# wanted: how to guide making a shop brought cube (genuine rubiks) into speedcube



## panyan (Dec 21, 2008)

i want a guide on how to turn a rubiks cube into a speed cube please. I found a really old cube in the loft and it was unable to turn. I opened it and put a tonne of vaseline in there to loosen it up (this was before i knew about speedcubing and silicone) and it was really sticky and dirty etc. The other day i saw a guide on how to improve your cubes and the method was to sand the edges of the cubes until smooth. I diassembled the cube and washed every piece to remove the vasaline and sanded each piece. It is better but not great. I then put in some silicone spray that i got from halfords. Again, better but still horrid and hurts your hands to do even one solve!

so how would you make a really bad rubiks cube into a speedcube without buying one?


thanks
pan


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## PCwizCube (Dec 21, 2008)

Well it greatly depends what kind of cube you have. If you have a cube you got from the dollar store chances are it won't ever be very good.

You might have to break it in. That means play with it for a long time so the internal pieces get smoother and it will turn faster. This might take a few to several hours to work.

And what is the exact name of the silicone spray lubricant you are using? Some silicone sprays stink and others are amazing. That may have something to do with how well your cube is turning.


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## minsarker (Dec 21, 2008)

just buy a new cube, seems like your current cube si just old

and vcaseline and such kills your cube, so chances are your cube is done


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## Fobo911 (Dec 21, 2008)

A store-bought cube doesn't cost much at all. Do you really have that much of a money problem? I honestly think that it's worth the money to buy a new cube and lube it instead of trying to spend minutes and maybe hours trying to make a really old cube work.


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## panyan (Dec 21, 2008)

thanks for you replies:

1) i am using the silicone spray sold by halfords and is the halfords brand
2) i already have 2 really nice cubes but i likw working on projects like this
3) no the money is not the issue - read 2
4) i washed off the vasaline and the cube seems fine
5) it is an official rubiks cube (from rubiks company)


thanks


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## nitrocan (Dec 21, 2008)

Here's a very easy way to turn your rubik's cube into a speedcube:

Sell that rubik's cube to a friend for a very high price. (and maybe lose that friend as a consequence)
Buy a DIY cube with that money.

(I'm sure someone said this before in another thread)


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## mrbiggs (Dec 21, 2008)

A decent storebought is not that bad a cube, but you have to spend a lot of time working it in and you need to make sure it's always well-lubed.

Didn't Nakajima use a storebought until relatively recently?


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## nitrocan (Dec 21, 2008)

He used a storebought to win the WC2007 I think, but since then he's using a Rubik's DIY. (he knows how to get a cube ready for speedcubing, I mean look at his megaminx)


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## jcuber (Dec 21, 2008)

He should start a buisness where you send him your cube, and he makes it really good and sends it back (for a fee of course). He would probably make a lot of money.


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## nitrocan (Dec 21, 2008)

Or he could just send you a good cube and it'll be cheaper.


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## shelley (Dec 21, 2008)

The thing with store bought cubes is that since you can't adjust them DIY style, there's a limit to how much tuning you can do. Aside from lubing it and breaking it in with normal solving, the biggest part of making a good store bought speedcube is choosing a good one to begin with. That's mostly luck of the draw, unless you know a place that lets you take cubes out of the package and try them out before you buy them.

If you know a lot of people who are interested in learning, buy a whole bunch of cubes, test them all out, keep the best ones for yourself and sell the rest to the newbies. Or just get involved with a project that involves a lot of cubes (e.g. making our cube trophies and cube-in-a-jar prizes for US Nationals)


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## d4m4s74 (Dec 21, 2008)

you can get it looser by pulling the centers from the core and holding them there overnight (put something like an Popsicle stick between it)

and then hope it won't get TOO lose


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## fiveseven (Dec 22, 2008)

I just finished modding my rubiks storebought - it locks up a little more but its about 2x faster and 10x smoother (cuts corners now).

Since you cant adjust the tension of the rivets, i sanded 1mm off each cubie to make them physically smaller (including all contact edges inside the cube) using fine grit paper, then re-break it in by leaving the plastic filaments inside it. Finished with some grease and it works pretty well.

