Neebie questions

[Dunny]

Hi All,

1st time poster!!.

New to the sport, only had my Protostar for a month or so but I throw it hard every day. Can land some basic tricks, Gyro flops, Mack5, Plastic whips ect ect.Some questions for those that know.
1. The Protostar has 2 arrows that should be lined up when tightening it back up, if I throw it when these are aligned the yoyo comes appart half trick. The only way I can keep it together is to slightly over tighten it by about an inch. Will this effect performance because the bearing is squished?
2. How the hell do I get it to sleep longer? With a good straight throw it sleeps for like a minute. Ive taken the bearing sheilds off & given the bearing a  good soak in thiners, even with no loob it wont sleep longer.
3. Will adding shims increase sleep times or will it just make it harder to bind up?
4.What about ceramic bearings? To get one here in Australia will cost more than the Protostar. I know I could use the ceramic bearing on different yoyos but is there a performance increase to justify the cost?
5. Where can I get some counterweight cheaply? Ive found some online but shipping is outragose to Australia.
6. Anyone live in Sydney or do you know anyone here I could meet with to try & learn from?

Cheers in advance.
Dunny

[Badass]

1. No, you're good. The only thing to about when over tightening is possibly stripping the axle. But you should be fine.
2. Throw harder. Sleep time isn't much of an issue now that most yoyos sleep a lot longer than we actually need them to. If anything, get smoother with your tricks and it should increase how long the yoyo stays spinning.
3. It will just make it harder to bind.
4. I don't notice a difference between ceramic bearings and normal bearings. Besides the fact that ceramic bearings seem louder. If you want a good bearing, get a Terrapin X.
5. Some people sell counterweights on the BST on this very forum. Or maybe you could just drill a hole into a dice.
6. I don't know, I'm from the U.S. But probably.

[need-a-bow]

Well you could go to a local hobby shop and buy a bearing for RC cars that is the same size. I think their are a few lines of bearings in Australia that make the right size. Just make sure it's not a sealed bearing. As for the counter weights you can make one yourself out of anything that you want. Just drill a whole through a small ball or something else you want to use and put the string through that.

[gee_]

Before you tighten the yoyo, press the halves together and turn it the opposite way (as you would when unscrewing a yoyo) until you hear a click. Then tighten it up all the way. The arrows should be aligned if you did it right.

[Dunny]

To GEE_

I tried this several times, I hear a solid click but it never aligns properly. Not really concerned about it as its only out by about a quarter turn. Attached a counter weigh to it last night. MY GOD the difference in feeling, my head is in a spin.....

[moefv]

If you live in Australia check out the Yoyonation "World Forums" I think Australia is in there. You might find some people that live by you 

[Dunny]

Na no Aussie forums I can find anywhere....

[BosK]

I think there's a forum connected to a shop in Oz... but idk how often its used.

You could try looking for the Werrd site, they might have a forum.

Try looking for Keith "Skip" Mitton on face book.. he's part of the scene down under

[theTopo]

There're Aussie forums here: http://yoyos.com.au/forum/

There's also a newer message board connected to an Australian shop. Can't link to it here but if you search for a yo-yo shop forum using google.com.au I'm sure you'll find it.

We do have meets in Sydney about every month or so. There're details on the first forum I linked, although this Facebook page is mainly used to organise stuff: http://www.facebook.com/groups/144672648905733/

I wouldn't worry too much about getting a ceramic bearing. The stock ProtoStar bearing is pretty good but I guess there's always the possibility you got a dud. chances are you just need to improve your throw, which will happen naturally with practice.

Also, shipping costs to Australia are a pain but there are some international stores with cheaper shipping. If you want any specifics PM me.