Beating in new discs

[discspeed]

I use a different technique for beating in a discs. I just started using this method. I bought a couple portable baskets for my class and we use buzzes and they help me season them so I have some in case of loss:

Not to mention it is a good activity that most of my class can participate even with braces and wheelchairs. It is goal oriented works on coordination and they really really enjoy the sound the chains make.

CHEERS - Koffee

Sounds awesome! Sounds like you're a fellow educator. What do you teach?

Saweet a fellow educator!! What do you teach?

CHEERS - Koffee

I was teaching grades 6-8 science in a dropout prevention program. Unfortunately schools closed last year and I lost my job because I wasn't fully certified yet and they had to place certified teachers from the closed schools. I am now, so hopefully I can get my job back next year or a new one altogether.

 

[Billym]

Just go play disc golf!

I don't have the time.

Yes it takes time but in fact with all the molds available you can use a less stable mold to fill the slot while you PATIENTLY wait for a disc to wear in naturally. Not to mention with all the molds and makers currently you could use all new plastic in Z/Champion in the right weights and fill every slot. Maybe not totally mold minimalist but;
I could take these discs out brand new and play a round that replicates my bag of discs of various wear and no boutique disc either.
Here goes;

Drivers;
175 Star Wraith= stable distance
165 star Wraith must be flat and bendy= understable distance
175 Star Firebird=Overstable
170 Star Eagle X= fairway stable
165 Star Leopard=turnover

Mids;
Star Rancho Roc=stable and true
Star Mako=straight as hell to easy turnover but still soft hyzer.....

Putters;
170ishish soft Wizard=you only need one unless you drive with it then you need three; one you never drive with..

Where I live and play this will work for every course every condition. Other than those epic weird days. Push me and I can still lose the EX and Leo easy.

 

[Danforth]

^^^Why everything in Star plastic? Wouldn't Champ or Pro work better in some cases?

 

[riverboy1]

^^^Why everything in Star plastic? Wouldn't Champ or Pro work better in some cases?

I bet. Personally I hate star plastic, and never carry it in the bag. Occasionally I throw some star Ontario rocs in, but that is as far as I go.

 

[Billym]

^^^Why everything in Star plastic? Wouldn't Champ or Pro work better in some cases?

I don't like Champion that much; the grip or how poorly it dries off.
I could use some Pro but why? I can make every disc listed do its job out of the box in Star. Star wears in a bit but not excessively.

 

[Danforth]

^^^Why everything in Star plastic? Wouldn't Champ or Pro work better in some cases?

I don't like Champion that much; the grip or how poorly it dries off.
I could use some Pro but why? I can make every disc listed do its job out of the box in Star. Star wears in a bit but not excessively.

Pro has much better glide than Star. It would be better IMO to get the Wraith, Leopard and Roc in Pro. I'd also add a Champ Firebird @175g into the mix. I have some 175g Star Teechikns, they're overstable, but not THAT overstable.

 

[Danforth]

...but anyways, I digress.

If you put big gouges in a disc while breaking it in, have you ruined it?

 

[Billym]

...but anyways, I digress.

If you put big gouges in a disc while breaking it in, have you ruined it?

gouges are fine just do it naturally while you play. I think the best way to season a disc is toi use it and wait for it to get to that sweet spot.

Pro Wraiths rock but too overstable when brand new. Pro Rocs don't really exist and are not favored too much. (I meant real pro plastic as opposed to KC Pro, they're OK but not my first choice) Yes the Leo could be pro. I don't like champ chickens and Star works fine.
This was just to make a point that you can slip a new disc into a slot until you season another disc into that slot. In most cases a seasoned disc works more lines than the new one but if you adjust weight you can get it to work more or less.
Hell I still carry a lot of DX in my bag in various stages or wear.
Be patient and cycle a few of each mold to get a few in each stage and back ups. This is how you wind up with 100's of discs; beware.

