LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Yo: Axles
built 618 days ago
A fixed axle has the string of the yo-yo looped around the axle itself. These yo-yos sleep because the string is attached loosely enough for the axle of the spinning yo-yo to slip in the loop at the bottom of the string. The axle itself does not move.
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The yo-yo is a toy consisting of two equally sized and weighted discs of plastic, wood, or metal, connected with an axle, around which string is wound. First becoming popular in the 1920s, "yo-yoing" still enjoys a following of children as well as adults.
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There are many characteristics which set one yo-yo apart from the next. Body material (wood, plastic, rubber, aluminum), weight, axle design and material, body shape, and size all play a role in determining how a yo-yo will perform. Of these, shape and axle have the greatest effect on the yo-yo's performance.
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Traditionally, a yo-yo's string is doubled, its exact middle looped around the axle in a configuration known as a looped slip-string. This allows the yo-yo to spin freely, or "sleep" upon reaching the string's end.
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The drawing above shows a single looped string. This is used for sleeping fixed axle yo-yos and for most ball-bearing models. However, beginning players benefit greatly by using a non-spinning yo-yo while they are learning the initial throws and handling of the yo-yo. To make a fixed axle yo-yo into a non-spinning beginner yo-yo, the string should be attached with a double, rather than a single, loop around the axle. To do this, follow the instructions above for installing a yo-yo string, except that after the yo-yo is placed on the string, cross the 2 strings, and wrap the string around the axle a second time. This, in effect, acts like a knot in the bottom of the string, causing the yo-yo to bounce back up or return more easily to the beginner player. Once throwing proficiency has been gained, the second loop came be removed from the axle, returning the yo-yo into a "spinning" yo-yo.
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Transaxle yo-yos sleep longer than fixed axle yo-yos, but can be difficult to use in looping due to their tendency to sleep. However, transaxle yo-yos with brake pads or friction stickers, or with adjustable gaps set narrow, can be very good loopers.
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