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 Sponsors and Curators
The Museum of Yo-Yo History is a labor of love, and we would not be able to stay up-to-date with exhibits without the support of our sponsors and curators. Big thanks go to One Drop Design and Duncan for supplying us with their latest models, YoYoExpert for their help and support, and to Cody Orr, TotalArtist and YoYoBrothers™ for allowing us to use their collections!
If you're a manufacturer, or just a big collector and you want to help support the Museum drop me at line at chimera@yoyomuseum.com
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| One Drop Walter by Spencer Berry |
| Exhibit #4058 |
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| Type | Production |
| Shape | Concave )-( |
| Axle | Bearing |
| Color | Black hardcoat |
| Packaging | Boxed |
| Construction | Multi-piece aluminum |
| Response | Snow Tires |
| Diameter | 54 mm |
| Width | 31.5 mm |
| Gap | Fixed |
| Gap Width | 3.2 mm |
| Weight | 64.2 gm |
| Condition | Mint |
| Number Produced | 100 |
| Date | 2013 |
| Owner | Rick Brough |
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Three years in the making, the international-flavored Walter was a modern, responsive slimline yo-yo that was released May 2013 by Spencer Berry of Omaha, Nebraska. The yo-yo was an amalgamation of effort and work between Canadian yo-yo maker CLYW of Alberta (Chris Mikulin; CAD of yo-yo, financing, and project leadership), European yo-yo maker HSpin of Switzerland (Christopher Kayatz and Hadrien Bennaceur; Walter prototypes), US yo-yo maker One Drop of Oregon (David Metz; actual production of the Walter), Anti-Yo of California (Sonny Patrick; wet-blasting yo-yos for slip matte feel and anodizing with Type III hard coat in black), and Drew Tetz for the logo design laser engraved on the birch plywood box. The box had a swing-away lid. The manufacturer of the box was locally sourced where Spencer lived. Additional input was also provided by Frank Difeo, Kyle Weems, and Seth Peterson.
One hundred units were sold, each with a engraved serial number on the inside face of one of the halves that ranged from 00 to 99. The yo-yo was made in two separate batches: 00-49, then 50-99 later.
From Spencer Berry's blog about the Walter (accessed September 15, 2020):
(Read the entire Walter blog entries here.)
The Build
"Walter is 54 mm in diameter and just under 32mm wide. The gap is about 3.2mm because it is a large size C bearing, but recessed into the walls a bit. Walter has a mass of 64.2 grams.
All numbered Walters are matte black. Due to the nature of the process, some also have a bit of a splash/spray in shades of black. The hardcoat marks very easily and can be colored on with colored pencil (erases), crayon (doesn’t come off easily), or chalk (barely). The hardcoat means it can take a lot more abuse – but it can be scuffed a lot easier.
The Walter came in a custom made wood box.
They were each be sanded (to prevent the rough texture of the blasting from breaking string), oiled (10-ball shieldless bearings with 3-in-1), and assembled.
They come with either flowable silicone or CLYW snow tires (the turquoise ones, aka "all season") for response. This will need to be replaced eventually if you are a ripper. Be a ripper!
Walter will ship with Kitty String FAT, most likely in Gold. [See Complete contents view.]
Warnings & dissuasions
This is not an unresponsive yoyo!
Walter comes back with a tug. Many of my testers attempted to find an unresponsive configuration (dry bearing will certainly do it). But they were very disappointed with the consistency of play! This is because this yoyo has high walls and a recessed bearing (the gap is ~3.5 mm). If you tune him unresponsive you will have a catchy yoyo that doesn’t come back with a tug and a bad time.
This is not a competition optimized yoyo.
Walter can do most yoyo tricks from shoot the moon to a laceration. But he isn’t going to give you 60 second combos and he isn’t going to help you win any freestyle competitions. I consider Walter to be a cross between a fixed axle and a bearing (even though he is completely ball bearing). He plays uber smooth on the string, comes back with a fly away, can do stall tricks, regens, frog in a bag, etc. He takes a bit from modern and pays homage to the retro. Please don’t order a Walter if you are expecting a modern string trick yoyo that will spin for days and forgive mistakes. He will punish string trick errors and bruise you.
Walter is not a paperweight or a shelf warmer.
I have not intended to make a museum bound collectible. These yoyos are tested by hand and probably have oil, fingerprints, my body odor, etc. I would prefer it if you played with him and dinged him up and enjoyed the chaotic styles of yoyoing Walter makes possible. Of course, if you buy a Walter you can do what you want with him, but I highly encourage you to ponder my intentions. I've made a small run of these for myself and my friends to have a modern slimline responsive throw. This is a unique player in an age of a flooded, unresponsive yoyo market. Join me in celebrating – let's fly away.
Walter is not for everyone.
It won't hurt my feelings if you don’t buy a Walter – but it will bum me out if he sits unplayed because you don’t like tug responsive throws, bruised knuckles, or improv beast mode.
Maintenance
That said, if Walter starts to get unresponsive, oil the bearing. Brain lube work (this is the same stuff), especially if you like a quiet yoyo. I oiled them with 3in1 when I put them together. It smells awesome, but the bearing is louder than if you lubed it with the ptfe stuff.
If you do get one that cuts strings (and it cuts them thread by thread – watch your first few closely), either sand with 600 grit sandpaper or rub a leather belt/wallet on it. I highly doubt that will be the case because I have diligently sanded every single half and personally tested it."
Recipe
Material: Aluminum
Diameter: 54mm
Width: 31.5mm
Gap Width: 3.5mm
Weight: 64.2gm
Bearing Size: Size C (.250 x .500 x .187)
Response: CLYW Snow Tires
Original retail price: $120 US. | |
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