# Cube dust - just clean it



## blindfold cube (Oct 6, 2007)

Hey everyone, I have a question. I always have black dust on the inside of my cube. I clean out my cube piece by piece and a week of speedcubing later, the black dust comes back. I am aware that some silicone based lubricants are the cause of the black dust. I was wondering if there is a way to lessen or prevent the black dust from formng inside my cube. It is anoying because it slows down my cube. Is there anything i can do?

Thanks


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## deathbypapercutz (Oct 6, 2007)

I have the dust problem too, although I haven't checked how fast it builds up. I even have black dust in my white cube... Just... suck it up and clean it every so often?


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## blindfold cube (Oct 6, 2007)

deathbypapercutz said:


> I have the dust problem too, although I haven't checked how fast it builds up. I even have black dust in my white cube... Just... suck it up and clean it every so often?



Is that the only solution?


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## chue.hsien (Oct 6, 2007)

my friend told me that the black dust is the result of the washer cutting/grinding into the screw.. you guys are using DIYs right? my green face middle piece also has this problem.


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## Radu (Oct 6, 2007)

chue.hsien said:


> my friend told me that the black dust is the result of the washer cutting/grinding into the screw


yeah that's right. at least this is what i noticed too. the black dust is actually very fine milled plastic. you won't find black dust on a white diy


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## deathbypapercutz (Oct 6, 2007)

pablobaluba said:


> chue.hsien said:
> 
> 
> > the black dust is actually very fine milled plastic. you won't find black dust on a white diy
> ...


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## VooX (Oct 7, 2007)

*Removing Dust*

There is dirt which is coarse and black which gets in your cube. There is also the dust caused by the plastic rubbing on plastic.

Given that this will never stop happening, maintenance is the best solution. Occasionally I take my cube apart and wipe it with a microfibre cloth. These cloths are the thicker ones you can use to wipe eyeglasses or computer screens with.

After a good wiping, I lube my cube with a liquid silicone fluid. I pop an edge, fill the small hole halfway with lube, and work it in. I repeat with an edge on an opposite side of the cube.

Silicone seals the very small pores in plastic. A thin film also builds on the outside of the plastic and leaves a very smooth surface. When every piece is smooth like this your cube will turn great.

Depending on how often you cube, and how you carry your cube, you may need to this fairly often to keep your cube smooth and quick.

VooX


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## Radu (Oct 7, 2007)

VooX said:


> There is dirt which is coarse and black which gets in your cube. There is also the dust caused by the plastic rubbing on plastic.
> 
> Given that this will never stop happening, maintenance is the best solution. Occasionally I take my cube apart and wipe it with a microfibre cloth. These cloths are the thicker ones you can use to wipe eyeglasses or computer screens with.
> 
> ...



that's right. but it happened to me that after lubing...i got a too smooth cube. i couldn't control it anymore. i don't know if this happened to others. maybe i don't like too loose cubes.


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## Demon Parasite (Oct 7, 2007)

just pop off the center caps and tighten it then. since it's too smooth, i'm assuming it's a DIY


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## Radu (Oct 8, 2007)

Demon Parasite said:


> just pop off the center caps and tighten it then. since it's too smooth, i'm assuming it's a DIY



i know. but if i tighten it too much, then it will lock up more often. it's a balance between these two. if the screw it's too tight, then the cube gets locked up if the "cuttings" are not perfectly matched. anyway...imo the cube is best after a week since it was cubed and worked out a bit


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## Pedro (Oct 8, 2007)

pablobaluba said:


> chue.hsien said:
> 
> 
> > my friend told me that the black dust is the result of the washer cutting/grinding into the screw
> ...



actually I get black dust in my white DIY from rubiks.com (the one with flat centers)


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## Joemamma556 (Jun 25, 2010)

*Best way to clean Cube dust?*

Any suggestions?


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## koreancuber (Jun 25, 2010)

with a wet cloth


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## JeffDelucia (Jun 25, 2010)

Wet cloth/sock/dishwasher


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## Chapuunka (Jun 25, 2010)

Acid.

[/sarcasm]


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## koreancuber (Jun 25, 2010)

JeffDelucia said:


> /sock/



that's disturbing, lol the purpose of cleaning is to clean..


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## ~Phoenix Death~ (Jun 25, 2010)




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## robosariobo777 (Jun 25, 2010)

water..or for stuff that is kind of stuck, use a q-tip. and scrub


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## RealDeal (Jun 25, 2010)

When I clean my cubes, i just disassemble it and just put the edge pieces and corner pieces into a plastic container filled halfway with warm water. I then close the container and shake it for a good 30 seconds. I then clean the pieces with a q-tip and dry it with a towel, For the core i just use a q-tip dipped in warm water to clean it and use a towel to dry it.


