[Question] Using a dryer to beat in a disc?

[GripEnemy]

Just so we are clear, the dryer is just a way to gently heat the disc. The actual beating in discussed in the video results from repeatedly flexing/slightly folding the disc downward, all around the rim, which I think other people referred to as tuning.

Sorry to come off as a jerk, have you done laundry before? A disc in a clothes dryer will inevitably be shaken, beaten, bouncing, and generally manipulated. Last I checked there wasn't a "heat only" option in the settings (my dryer now is only a year old and not the cheapest).

I didn't watch the video but maybe he should be talking about a hair dryer instead?

this is not a statement I thought I'd ever see on a disc golf forum. Number of times I have boiled a disc over 19 years: Zero

+1

 

[Alexplz]

I have long looked for a way to artificially "beat in" or more specifically, lower HSS. The only thing I have found to work is to simply blast a disc into a literal brick wall dozens of times, hard enough to A. add scuffs and B. deform the PLH.

I will have to try the technique of tuning after heating.

Also, someone mentioned above that hitting blunt surfaces directly seems to have little impact on mids, with wear on the rim or bead having more of an impact. I can say for sure that hitting trees or brick walls directly with mids indeed seems to have very little impact on the HSS. Will have to try more skipping on concrete.

 

[Rastnav]

Sorry to come off as a jerk, have you done laundry before? A disc in a clothes dryer will inevitably be shaken, beaten, bouncing, and generally manipulated. Last I checked there wasn't a "heat only" option in the settings (my dryer now is only a year old and not the cheapest).

I didn't watch the video but maybe he should be talking about a hair dryer instead?

The disc is wrapped into a bundle in blankets/large towels. I guess I should have assumed people wouldn't actually watch the explanation.

I think it would be tough to actually get the mass of an entire disc to an even temp with a hair dryer. If you used the hair dryer to heat an enclosed space, like inside a small box of some sort, I could see it. You'd still probably want to avoid getting the disc and the hair dryer too close to each other or you'd end up with a hot spot. I could even see gettin better results by still wrapping the disc in a towel. Thermal mass is your friend for a nice even, slow increase in temp.

Boiling certainly has the advantage that you can evenly heat the disc if you have a big enough pan.

 

[GripEnemy]

I still think it's ludicrous to artificially beat in a disc.

Lose your ole' trusty? That sucks A LOT. At the same time you (royal you, no one in particular) should be capable of manipulating the other discs you own to cover that spot. No artificially beaten disc will replace your old friend. They just won't.

Flippy Z Buzzz and Meteor were mentioned earlier...if you need a temporary replacement just buy one. Or don't throw your super necessary discs on holes you may lose them.


I'm a young old fart at this point, if I lose a disc I deserved it and move on. Not old age but old at disc golf. Idk just rambling I'll shut up...

 

[Rastnav]

I still think it's ludicrous to artificially beat in a disc.

Lose your ole' trusty? That sucks A LOT. At the same time you (royal you, no one in particular) should be capable of manipulating the other discs you own to cover that spot. No artificially beaten disc will replace your old friend. They just won't.

Flippy Z Buzzz and Meteor were mentioned earlier...if you need a temporary replacement just buy one. Or don't throw your super necessary discs on holes you may lose them.


I'm a young old fart at this point, if I lose a disc I deserved it and move on. Not old age but old at disc golf. Idk just rambling I'll shut up...

Not to be a jerk, as well?

It must be nice to be you. I've played something like, I dunno, 400 or more rounds, plus many hours of field work, starting as basically a noobie a little less than 2 years ago? And I still don't really know what a beat-in disc really even is. Sorry I'm bad. Sucks to be me.

Some of that is likely plastic addiction. Some of that is discs not working for me as my form and technique change but are not anywhere close to mastered. Some of that is figuring what molds I like. Some of that is molds I like not being available when I need them. Some of that is losing discs that were my most thrown. Some of that is not really liking to throw base plastic discs (ProD, DX, Prime, they all just feel bad in my hand.) Some of that is, early on, not wanting discs to beat-in quickly, as I didn't think I wanted the discs to change on me while I was trying to learn, which was another reason I gravitated to things like GStar and Gold line.

And I'm definitely nowhere near good enough to take an Envy and make it fly like a Zone. And I don't know what making a new Zone fly like a beat in Zone would even look like.

I've get plenty of means to get new plastic. I don't see the harm in trying to approximate a well worn disc. No, it won't be the same as a 10 year seasoned champ Teebird with a thousand or more rounds on it as your main thrower, but it will be closer than anything I've got.

 

[art_vandelay]

How much more would you pay for discs that are marketed as "pre beat in". You buy a new disc, but it has gone through some sort of process that approximates various levels of use. Sir, would you like a new 2 year old KC Pro Roc. Sure we got that, only 39.95, thanks for yo money. Sort of like pre washed blue jeans this scheme would be.

 

[Dingus]

How much more would you pay for discs that are marketed as "pre beat in". You buy a new disc, but it has gone through some sort of process that approximates various levels of use.

That service exists, it's called the marketplace, and usually your price goes down as your disc gets more beat up.

I find the idea of the dryer very stupid. When I boil discs I notice a difference when I have a rolling boil vs very hot water. You need the disc to be extremely hot to effectively manipulate them. Don't waste your time with the dryer folks.

