Can someone answer this for me? (disc modification question)

[RoundWounds]

So, a fellow player that is new to the game bought a 168g Champ Glow Leopard but stopped throwing it because it was too stable. He threw it a few rounds and that was it.

The other day he sanded down the top of the disc about an inch from the edge to the edge and said he's able to throw it now. I figured it was because he was able to get a decent grip on the disc, since the glow plastic was quite slippery and he mentioned it felt like it was falling out of his hand (I didn't like it either tbh). He believes that that sanding the top edge has affected the flight of the disc enough to make him able to throw it.

Could sanding the top edge of the disc affect the flight that much? Or is he simply getting a better grip/rip on the disc now?

 

[Clarkey]

I suppose it could result in a player getting a better grip, depending on what works best for them. Totally illegal in a sanctioned tournament setting tho....

 

[dazedconfuzed1]

Illegal ..don't do it.

 

[RoundWounds]

He doesn't play tournaments so it doesn't really matter. But, I did explain that that's not the same as the 'light sanding' that's allowed in the rules.

 

[TOURNEYPLAYER]

sanding affects flight. just like when you hit trees,parking lots etc.

 

[thrembo]

The only "legal" modification you can make to a disc is to drive over the disc with a pickup truck. It has to be a full size pickup truck with a v8 engine in it though.

 

[MacDaddy]

Define "light sanding"

He doesn't play tournaments so it doesn't really matter. But, I did explain that that's not the same as the 'light sanding' that's allowed in the rules.

How is this different than what is allowed in the rules? If all he did was go around the edge of the disc and rough it up a little so that now he is getting better grip. Unless he really got into it and changed the shape of the discs, where is the problem?

 

[Dj1001]

When you sand the disc your are altering it beyond what happens by throwing the disc therefore it is illegal.

i have sanded a few old pro-d discs and they become alot more understable.

 

[chris717]

How is this different than what is allowed in the rules? If all he did was go around the edge of the disc and rough it up a little so that now he is getting better grip. Unless he really got into it and changed the shape of the discs, where is the problem?

People are just Anal about rules, remember without them people would be doing all sort of things.

 

[Violets caddy]

Sanding it makes the disc rougher, in addition to better grip it also effects how the air travels over it. Rougher surface = more resistance = completely altered flight.

 

[dazedconfuzed1]

You can't sand the top of a disc. You can get rid of damage to the rim/grip with LIGHT sanding to keep the original grip and shape.
BUT, that is not bad. A kid showed up to one of our weekly's with a dx roc, that he had HEAVILY spraypainted? WTH? I bet that disc weighed 250grms. We had to tell him about the legality of said disc.

 

[Chris A.]

Well, I guess all my putters are illegal (sarcasm). I remove the stamp with acetone and then hit the top with 400 grit paper. Just makes 'em feel better in my hands. It doesnt change flight tho.
OP, What grit paper is this guy using?

 

[Oklahyzer]

Removing plastic in that area can definitely make it less stable, but it would depend on how much you remove. I'm guessing that if he left a rough surface then it's that effect that's doing the work for him. Stability is affected by a number of design factors, but from what I can gather it seems that a more sloped profile on the top of the wing does contribute to understability. And then there's the Roadrunner/Sidewinder...totally different design.

If you feel like experimenting (or if he does), make the area that he altered just as smooth as the rest of the plastic and see if it changes. It's not easy to sand the urethane plastics and they resist almost all solvents, so you may need to bring it all the way up to 1000 grit and then friction rub it, and/or use some heat to get it super smooth. One of these days I plan to buy some dx discs and carve them up just to try and learn more about disc design. I love to know how the watch works!

 

[Oklahyzer]

and if you do that, you have to try to maintain concentricity so the disc is still balanced and uniform. Work around the circumference repeatedly in small steps, don't try to rush it and change too much at one time. Pick a spot on the disc that is your starting/finishing point every time.

 

[BrotherDave]

I take the belt sander to all of my discs. Then I buff it, hit it with the turtle wax, laminate it and finally dip it in chrome for rust proofing. You guys don't do that?

 

[nickc]

It depends where and what you sand.

Say you have a disc with the rim fraying a little or it's a little rough; fraying that off is going to make the disc feel better, and maybe make it a little more understable.

If you sand down the bead, obviously you're making it more understable.

Sanding the concave can have a multitude of effects on it, depending on how you sand it. You could make the disc drastically more overstable or understable. This is probably the dumbest part of the disc to sand down.

I wouldn't be too concerned with sanding some rough spots on a disc. I've sanded and melted discs into better shape.

 

[rolo tony]

I take the belt sander to all of my discs. Then I buff it, hit it with the turtle wax, laminate it and finally dip it in chrome for rust proofing. You guys don't do that?

You got it all wrong broD. You wanna sand blast them and then have them powder coated.

 

[DeadEye]

I usually get on the steepest road in town, get a running start, and try to surf all the way down on the top of my disc. Only with Champ plastic though, sometimes the DX wears all the way through.

 

[Mbagnola1]

Completely off topic but this thread former thinking. What do the rules say about flat topping a disc( soaking in boiling water to reverse the convex)?