# petroleum jelly to lube a tight cube?



## AlanAlanine (Nov 3, 2008)

Hi

So I've heard that petroleum jelly can eat away at the inside of your cube which is a bad thing...

But say I have a very tight rubik's cube. I can't adjust the tension since it's not DIY, and I've been breaking it in for a while. 

Will using petroleum jelly speed up the decay of the cube? 

I heard sand is good too, but I'm not too close to any beaches


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## Jhong253 (Nov 3, 2008)

So you have a very tight store-bought cube...
I have a store bought cube and it is very loose and fast. But it once used to be ridiculously tight. 

What I did was sand down the corners and edge pieces, break the cube in, and then lube the cube using shock oil (a silicon based oil lubricant). Simply lubing the cube won't help as much.

Cubes are usually very resilient but are also very weak to any petroleum-based lubricants, so try to avoid petroleum jelly.

Here are the steps I recommend based on my experience with the tight store cube:

1. Twist your cube for 1+ weeks like crazy. This "breaks in" the pieces and the natural grinding of plastic pieces makes your cube a bit faster.
2. Go to this YouTube video, sand your cube. Your cube will become a bit faster and it will be a bit easier to cut corners.
3. Play with your cube for another 1+ weeks, then watch this Youtube video on how to break in your cube. Now you will be able to cut corners and turn your cube much faster! Be careful though, you might accidentally break your cube, and "breaking in" too much can be negative, because it might make your cube too loose. Keep in mind that once you make a store bought cube loose, there is no going back to tight cube.
4. Lube your cube. If you choose to use shock oil like me, just pry open an edge of your cube and put ONE drop of the oil into the cube. But if you want to use silicon spray like many people, then watch this Youtube video. 

Now your cube will fly! BE CAREFUL THOUGH not to put too much lube regardless of which lube you decide to use. Too much will make your cube sticky.


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## AlanAlanine (Nov 3, 2008)

so, say I already put petroleum jelly in said cube this weekend and the cube has gotten sticky due to the fact i probably put in too much.

Can I just wash it out with soap/water/sponge?


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## Schvetlana (Nov 3, 2008)

I use and have used Vaseline on all my cubes and nothing has happened except make them faster. I've been doing this since 2006 and everything is fine for me.


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## InhumanElmo (Nov 4, 2008)

I prefer the jig-a-loo


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## It3ration (Nov 4, 2008)

Petroleum jelly will ruin your cube. Use CRC silicone lubricant. You can find it at your local hardware store.


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## Cronus616 (Nov 4, 2008)

do NOT use petroleum jelly
i agree with the dude above me -- use CRC silicone lubricant
i found some the other day at walmart for $1.97 for a decent-sized can


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## AlanAlanine (Nov 4, 2008)

ok so my goal was not to lubricate my cube, but to break down the inside. I will try and remove the petroleum jelly now as that seems to be the consensus.

Does anyone know the best way to get rid of petroleum jelly? Soap and water? Rubbing alcohol?


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## EmersonHerrmann (Nov 4, 2008)

Either lube you use, just buy a diy


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## It3ration (Nov 4, 2008)

Use soap and water. In my experience though petroleum jelly will not only ruin your cube, but even after you wash the pieces with soap and water, the plastic will be greatly weakened and probably snap. Not to mention that store-bought cubes are crap. 

I also strongly recommend a DIY.


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## AlanAlanine (Nov 4, 2008)

i got a white DIY type d from cube4you and it was sucktastic...

I have another DIY that I bought from a friend, but I guess I am really bad at adjusting the tension because it keeps popping unless i tighten it to the point that it turns the same as my store-bought cube that i've worn down...

i think i should maybe stop worrying about finding a speed demon cube and just cube faster myself. i average ~26 seconds with my crappy cube; on my friend's nice cube it only shaves a second or two.


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## Rubenx96 (Oct 14, 2009)

i think petroleum jelly will work


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## Kxg (Oct 14, 2009)

Rubenx96 said:


> i think petroleum jelly will work



That definitely wasn't bumping 1,5 year old thread with pretty much pointless and misinformative post.


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## AlanAlanine (Oct 15, 2009)

haha this is old...

I think people misunderstood the question of the thread. The idea was -- does Petroleum Jelly work in such a way that you can use it to break in your cube?

After trying it, the answer was resoundingly, no. And it's hard as hell to clean out too. 

I conclude that the best way to break-in a store bought is to simply use it a lot -- the old fashioned way.


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## JLarsen (Oct 15, 2009)

I conclude Petroleum Jelly has absolutely no long term benefit to a cube.


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## ductape_girl (Oct 16, 2010)

I know I'm super late for this conversation, but the best way to remove petroleum jelly is with dishwashing liquid, preferably Dawn. Works like a charm.


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## satellitedanny (Apr 13, 2011)

BUMP!
This is my method for breaking in Rubik's Storebought cubes. I pop an edge and smear the inside with Petroleum Jelly. I play with it 30-60 minutes a day for about 3-5 weeks. After that, I use boiling water to melt out the Petroleum Jelly and I spray it with ProStaff D39, Jig-A-Loo or 50k Diff oil. I usually spray Jig-A-loo since it's widely available in Canada and I follow up with 50k diff oil on the core "arms". Reason for Petroleum Jelly; Makes it feel smooth so that you are more likely to play with the cube and it collects the cube dust.


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## Kirjava (Apr 13, 2011)

u jelly?


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## ~Phoenix Death~ (Apr 13, 2011)

satellitedanny said:


> BUMP!
> This is my method for breaking in Rubik's Storebought cubes. I pop an edge and smear the inside with Petroleum Jelly. I play with it 30-60 minutes a day for about 3-5 weeks. After that, I use boiling water to melt out the Petroleum Jelly and I spray it with ProStaff D39, Jig-A-Loo or 50k Diff oil. I usually spray Jig-A-loo since it's widely available in Canada and I follow up with 50k diff oil on the core "arms". Reason for Petroleum Jelly; Makes it feel smooth so that you are more likely to play with the cube and it collects the cube dust.


 
The first part where you let petroleum jelly sit in it for weeks, cleaning it out, and lubing it with a better lubricant is a widely used method for breaking storeboughts.


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## satellitedanny (Apr 13, 2011)

~Phoenix Death~ said:


> The first part where you let petroleum jelly sit in it for weeks, cleaning it out, and lubing it with a better lubricant is a widely used method for breaking storeboughts.


 
LOL, Let me just edit my post


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## satellitedanny (Apr 13, 2011)

:fp


satellitedanny said:


> BUMP!
> This is a widely used method for breaking in Rubik's Storebought cubes. Pop an edge and smear the inside with Petroleum Jelly. Play with it 30-60 minutes a day for about 3-5 weeks. After that, Use boiling water to melt out the Petroleum Jelly and spray it with ProStaff D39, Jig-A-Loo or 50k Diff oil. I usually spray Jig-A-loo since it's widely available in Canada and I follow up with 50k diff oil on the core "arms". Reason for Petroleum Jelly; Makes it feel smooth so that you are more likely to play with the cube and it collects the cube dust Edited post! Yeah!.


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