One other tactic I take is to bury a disc in my garden. This is especially true for putters. A couple months underground seasons the plastic nicely. This isn't a way to tune the disc up or down, just to get the plastic how it should be and gliding nicely.

 

[Rastnav]

How many people are getting rid of their perfectly beat in Champ/Z/whatever overstable disc? I'm actually curious.

Interestingly, one of the comments on the original video says:

5 gallon bucket full of water. Submerge and weight [down] your disc under before you go to work. (I assume he means live it out in the sun, as he mentions it heating up). Get it out and throw a round after work. Repeat until desired flight is acheived. Halo Destroyer only took 2 days in this TN summer to beat into neutral, pushing late fade.

Sorta some combo of using water, gentle heat, and one disc rounds. There isn't anything special about the dryer in particular. It's just a way to heat the disc. Which seems to be a somewhat common approach.

 

[ru4por]

Just go buy the disc that does what you want. i really want a Buzzz that flies like a Buzzz SS.....uh, go buy a Buzzz SS.

 

[Innova63]

I use my dryer for drying laundry...

 

[GripEnemy]

Not to be a jerk, as well?

It must be nice to be you. I've played something like, I dunno, 400 or more rounds, plus many hours of field work, starting as basically a noobie a little less than 2 years ago? And I still don't really know what a beat-in disc really even is. Sorry I'm bad. Sucks to be me.

No, that one I meant to be a jerk, hence the lack of a preface.

I won't quote the whole thing but if you don't know what a perfectly beaten in Champ Teebird or KC Roc flies like, why try to emulate it? You won't know if it's a dud or not. Throw your discs, learn them, and build relationships.

Yes I have the luxury of almost 20 years playing, but you do realize how few of those perfectly beaten discs I still own right? Dare I say it's worse to be me because I've lost so many old friends that I've built relationships with. You're coming with a clean slate and get to decide what you prefer...I embrace what I don't have any longer and work around it.

Grass is always greener and all that, cheers.

 

[thisislorenb]

Buying the same mold in a lower grade plastic and maybe even lighter weight until your premium grade beats up a bit is the route I go. A dryer is very heavy. Do not recommend.

 

[elmexdela]

i dont own top of the line but im not willing to sacrifice an important tool in my house to make my $12 frisbee fly "a little better"

 

[hawgdriver]

If you are using a clothes dryer to beat in discs, toss in a few gallons of gravel as well. Really speeds up the process.

I've been using 2.83 gallons.

Care to share your formula?

Sorry to be so forward.

 

[ThrowBot]

I've been using 2.83 gallons.

Care to share your formula?

Sorry to be so forward.

It really depends on the dryer. If you have a big industrial unit, up to a 5 gallon bucket may be useful. Whereas with a smaller economy dryer 1-1.5 gallons is plenty.

Another big factor is the type of gravel. For softer plastics like pro, you can get good results with a smoother pea gravel. But premium plastic takes forever to break in unless you're using something sharper like crushed rock.

But if you are using a more angular /aggressive gravel, be sure to give it a good shake over a quarter inch screen. Discard anything that passes through. You don't want to use any of those smaller particulates because they can really mess up your dryer.

 

[HEY NON MAN]

I remember an old interview with Ken Climo explaining he would do skip shots with a buddie on a tennis court to beat in a disc. I have tried it when I have bad flashing on bottom of discs and it works well.

 

[HyooMac]

I know this isn't really the point of this thread, but let's not overlook the enjoyment that comes from watching a disc season over time. I had a G-line CD2 that started out going hard left for my noodle arm, then gradually over the course of a year or so became a great headwind disc, and then a straight-with-a-finish disc. I even remember the rounds where I realized the disc had changed and had become more useful.

I threw it into water on a blind shot over Memorial Day weekend, and after an appropriate mourning period, went to one of the three backups I had been using for field work. None of them are really seasoned, but the new boy is hitting his share of trees and rocks...

 

[Alexplz]

I tried boiling a couple discs the other day, grabbing them out of the water and immediately set to "tuning" both by tacoing all the way around the rim.

Had no apparent impact on the HSS.

The only thing I have ever found to quickly and significantly change the flight of a disc is to absolutely blast them into a brick wall many times.

I am a rusty noodle arm though, so it's likely that less drastic steps I've taken actually do reduce the HSS a bit, but that the HSS regardless remains outside of what I'm able to reliably activate with my power and spin.

Also, to those asking "why not just play wooded rounds??" I mean yeah sure. I just want a quick fix. Sometimes I know I can get a flight I'm looking for with some wear n tear, and I just don't have the time or patience.

 

[Dthunderchicken]

I remember an old interview with Ken Climo explaining he would do skip shots with a buddie on a tennis court to beat in a disc. I have tried it when I have bad flashing on bottom of discs and it works well.

Flashing can legally be removed by sanding.

 

[Mr. Butlertron]

I think brainstorming for practical ways to season new discs is reasonable. Sure, not losing your favorite discs to begin with sounds easy in theory, but I think that's a little unrealistic. You might as well tell someone to never have bad throws.

If a player throws enough courses, eventually they're going to run into situations where risks were either miscalculated or unknown before throwing. In fact, I don't even need to be on a course to lose them sometimes.

That being said, I've yet to find a good way to doctor a disc to mimic natural seasoning. The results are always increased high speed turn instead of decreased low speed stability.