. I've been working on BLD off and on for months. But finally I'm making the charge to get M2 and OP in my hands solidly, which is more like learning a few PLLs.
BLD isn't something you learn in a week.. it is more of a many days of short duration thing, IMHO, at least initially.
.
mafergut
Legend
Right now I have all my mains sitting on top of my desk, inside their original boxes, from 2x2 up to 7x7. The rest of my collection is safely kept on a couple drawers and some big boxes (these decorative boxes with pictures of London, New York, etc. you can find in cheap decoration stores).
muchacho
Veteran
The other cubes (that I seldom use) are at my desk forming a tower (2 big 3x3, a 5x5, a 4x4, a skewb, a square-1, a 2x2 and a kilominx).
mafergut
Legend
My problem is that my "other" cubes are starting to add up to more than 80 so I cannot just have them all lying around.
And, at long last!!!! I finally got my 1st sub 1 minute 4x4 single. To be honest it was a pretty stupid scramble with white center done and 6-move yellow center, also easy 3FE and L4C, good lookahead on edge pairing and nice no-parities, no-skips 3x3 stage. It seems that I was waiting for a scramble to break the 1min barrier big time
I'm posting the scramble just in case any of you want to try it out.
1. 55.33 L2 Fw' F U' R' Uw2 R L' F' B' U Fw D R2 Uw' F2 R F' U2 Uw' D B' Fw2 Uw D2 U2 Rw' Fw F' L2 Rw' D2 Rw Uw U2 Rw R' D R U
EDIT: Yes, 55.33!!! Who cares about a 59.xx?
so I cannot just have them all lying around.And, at long last!!!! I finally got my 1st sub 1 minute 4x4 single. To be honest it was a pretty stupid scramble with white center done and 6-move yellow center, also easy 3FE and L4C, good lookahead on edge pairing and nice no-parities, no-skips 3x3 stage. It seems that I was waiting for a scramble to break the 1min barrier big time
I'm posting the scramble just in case any of you want to try it out.1. 55.33 L2 Fw' F U' R' Uw2 R L' F' B' U Fw D R2 Uw' F2 R F' U2 Uw' D B' Fw2 Uw D2 U2 Rw' Fw F' L2 Rw' D2 Rw Uw U2 Rw R' D R U
EDIT: Yes, 55.33!!! Who cares about a 59.xx?
newtonbase
Premium Member
On top of the piano until my wife gets to them. She puts them at the top of the cellar stairs to remind me they belong down there. I put them back on the piano. My main tends to stay on my person.
I've had a play around with my newly magnetised GTS. After loosening it 1.25 turns and bumping up the Maru share price a few points it's pretty good but the magnets are definitely too strong. I've ordered some 4mm x 1.5mm N35 that I'll put in my old GTS that has a missing cap.
Nice... I can see the bit about the cubes wandering back and forth.
What size/strength magnets are you calling too much in a GTS?