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## iChanZer0 (Jun 25, 2010)

tooth brush


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## MrSupercubefreak (Jun 25, 2010)

iChanZer0 said:


> tooth brush



+1 or wet towel


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## xXzaKerXx (Jun 25, 2010)

Cotton bud or you can always use your shirt.


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## PatrickJameson (Jun 25, 2010)

koreancuber said:


> JeffDelucia said:
> 
> 
> > /sock/
> ...



Podophobia much?

I just use a paper towel. No water or anything. When I was still in my storebought days(I don't clean any of my cubes anymore. I spend my time practicing instead), I found that cleaning a cube too much could cause undesired effects(you not being used to it, or in a storebought's case, it could become too loose), so I just used a dry paper towel.


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## Forte (Jun 25, 2010)

I use socks as cloths too when they're worn out. They work quite well


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## gundamslicer (Feb 3, 2011)

*Cube dust*

Does anyone get cube dust? My guhong never got cube dust before but it just started making it... How do i prevent it


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## TheMachanga (Feb 3, 2011)

That means the lube you used dried up. Get a paper towel and wet half of it, and crunch it up. Take the cube apart and wipe every piece down. Put it back together and re lube

You can't really prevent it, clean your cube out once it becomes slower. 
Don't over lube. Just do one spray.


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## ~Phoenix Death~ (Feb 3, 2011)

Just wipe it off.


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## Sg.Speedcuber (Feb 3, 2011)

Cube dust can't be prevented.I usually clean my cube after every 300+ solves or so,or when it under-performs and becomes slow.I disassemled my cube and unsrewed the srews,and wiped off the lube and dust.then,I sprayed silicon on the springs and srewed it back with the centers.then i sprayed the core,put back the pieces,then sprayed silicon again.then i retensioned the cube.now it's way better.


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## tertius (Feb 3, 2011)

gundamslicer said:


> How do i prevent it



Get a non-perishable cube. 

J/K. But seriously do what the others have said. Disassemble, clean, reassemble and lube. It sounds like it just got broken in.


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## teller (Feb 3, 2011)

My F-II has NEVER been cleaned after thousands of solves...I just re-lube it every couple of months, and all the dust mixes together with the lube into a rounded-off mess of awesomeness.


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## gundamslicer (Feb 3, 2011)

Well how do I relue it if I used lubix


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## kpcube (Feb 4, 2011)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meyd40121Oo


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## miotatsu (Feb 4, 2011)

:3


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## gundamslicer (Feb 4, 2011)

miotatsu said:


> :3


 
..... I'm guessing u modded it


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## Calvin Laza (Feb 6, 2011)

Doesn't Jessica Fridrich's site say that cube dust is not necessarily a bad thing: "Some cubists say that this kind of natural lubricant is the best one"?
http://www.ws.binghamton.edu/fridrich/hints.html#preparing


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## Rpotts (Feb 6, 2011)

Calvin: pro tip - take fridrich's site with a grain of salt.


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## Cool Frog (Feb 6, 2011)

I snort my cube dust.


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## danthecuber (Feb 6, 2011)

Cool Frog said:


> I snort my cube dust.


 
Congratulations! :fp :fp


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## ElectricDoodie (Feb 6, 2011)

Cool Frog said:


> I snort my cube dust.


 :tu
Like a pro. It's how people get faster.


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## speedcuber50 (Nov 29, 2012)

*Dust in my Cube!*

Hello!

I just had to pull my cube open a little while ago to get something out of it (oops  I got some tissue caught inside!), and I got an absolute shock! It was full of grey powder! Should I remove the powder, and where did it come from?

Thanks

P.S. I'm a cubing newbie.


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## erikoui (Nov 29, 2012)

Powder comes from friction between the cubies. It is normal, take it outwith some toilet paper (or tissue), and relube your cube. You're good to go!


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## qqwref (Nov 29, 2012)

Yep, it's plastic dust. You can just clean it out as erikoui said.

Although I'll warn you, sometimes cleaning out all the dust can lead to more gaps between the pieces, and thus more lockups. Depending on your cube it may actually be better not to clean it.


