Rubik's Cube Lubrication

with silicone or petroleum jelly

A good speed cube must turn well and it must be tensioned correctly. In this article we are going to talk about how to lubricate the Rubik's Cube using silicon spray. Some people use vaseline (also known as petroleum jelly) because it's more common in every household but it's worth buying a silicone spray for about 2$ because it can do real magic.



Vintage Cube Lube brochure. The coupon expired in 1982!

The main reasons I prefer silicone is because vaselline dissolves the plastic and silicone evaporates when it's sprayed on something, leaving a nice smooth surface so you can take apart your puzzle without getting all messy.

If your cube has been previously lubricated with vaseline you must clean it first, so you'll have to take the Rubik's Cube fully apart. You might notice your fingers getting black while doing the process. Wipe clean every piece using a dry paper towel. Use soapy water to get rid of all remaining petroleum jelly and rinse it with clean water. Take care not to drain your small pieces. Use a towel to drip off the water

Even if your cube is clean and hasn't been lubricated with vaseline before I would recommend taking it fully apart to daub it. That's because if you try to save time and you just pop one edge piece out and spray in the core the pieces will start to glue together because the joined pieces prevent the silicone to evaporate properly.

Avoid eye contact and breathing the fumes in. Don't forget to read the user's manual of your silicone spray and use it as required!

Position all pieces on an old newspaper the stickers facing down and swipe through them with your silicon spray. Turn the edge cubelets around to treat both sliding surfaces. Don't forget the core piece either.

When all done you just have to put it back together (read here how to put the Rubik's Cube back together).

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