It's probably binding in the bottom of the hole. Use a flashlight and look to see if there is a ledge or other odd shape that makes the bearing sit at an angle. If it does then you'll need to remove the bearing and get a large diameter non-wood drill bit (without the drill) and lightly remove wood by twisting it with your hand until the place where the bearing sits doesn't bind the bearing any more. Alternatively I've replaced the small bearing with fingerboard wheels, which also have bearings, to bridge the uneven area.
I had the same problem with my Sweets custom Sonic Silver tama. When I looked inside, I saw that where the string feeds out into wasn't entirely drilled clean. There were still small pieces of wood that stuck to the side and it looked like they went back in with a smaller drill piece but didn't go in exactly center so a small ridge on one side is present near the hole. Took some sand paper and a pencil to clear away what I could but again, string knot size, type of string, and even flipping the bearing may help (which are all things I did after sanding the inside).
well some of it was said before.my take on it is that since bearings are made of metal, there could be instances that it will get rusty,making the spin slower & will be just like a regular bead eventually. also another thing is that bearing bead is pain when you lost it, especially in grass. like you could wish you had a magnet or make the bearing look more visible like making it colorful...
Received a package last week from sweets. To my surprise, there was a spinner tied in (HG Hick x Ash cushion). Surprise number two is the size difference: Sweets to the left, "Dama mod" to the right Has anyone tried different sizes? Sweets strings tend to be thicker and more course. So, the bigger makes more sense for them. I replaced it with a premium gold.
If you're going to use satin/silk strings, you've gotta use sweets-sized big bearings. I've tried to thread it in the smaller more typical bearing, and it seems impossible. Performance wise, I think there is no difference. However, I don't think you want to use a big sweets bearing on a regular string. You'll need to tie a FAT not for it to not fall out.
That’s crazy, I had no idea some people wouldn’t see the difference. Every time I play without a bearing the ken spins way faster/slower than it should when I do that finger twist for lunars and stilts. Not only that but the tama keeps spinning after I play for a little while and that harms the possibility of me lacing other tricks. It also depends on the kendama cause Ive had damas that entangle more than the average because of the shape of their string hole. I even have a sweets that was unfixable with a bearing and the only way to fix it was to put both a bearing and a bead. It’s gotten to the point where almost all of my kendamas have a bearing.
Bearings or death for me, but in the absence of bearings, I like certain beads from certain companies. Not all beads are created equal, after all. My picks: 1. KUSA standard bead (especially great with KUSA string) 2. Old Sweets Beads (the ones they used with their Focus damas that look like a Skateboard wheel). I don't particularly like the beads they use on the Primes. 3. Ozora bead. 4. CWCS bead. They were advertised to be made out of a special material, as far as I can recall, and I like them in the absence of a bearing.
The thing that blows my mind is that I see people use that double slip knot that kendamas are usually shipped with. The string is obviously not gonna spin freely inside the tama if you have a huge, loopy knot inside of it. The bead or bearing is not what needs to spin, it's obviously the string. It's no wonder people have different experiences and opinions of them. If you want the string to spin, tie the smallest knot possible, with no excess string on the end. If you use that loopy nonsense, then you might as well not even use a bead.
Ive come to find that bearing beads rely on two things 1) the right string.....I know its more of a preference normally but I feel with the bearings you need a very round string not too thick and not too thin.. I like sweets 6 finger strings 2) the proper knot you need to tie a knot where the strng isn't going to get lodged into the bearing but will sit flat against the bottom of the bearing and not get caught inside on the side of the tama hole. That's just what ive noticed!
The thing about the round string is a very good point. I've also played with the idea of attaching the bearing to the inside of the tama somehow. Many players complain that the bearing is a bit heavier than a bead and therefore pops out more easily. If the bearing was attached inside the string hole, then you could use a regular bead as well for an even better effect.
There was a company that used to have a drawing of an inset bearing but I don't recall if it ever went to market. I would imagine that getting it to stay in the countersunk pocket would be tough with all the impacts the tama takes and the expansion/contraction of the wood. I've used double knots on some bearings without problems. The string I was using was very slippery and I had a number of bearings pop off when the knot released itself. (the video I posted earlier in this thread is a bearing with a double knot) As long as the base of the knot that interfaces with the inner ring is a bit pointy (conical) and their isn't any overhang touching the shield or outside ring you should be fine. Also bearing size does seem to make a difference. I've even used fingerboard wheels in some applications because the bearing alone would bind in the tama hole. I just got a couple of the larger Sweets bearings and they work nicely with some fatter string I've been using lately. Some tama string holes aren't as clean cut as hoped so burrs in that will also bind no matter what bearing/bead used. That's usually one area I massage a bit if I'm having string twist problems.
May have found a fix for many bearing bind situations though a poorly drilled hole or binding string would still need to be sorted out.
I just use one of those very small, clear, flat beads that comes with many setups and string packs. If the bearing doesn't sit straight inside the tama, or tends to dig into the wood, then I put the bead on top of the bearing. If it sits nice and straight, I put the bead underneath the bearing. Either way, it helps the string spin freely for the same reason as what's shown in your video.
I've been looking for diamond shaped beads for a while to do the same as the heat shrink but this is easier and I've got plenty of it around. If the bottom of the tama hole isn't flat, and I'm unable to get to it with the tools to clean it up I have handy, then I've also made washers out of soft drink bottle caps. I just cut them to the diameter of the large tama hole, insert and drill through the string hole to line them up.
I have a diamond-shaped bead on a Matt Rice pro mod I've been playing a lot lately. It caused one bearing to explode, I think having all of the force of impact going into one small point (the end of the diamond, where the string feeds through) is too much for the bearing to handle. I just put a new one on though, it works really well, so I'll put up with the odd broken bearing (and I actually sandwich it: bearing / diamond / bearing)
Not too surprising the bearing blew out. We're kind of loading them the wrong way in this application. Every time the string pulls tight they take the force on the non-radial axis. I tried sanding a bead down to work like a diamond before using shrink tubing but it exploded into dust pretty quickly. I'm hoping the malleable nature of the tubing will be a bit of a shock absorber.