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## Goosly (Nov 29, 2012)

1. Experiment: cleaning + relubing vs. relubing with the dust still inside.
2. Choose your preference
3. Profit!

PS: I like leaving the dust


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## benskoning (Nov 29, 2012)

use some 10wt shock-oil and over lube it then clean it out.


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## speedcuber50 (Dec 1, 2012)

What's lube? As far as I know, I've never done that!!!

Also, I've cleaned the powder now, cubed for a day, and it's all back again! What next? (The cube is a recently-purchased Rubik's Brand. It runs much better without the powder.)


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## sneaklyfox (Dec 1, 2012)

speedcuber50 said:


> What's lube? As far as I know, I've never done that!!!
> 
> Also, I've cleaned the powder now, cubed for a day, and it's all back again! What next? (The cube is a recently-purchased Rubik's Brand. It runs much better without the powder.)



lube = lubricant... makes your cubes turn smoother, faster, better...

As for what to do next - Buy a real speed cube.


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## CarlBrannen (Dec 2, 2012)

And lube undoubtedly makes your plastic create less dust (by reducing the friction).


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## speedcuber50 (Dec 2, 2012)

Oh! Like lubing a floppy drive (another thing I need to do)!

What should I lubricate it with? Floppy drive lube  ?


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## PeelingStickers (Dec 2, 2012)

try CRC Heavy duty silicone spray for a rubik's brand, I heard it makes them pretty good and not far off speed-cube worthy


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## andrus (Mar 1, 2014)

*Black dust on hardware*

Hello, I'm experiencing a problem with dayan hardware now. All my dayans regardless of plastic colour and hardware type (42, 50, 55, 57mm core, both coated with black paint and unpainted) get a black dust (probably metal) that is on springs, screws, washers and sometimes even on the core. The black springs in my dayan 50mm have the paint worn off in the middle of the screw's stem, forming a silver ring. There's a similiar thing on the bottom of the cap (if we compare the screw to a mushroom ). the I use a high viscosity silicone lubricant for hardware and maru for the pieces. Interestingly, I haven't experienced this with any shengshou or moyu cube. What causes this problem? How can I prevent the dust from creating?


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## Cuber9991 (Mar 1, 2014)

My guess would be that dust is just getting in the cube. Dust is everywhere and you can't really get rid of it unless you clean it, even this won't get rid of it permanently though. I have that same problem on my Zhanchi but I just clean it and relube it every couple weeks or every month.


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## andrus (Mar 1, 2014)

I'm afraid that this is not the case. It's deinitely metal dust (I just don't have a camera right now so I can't show you the proof). The question is, why some cubes have it and some not. My Panshi for instance has this black dust only under 3 centercaps, same with Zhanchi 42, Lunhui doesn't have it at all, but my Zhanchi 50 which I use for OH gets every screw dirty after like 50 solves and seriously dirty after 150.


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## Lchu613 (Mar 1, 2014)

That's not a problem, just clean it off and keep going. It'll happen naturally anyway.


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## Cuber9991 (Mar 1, 2014)

This happens to me too. I just thought about it and it might be the lube. The lube could be eating the plastic and creating the "dust". Maybe the plastic is softer on the Dayan cubes since you said you aren't having issues with Moyu or Shengshou.


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## andrus (Mar 1, 2014)

Spoiler











By the way paint is worn off you can tell that the spring scrubs it out. So, the dust is tiny metal particles. 


Spoiler










This is how it looks like after taking a screw out. Up - cleaned with a tissue, down - nope. You can see how much dust one screw and spring leave.


Spoiler










And this is how the inside looks before cleaning with tissue.


Spoiler










Proof that there's nothing on other pieces, the dust is only under the centercaps and on the core. This excludes the possibility that it came from dirty environment.


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## 3by3 (May 3, 2014)

*Problems with dust*

My cube gets slow quickly due to the dust gathering inside. I was wondering if any of you have the same problem. If so, what can I do about it? All help is appreciated. (I use an alpha cube.)


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## guysensei1 (May 3, 2014)

3by3 said:


> My cube gets slow quickly due to the dust gathering inside. I was wondering if any of you have the same problem. If so, what can I do about it? All help is appreciated. (I use an alpha cube.)



1) Take it apart and wipe the dust off.
2) Lube it and reassemble.

You should invest in a better cube though. Alpha is outdated.


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## AFatTick (May 4, 2014)

I've had black oil in my core.


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## Deleted member 19792 (May 4, 2014)

As Michael Jackson would say

"Just clean it... *Cha cha* Just clean it.."

