# How to fix store bought cubes properly



## Statical (May 8, 2008)

I sanded the cube with rough sand paper but the cube is worse than before. Why is it so? can anybody tell me how to sand properly
and what kind of things to use?


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## pcwiz (May 8, 2008)

After you sand the cube with rough sand paper, the cube gets really rough, so your cube has more friction. You're doing this right, but now, sand it with steel wool, and your cube will be EXTREMELY smooth. Steel wool is used to take off rust from pots and pans, and if you don't have one (ask your parents if they have one first), then you can find it at your local super market.


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## brunson (May 8, 2008)

I used 600 grit sandpaper on one of my cubes. I don't recommend sanding at all. The surface of the cubies is actually very smooth and because they're not perfectly flat, they actually touch in very few places. If you're taking a surface that has a mirror like finish and making it dull, then you've actually taken a step backwards. 

The one thing that has to be done to a new cube is to remove the excess plastic that oozes between the parts of the mold, called "flash". Run your fingers over all the faces of the pieces, you'll feel them sticking up. When you do it to enough of the pieces you'll start finding them in the same places on each different kind. I remove it with the back side of an Xacto (a scalpel, for those in the UK), just scraping the flash takes it right off.


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## Statical (May 9, 2008)

is there another alternative for steel wool? can i use 120 grit paper?


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## linkmaster03 (May 9, 2008)

You can increase the grit little by little to make it smooth. I haven't tried steel wool though.


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## Statical (May 10, 2008)

i used 120 grit straight away? is there a way to salvage the cube coz it becomes tighter
can i use fine sand paper or lube it straight away?


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## PCwizCube (May 10, 2008)

It's hard to understand your question, so I'll answer it to the best of my abilities. When you're sanding the pieces, the point is to make the pieces VERY smooth. 120 grit sand paper might work (I haven't used it before,) but steel wool works incredibly well (get it at your local supermarket.)

So if you try to lubricate a cube where the inner pieces aren't smooth, it won't do a good job.... So make the pieces as smooth as you can, and then lubricate it.

About loosening your cube, I'm not too familiar with the topic - sorry


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## *LukeMayn* (May 10, 2008)

you can also use a nail file, my cousin did.


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## Statical (May 10, 2008)

steel wool costs over 20bucks here in singapore which is about 10 plus us. i found it in a hardware shop


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## fanwuq (May 10, 2008)

Don't sand then lube immediantly! Get all the dust off first. How does steel wool cost so much. It should be like $1 for a pack of 10 or so. People use it to scrap their pots for dishwashing. I never used it though.
Just cube for now, then buy a DIY.


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## shelley (May 10, 2008)

The higher the grit number on sandpaper, the finer it is. If you want to make your cubies smooth, go with a higher number. 120 grit would be okay to sand off rough spots and imperfections in the plastic from manufacturing, but you might want to get higher grit sandpaper or steel wool to finish it.


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## CuberDude (May 6, 2009)

It's because you roughened up the plastic and created more friction in the cube when turned.


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## mazei (May 6, 2009)

Get 2000 grit When I modded my 5x5 with the MeMyself&Pi mod I used 100 grit to sand it then used an Exacto knife to make it smooth(like in the video).

That is one way but seeing this is a whole cube instead of just 8 corners, a higher grit sandpaper or steel wool would be preferred.


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## Neroflux (May 6, 2009)

mazei said:


> Get 2000 grit When I modded my 5x5 with the MeMyself&Pi mod I used 100 grit to sand it then used an Exacto knife to make it smooth(like in the video).
> 
> That is one way but seeing this is a whole cube instead of just 8 corners, a higher grit sandpaper or steel wool would be preferred.



2000? i was told that 1500 was smoother than a piece of paper.


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## MangoTangoFox (May 6, 2009)

*Perfect Store Bought Cube Tutorial*

*Trust Me* this works wonders.
My store bought cuts corners and turns better than my Cube For You Diy, which is supposedly the best Diy cube according to Chris (MonkeyDude1313) on youtube.


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## spdcbr (May 6, 2009)

Cool, I'll do what mangotangofox said to do.


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## MangoTangoFox (May 6, 2009)

spdcbr said:


> Cool, I'll do what mangotangofox said to do.


Thanx ;D
Yea this is a very good mod I just created by chipping a way at my cube for a few weeks. ONE THING though, do not sand/file down the lips (Part that holds the piece in) on the pieces too much, if you file it down too far, the pieces will literally just fall out, but if you sand them down just right, they will make dis-assembly very easy, and make for better corner cutting.


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## spdcbr (May 6, 2009)

MangoTangoFox said:


> spdcbr said:
> 
> 
> > Cool, I'll do what mangotangofox said to do.
> ...



Do you reallly need to sand the edge piece to half height like that?


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## MangoTangoFox (May 6, 2009)

spdcbr said:


> MangoTangoFox said:
> 
> 
> > spdcbr said:
> ...


Yes because it eliminates excess weight, and that part rubs against the core, creating friction. And i dont know what you mean by half height....


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