What is a microbead?

[seedlings]

What is a microbead on a disc, and can it be confused with extra plastic extruded between mold pieces? Because I may have misunderstood something I read in this forum and removed a microbead thinking it was extra plastic on a DD Defender. But I don't know....

 

[Flick Maniac]

Md3 is a pretty good example. Its a bead but just very small. And vs. flashing (the extra plastic that shouldnt be there in a perfect world), the flashing will usually be much sharper. It should be pretty clear what is trimmable and what isnt.

 

[filobedo]

Flashing and micro beads can be difficult to tell the difference. I think the early Gators had a micro bead as well as Aviars and Stingrays.

 

[seedlings]

Md3 is a pretty good example. Its a bead but just very small. And vs. flashing (the extra plastic that shouldnt be there in a perfect world), the flashing will usually be much sharper. It should be pretty clear what is trimmable and what isnt.

Does an FD have one? Or is that sharp edge the flashing?

 

[Moose33]

If it's a sharp edge it's probably flashing, if it bumps out horizontally at all that's probably a micro bead.

 

[Jay Dub]

Flashing sands paper off pretty easily a micro bead does not.

 

[seedlings]

Ok. This was not a microbead, it was the flashing. Razor sharp, invisible edge on the inside lip of the rim.

Someone said the Harp has a microbead. I throw the harp and wouldn't know it has one. Looking at it right now I don't know what I'm looking for.

 

[Jay Dub]

This is a big bead on the rim, the micro bead would be the same thing but much smaller.

 

[F. Howl]

If it's so small you aren't sure whether it was a purposefull feature of the mold versus flashing from the molding process, I'd guess it's flashing, though a few molds are questionable. Like, why design a tiny linear burr on the edge of the disc? Anything smaller than the Voodoo's bead, and I'm calling it squish out, maybe from ill fitting plates or worn out ones.

Wizard (big bead) vs Voodoo (micro):

 

[armiller]

I don't think it's easy to confuse flashing and beads. The bead is designed into the disc, as others have shown. A micro-bead is a really small bead, or sometimes a little nuiance in the wing that feels like a bead. (Others have mentioned examples, but my personal favorite is the Predator.)

All the flashing I have seen extends vertically, down toward a table or the ground if you set the disc flat. The horizontal line your disc shows is what is called the "parting line," or the residual area of plastic between the top and bottom components of the mold. To be honest, I don't know where that flashing comes from. But, in general, flashing is inconsistent around the 360 degrees of the disc. Again, it extends vertically, whereas the "bead" or micro-bead is more of a horizontal feature--i.e. you feel it best by feeling horizontally along the wing down toward where it would be sitting on the ground.

 

[BuzzzChief]

All the flashing I have seen extends vertically, down toward a table or the ground if you set the disc flat. The horizontal line your disc shows is what is called the "parting line," or the residual area of plastic between the top and bottom components of the mold. To be honest, I don't know where that flashing comes from. But, in general, flashing is inconsistent around the 360 degrees of the disc. Again, it extends vertically, whereas the "bead" or micro-bead is more of a horizontal feature--i.e. you feel it best by feeling horizontally along the wing down toward where it would be sitting on the ground.

Flashing occurs wherever two mold pieces meet. It's where plastic escapes between the tiny gap in the mold pieces. Typically this occurs at the parting line, where the two main halves of the mold separate from each other to remove the molded disc. But it can happen between any two mold pieces that don't have a sufficiently tight seal to prevent it.

I believe most disc molds are actually three parts: core, wing, top. So there's a small amount of flashing at the bottom edge of the rim where the core/wing pieces meet, and there's flashing on the outer edge of the rim where the wing/top meet. What "feels" like flashing could also be a minor mis-alignment of two mold pieces, causing a step in the final part.

 

[dreadlock86]

the molds are only two pieces, flashing is only on the wing, and beads are only on the rim.

i can't make sense of any of the responses so far, with all the horizontal and vertical talk. but i don't really get how flashing and any sort of bead could be confused. they are in totally different spots on the disc.

 

[seedlings]

the molds are only two pieces, flashing is only on the wing, and beads are only on the rim.

i can't make sense of any of the responses so far, with all the horizontal and vertical talk. but i don't really get how flashing and any sort of bead could be confused. they are in totally different spots on the disc.

So a very tiny razor edge on the bottom of the rim, closest to the center... is designed? I'm genuinely asking because that's what I removed, and have seen recommended to remove.

 

[seedlings]

Many discs have a very sharp edge here. On the DD Defender it was too uncomfortable so I razored it off. Same edge on a C-line FD and Champ Sidewinder that I have bought new recently.

 

[tbird888]

 

[dreadlock86]

Many discs have a very sharp edge here. On the DD Defender it was too uncomfortable so I razored it off. Same edge on a C-line FD and Champ Sidewinder that I have bought new recently.

that's strange, i don't think i've ever experienced a sharp edge there. this is beyond my pay grade but it sounds like that would be an issue with the mold itself.

 

[wolfhaley]

that's strange, i don't think i've ever experienced a sharp edge there. this is beyond my pay grade but it sounds like that would be an issue with the mold itself.

Every Orc I've thrown is like this. By far the worst I've seen.

 

[dreadlock86]

crazy. so you just sand them down?

is this particularly in champ-style plastic or does it happen with other plastics too? most of my drivers i get used so i've never really noticed it.

 

[wolfhaley]

I will if they're really bad. Just got a g* Orc a week ago. Almost lost a finger taking it out the box. A little sanding and it feels great now.

 

[Flick Maniac]

the molds are only two pieces, flashing is only on the wing, and beads are only on the rim.

No dude. As others have said, flashing does also occur at the bottom (i.e. put it on a table, stamp up, the lowest part of the disc touching the table), perhaps call it the lip of the rim?

In fact I think I have seen it there more often than anywhere else. Try to flick one of these and it will eat up your finger. I usually just find a suitably smooth piece of asphalt and rub the disc around for a while (sand the floor lol). On a few occasions Ive had to take a scalpel to it, but you really need to be careful then not to mess up the disc.

I also really dont get people who are like "yeah its great it makes the disc so much more stable" well get a overstable disc then. Dont throw around an uncomfortable disc just for the sake of it.

The mold pieces not aligning up 100% is pretty interesting too. Ive had several P2s for example where the top and bottom are not all the way in sync along the parting line.