I've had paint in my cube before  Not a happy story


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## PeelingStickers (May 4, 2014)

I recently cleaned my 5x5 and 3x3 using this method to really speed them up. my zhanchi was unbelievably sluggish that I almost thought it was dead, now it is my main. My 5x5's outer layers simply cannot lock up now either.

1: Disassemble the cube completely (unless it's a big cube, in which case leave the centre caps in, it's more trouble than it's worth cleaning those centre pieces on such a large cube. On a zhanchi for example, break apart each piece (snap the edges into two, corners into 3 etc.)

2: Run *warm*, *NOT* boiling water into a bowl large enough for the pieces to float about in. Add washing up liquid and mix it in.

3: Place all the pieces of the cube into the bowl *EXCEPT* the core and the springs/screws/washers. You don't want these rusting. Stir the pieces in the bowl for a few minutes then leave to soak for a short while longer. You'll be surprised at how much gunk is on your cube as it should all sink to the bottom.

4: Empty the bowl and rinse off each piece to get rid of the soapy layer. Dry each piece thoroughly to prevent any excess water leaking into the core during reassembly.

5: Reassemble and tension/relube your cube

hopefully this helps!

Also, don't worry about the stickers; they won't fall off (at least they don't for standard dayan/shengshou type stickers, not too sure about other cubes - test it yourself on a single piece first).


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## ElectricDoodie (May 5, 2014)

guysensei1 said:


> You should invest in a better cube though. Alpha is outdated.


My first speed cube was an Alpha V. I used to love it. 
I haven't used it in years since I got other cubes, like Guhong and ZhanChi. Yesterday I tried to do a solve with my Alpha V to see how it felt, and I can't believe I used to solve with that cube. 

Diff oil did nothing other than make it gummy. It locked up like crazy, and popped way too much.
It was just weird thinking that I used to love that cube.


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## Matthew Lam (Dec 14, 2014)

i did it last night with cold water
but the white stuff and dust came again today
is it possible to do it permantently


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## GuRoux (Dec 14, 2014)

Matthew Lam said:


> i did it last night with cold water
> but the white stuff and dust came again today
> is it possible to do it permantently



you can't get rid of it. the more you solve, the more there will be. just clean it out if you don't like it.


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## Indiancuber (Feb 8, 2015)

MY Dayan Zhanchi has a similar problem. grayish black dust is accumulated and it makes my cube slow. i wipe the dust off once a week lube it and then it turns out awesome. I have a shengshou aurora but it doesn't seem to have such a problem.


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## Seanliu (Feb 15, 2015)

Does the dust actually matter?


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## Pranav Sindura (Apr 18, 2015)

*I Need Help about the CUBE DUST i *

Hello Everyone!
My name is Pranav and I need Help with the CUBE DUST accumulating in my YJ YULONG STICKERLESS 3x3

The problem is that the Dust is accumulating in my cube after like 15 solves I think so and because of that the Cube is Becoming Tight and there are lots of Corner Twists but the pieces don't pop. I can Hardly Practice with my cube. Its not at all Smooth and Is very Clumsy although its only a Month old!! I need Serious Help.


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## mati1242 (Apr 18, 2015)

What kind of lube do you use? Maybe you should consider changing it.


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## Pranav Sindura (Apr 18, 2015)

mati1242 said:


> What kind of lube do you use? Maybe you should consider changing it.



Actually we don't get any sort of Lube in my City in India, so i am not using any kind of Lube.....


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## rock1t (Apr 18, 2015)

Pranav Sindura said:


> Actually we don't get any sort of Lube in my City in India, so i am not using any kind of Lube.....



If you lube the cube, the piece should move faster and there is less friction, so there is less cube dust. Maybe you should lube the core because sometimes there is some dust coming from the core. Just buy lube online.

+when lubing, it's easier to practice and have better times.


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## Pranav Sindura (Apr 19, 2015)

rock1t said:


> If you lube the cube, the piece should move faster and there is less friction, so there is less cube dust. Maybe you should lube the core because sometimes there is some dust coming from the core. Just buy lube online.
> 
> +when lubing, it's easier to practice and have better times.



Thanks for the ADVICE and I will try my best!!!!


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## ElectricDoodie (Apr 23, 2015)

Pranav Sindura said:


> Actually we don't get any sort of Lube in my City in India, so i am not using any kind of Lube.....



Do you live in Gandhinagar or Baroda?


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## Seanliu (Apr 25, 2015)

ElectricDoodie said:


> Do you live in Gandhinagar or Baroda?



If you look at his profile, it says New Delhi quite clearly.


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