The only thing i suggest would be to make sure you sand the pieces all the same amount to reduce the chance of locking up. (erring towards smaller and rounder corner cubies than edges imo)


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## ImNOTnoob (Dec 22, 2008)

panyan said:


> so how would you make a really bad rubiks cube into a speedcube without buying one?



I see the question as: How do you buy a rubik's cube without buying one.

Answer: Simple. Steal from the shop! 


Joke..


PS if you stuff popsicle sticks between the layers, the cube breaks in the long run. I DONT recommend that..


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## panyan (Dec 22, 2008)

fiveseven said:


> I just finished modding my rubiks storebought - it locks up a little more but its about 2x faster and 10x smoother (cuts corners now).
> 
> Since you cant adjust the tension of the rivets, i sanded 1mm off each cubie to make them physically smaller (including all contact edges inside the cube) using fine grit paper, then re-break it in by leaving the plastic filaments inside it. Finished with some grease and it works pretty well.
> 
> The only thing i suggest would be to make sure you sand the pieces all the same amount to reduce the chance of locking up. (erring towards smaller and rounder corner cubies than edges imo)



hmmm, ok then, so you suggest sanding every piece ALOT so that all the cubbies are smaller and then leave in the plastic filings? 

ill give it a try and get back to you


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## PianoMan (Jan 2, 2009)

Would letting petroleum jelly wear the pieces down a little make the cube looser? I don't like DIY's, so I use Rubik's. My main problems are tightness and cutting corners.


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## bamman1108 (Jan 2, 2009)

Just lube a Rubik's brand storebought. Sanding it might make it cut corners better, but I haven't tried that yet.


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## bamman1108 (Jan 2, 2009)

PianoMan said:


> Would letting petroleum jelly wear the pieces down a little make the cube looser? I don't like DIY's, so I use Rubik's. My main problems are tightness and cutting corners.



It worked for me, but before you use ANY lube, take it apart, grab a box of cotton swabs, and REALLY clean each piece. It took me more than one swab per piece when I did it.


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## daniel0731ex (Jan 2, 2009)

http://www.unicube.tw/06/force_adjust.htm

pictures says everything



or, you could just simply buy another screw&spring set and a core and cut the center off the cube(from the old core)
and you'll get a diy~


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## xchiltonx (Jan 4, 2009)

daniel0731ex said:


> http://www.unicube.tw/06/force_adjust.htm
> 
> pictures says everything
> 
> ...



Let me translate that for you:
http://translate.google.com/transla....unicube.tw/06/force_adjust.htm&sl=auto&tl=en


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## daniel0731ex (Jan 4, 2009)

xchiltonx said:


> daniel0731ex said:
> 
> 
> > http://www.unicube.tw/06/force_adjust.htm
> ...




lol...
the ****ed up google translation again....but at least it's understandable


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## shoot1510 (Jan 4, 2009)

fiveseven said:


> I just finished modding my rubiks storebought - it locks up a little more but its about 2x faster and 10x smoother (cuts corners now).
> 
> Since you cant adjust the tension of the rivets, i sanded 1mm off each cubie to make them physically smaller (including all contact edges inside the cube) using fine grit paper, then re-break it in by leaving the plastic filaments inside it. Finished with some grease and it works pretty well.
> 
> The only thing i suggest would be to make sure you sand the pieces all the same amount to reduce the chance of locking up. (erring towards smaller and rounder corner cubies than edges imo)



Where do you sand it? I can't tell how.
And I don't mind that I don't know how to mod the cube.
I'm using jcuber cube. Jcuber use DIY, I use storebrought cubes from jcuber, since his is more faster


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## xchiltonx (Jan 4, 2009)

daniel0731ex said:


> lol...
> the ****ed up google translation again....but at least it's understandable


Unfortunately google translate is based on contributors, but if their English is bad then it learns how to translate badly :/
But it's better than those Taiwan symbols


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## shoot1510 (Jan 4, 2009)

xchiltonx said:


> daniel0731ex said:
> 
> 
> > lol...
> ...