 

[Jerry r]

I tend to inflict a lot of damage on my discs by aiming for the gaps between trees.

 

[Widdershins]

I have been giving this topic some thought and wonder if the scientific minds at this site might chime in with their opinions.

I have been of the thought that the only "safe" method to break in a disc is naturally, ie... playing with it. Obviously there are shortcuts (smashing, warping, heating, scraping, sanding etc.) but none of them seem controllable by degree. And if you happen to overbreak-in, the results are likely irreversible.

But most of us have a candy disc we wish were just a bit more broken-in. And all of us have lost a seasoned disc which cannot precisely be replaced.

I wonder how a rock tumbler might work for this task. Maybe the term is wrong but isn't there a tumbler-like machine filled with rocks which spins around to smooth and/or shine and/or beat up whatever is put in there? With some practice might a process be fine tuned to shave off disc stability?

Or is there some easier solution which has evaded my limited creativity?

Blake? JHern? Where are our resident geniuses when we need them?

 

[Jeronimo]

Blake? JHern? Where are our resident geniuses when we need them?

Blake is the technique junkie and JHern's the physics guy. You want the guys who have experimented in this type of stuff. I think I remember DiscJunkie talking about seasoning his discs a while back. I've done my share of artificial seasoning as well and my approach is simple. You want to replicate type of damage you would see from numerous rounds of playing. The predominant damage any disc is going to see it a head on collision with a tree and underside scarring. So to quickly season my discs I will throw them from about 20' out at a wood pile repeatedly. If I don't have access to a woodpile, or if we're talking candy plastic that's particularly stubborn, i'll use a brick wall and throw a little softer. The second thing I do is find a large area of pavement and throw some skimmers across the pavement.

Those two things have reliably seasoned many of my Rocs, specifically champ Rocs. If you're looking to rough up the surface area of the disc for extra hang time in the air, a scotch brite pad will do the trick, but say good bye to your stamp.

 

[JR]

Sanding the flash (the term used in plastic industry not flashing) from the bottom of the disc is safe and easy when you start carefully with 80-120 grit sand paper and press only lightly until about 2/3 of the flash is gone. Thereafter throw it to see if it needs more sanding. If it does move to 800+ grit. You don't need to break the disc by scratching and scraping it. Leading edge height variation is all you need to change the disc to more or less stable. Once the flash is how you want it to be. Beware of leaving a little flash left and tuning because the flash will wear naturally and the disc becomes less stable after that.

When I wrote leading edge variation (from run to run and due to other molding inconsistencies) I meant that's what you tell in competition. How and if you add these changes matters not to me ;-) The way you introduce these "molding inconsistencies" is to twist the disc edge down every 15 degrees for a little way say an inch for less stability. Or up for more stability.

It's really not more complicated than that in practice. No need to make the disc damaged making it harder on the skin.

This is my experience based on several types of discs and dozens of tunings back and forth. All results point in the same direction and it seems repeatable.

 

[JimW]

I attempted to smash a hole through I-275 today using a few of my discs but I just ended up with them getting nicely beat in instead.

 

[Bif13]

I tune my discs by bending them up slightly and rotating about an inch all around the disc, then lay on a flat surface to rest. New Z discs can be tuned like this twice (for me) and ESP takes a few more "cycles".

 

[Steady 26542]

A friend of mine (Caker from the Quad Cities) told me of a way to beat in a disc. He put them in the dryer on low heat. To reine the process, he said to take 3 identical discs and run then for 10 mins, take one out and run the others for 5 more mins, remove one and run the last one for 5 more. You have a disc that ran for 10, 15 and 20 mins. Mark them and go out to a field and throw them. This will tell you how long you need to run the dryer to get them the way you want. You might want to add a towel as this makes a hell of a noise. I recommend the wife/gf not be home... :lol: It did work for me but if I remember it leaves a ring around the edge of the disc. Enjoy!