Trying to understand this lube better.

[Gerry]

Hey all, Beginner here, and I'm using Cubing Out Loud's Saxophone lube. Found here.

Question 1: Feels sticky at first then that goes away after a few solves. Is it drying out that fast, or is that breaking it in? It's listed as a silicone lube.

Question 2: I'm new and my turns are going to be slow no matter what, does it matter what I use, as long as I use lube? Within reason I mean, lubes that are meant for cubes. (Silicone on any piece, water away from metal etc)

I'm trying to figure out if I need to buy more than just the Saxophone. I'm ordering from there already, and they don't have the better known lubes, and I'm trying to avoid ordering from a second store just for lubes. The shipping drives the price up so much. I don't want to ruin the cubes, so I'd rather make that extra order if needed to save the cubes.

Question 3; Does anyone know if there are any direct comparisons from each of the Loud Lubes to other known lubes? I see lots of descriptions for other lubes, but not much on the Loud Lubes.

TLR In theory, can I achieve the feel of any lube by mixing these silicone lubes, and is it safe in the long run for the cubes? (I'm reading difference things about melting plastic and I don't understand the difference, my english is terrible.)

Thanks!

 

[SH03L4C3]

1: thats normal
2: when you get faster, you will start to have preferences
3: not sure
4: Mixing lubes is perfectly safe unless specified so

 

[qwr]

Yeah silicone will be sticky and gummy immediately after putting it in, but will smooth out a lot after a few turns. As long as you don't overdo it.

Lube is personal preference. Silicone is a generic lube for speeding up and smoothing puzzles, but a quick watery lube like DNM may be useful to immediately get speed.

This is the first I've heard of these lubes, but if they are silicone, they should be similar to traxxas and cubicle weighted silicone.

Cube lubes are safe to mix. Only lubes designed for metal like WD-40 might be harmful.

 

[MJS Cubing]

Yeah silicone will be sticky and gummy immediately after putting it in, but will smooth out a lot after a few turns. As long as you don't overdo it.

Lube is personal preference. Silicone is a generic lube for speeding up and smoothing puzzles, but a quick watery lube like DNM may be useful to immediately get speed.

This is the first I've heard of these lubes, but if they are silicone, they should be similar to traxxas and cubicle weighted silicone.

Cube lubes are safe to mix. Only lubes designed for metal like WD-40 might be harmful.

WD-40 isn’t a lube, it’s a solvent. That’s why it breaks down plastic. You could use it for your metal cube though.

 

[Gerry]

I grabbed the thinnest lube they have, and it still slowed down the cube a lot. I know this for sure, because I had 2 of the same cube. I wanted to stop the spring noise, so I added the thinnest lube to core and pieces. Then I compared the newly lubed cube to the one I hadn't lubed yet. Way quieter, and smoother. But now it is much more sluggish than the unlubed one. Even after 3-4 solves.

Is this because it's still not that thin, even though it is the thinnest? Or is that what silicone lubes do. Smooth things out at the cost of speed? If that is the case, I'll probably need to get some water based lube to add to the pieces.

 

[AlgoCuber]

I grabbed the thinnest lube they have, and it still slowed down the cube a lot. I know this for sure, because I had 2 of the same cube. I wanted to stop the spring noise, so I added the thinnest lube to core and pieces. Then I compared the newly lubed cube to the one I hadn't lubed yet. Way quieter, and smoother. But now it is much more sluggish than the unlubed one. Even after 3-4 solves.

Is this because it's still not that thin, even though it is the thinnest? Or is that what silicone lubes do. Smooth things out at the cost of speed? If that is the case, I'll probably need to get some water based lube to add to the pieces.

If you only did 3-4 solves, you probably haven't even broken it in yet. You maybe overlubed it, because too much lube can slow your cube down. Also, do not add a thin lube to the pieces, it will dry out quickly and it's pretty annoying to have to take your cube apart, lube the core, and put it back together.

 

[WarriorCatCuber]

I've used Loud Lubes before. Really, I think that saxophone and jet engine are only good for lubing cores, even cherry bomb is pretty thick. If you like slow cubes, get cherry bomb, if you like your cubes at a moderate speed, get lawnmower. But really, you should probably try breaking your saxophone in a little more.

 

[Gerry]

Turns out there was a misunderstanding. I took 2 pieces of information, and mixed them together for a terrible result. (Make sure all contact surfaces get lube) and (Which parts of the pieces are contact surfaces) So I lubed the contact surfaces of every piece. All contact surfaces, check! All pieces, check!

Why does my cube feel like a shoe being stuck in mud? On, I see what I did there. After I clean and relube only one of each piece, I'll update.

 

[qwr]

Turns out there was a misunderstanding. I took 2 pieces of information, and mixed them together for a terrible result. (Make sure all contact surfaces get lube) and (Which parts of the pieces are contact surfaces) So I lubed the contact surfaces of every piece. All contact surfaces, check! All pieces, check!

Why does my cube feel like a shoe being stuck in mud? On, I see what I did there. After I clean and relube only one of each piece, I'll update.

yep, you only need one or two drops of most lube. start with one drop, work it in, then add more to taste.

 

[Gerry]

This time, I cleaned out really well, then only added a couple drops deep into the pieces (where it forms kind of a sphere), and then a couple on the outer pieces (on the honeycomb parts). Now it super fast for me. May not be fast for faster solvers though. Oh, and I used a Q-Tip and applied some to the bottom of the GES springs where it contacts the centercap, and where the core go into the center caps. Maybe drop total for the core and springs. Just enough to that you could see it shine. I figured Gan puzzles don't really need core lube, so didn't bother too much.

So with Saxophone on core, and Lawnmower on pieces, it works amazing for me now. Before the cube would lock up because I was trying to start a new turn before the cube was finished with the last turn. Now that does not happen.