I'm English. And I speak Enlish.


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## cpt.Justice (Jan 4, 2009)

shoot1510 said:


> xchiltonx said:
> 
> 
> > daniel0731ex said:
> ...


Congratulations


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## jcuber (Jan 6, 2009)

At first I didn't realize that "box" was supposed to mean "cube".


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## jcuber (Jan 6, 2009)

shoot1510 said:


> xchiltonx said:
> 
> 
> > daniel0731ex said:
> ...




He wasn't talking about you, shoot, he was talking about the website.


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## daniel0731ex (Jan 6, 2009)

"個人造業個人擔"

Google translation: man-made personal Tam industry (??)

My translation: you reap what you sew (...)














wdf?


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## blah (Jan 6, 2009)

shelley said:


> The thing with store bought cubes is that since you can't adjust them DIY style, there's a limit to how much tuning you can do. Aside from lubing it and breaking it in with normal solving, the biggest part of making a good store bought speedcube is choosing a good one to begin with. *That's mostly luck of the draw, unless you know a place that lets you take cubes out of the package and try them out before you buy them.*



There _is_ one other method I know of, other than the primitive trial-and-error.

I don't know if it's a secret, but I suppose it is. And if it is, it's pretty well-kept, known only to a handful (or ten handfuls/handsful(?) at most, I guess) in the world, because there would be severe consequences once it's let out, and those who know the secret know of these consequences.

To my knowledge, there are but few who know of this secret in the Western world, but here's a hint: Stanford


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## blah (Jan 6, 2009)

daniel0731ex said:


> "個人造業個人擔"
> 
> Google translation: man-made personal Tam industry (??)
> 
> ...


Uhh, no. By the way, it's *sow*.

That phrase means that the author is not gonna be responsible for any damage that happens to your cube, you're supposed to bear all the consequences for whatever you do to your cube.

If you really wanna know, and I think whoever reads that guide should have the right to know, the title of the page (highlighted in green): [Chinese] 官方3x3方塊暴力調整法 = [Google] Official violence 3x3 box Adjustment Act = [my translation] The official guide on how to modify your Rubik's Cube using violence/force (modifying simply means adjusting/tuning the cube to your liking)

Yeah, "violence" was not a mis-translation.

Edit: After reading that, it looks short enough for me to do a decent translation within a few minutes, anyone want a translation?

Edit 2: In case anyone is interested/doesn't know, "orz" is an East Asian (I guess) emoticon that means (slightly) different things in different countries, but the thing is that it shows a person kneeling down/kowtowing. O is the head, r is the torso and the arm and z is the lower body.

Edit 3:


xchiltonx said:


> But it's better than those Taiwan symbols


Chinese characters/words. NOT _Taiwan symbols_.


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## daniel0731ex (Jan 6, 2009)

blah said:


> That phrase means that the author is not gonna be responsible for any damage that happens to your cube, you're supposed to bear all the consequences for whatever you do to your cube.



i KNOW what it means= =



> If you really wanna know, and I think whoever reads that guide should have the right to know, the title of the page (highlighted in green): [Chinese] 官方3x3方塊暴力調整法 = [Google] Official violence 3x3 box Adjustment Act = [my translation] The official guide on how to modify your Rubik's Cube using violence/force (modifying simply means adjusting/tuning the cube to your liking)
> 
> Yeah, "violence" was not a mis-translation.
> 
> Edit: After reading that, it looks short enough for me to do a decent translation within a few minutes, anyone want a translation?



....

i already translated this phrase long ago

i call it the [force adjustment]

search it in the forum




> In case anyone is interested/doesn't know, "orz" is an East Asian (I guess) emoticon that means (slightly) different things in different countries, but the thing is that it shows a person kneeling down/kowtowing. O is the head, r is the torso and the arm and z is the lower body.



love u so much (????)



lol

i am a taiwanese myself
i could speak it faster and more fluently than solving my 1x1x2 cube (technically, it's 1x2x1 prism )

i was just simply posting that method before i have the time to trans late it myself


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