Yes, I like that you’re encouraging people to do THIS. I hate when people throw away oem parts in place of aftermarket ones just because they’re not clean.
That people may have thrown out stick modules with perfectly working optical sensors(which aren't made anymore) for crap amazon potentiometer replacement is my nightmare fuel.
I've done this repair many times but I always come back to this video just to listen to while I clean these stick boxes, always good to go back and make sure you're doing it correctly
Thanks for the feedback. Audio and video was done with an old iPhone SE but I was able to clean the audio up quite a bit with Audacity. 4k is available if your display supports it ;)
i know im randomly asking but does any of you know of a trick to log back into an instagram account? I was dumb forgot my login password. I would appreciate any tricks you can offer me!
@Onyx Shepard Thanks for your reply. I got to the site on google and I'm in the hacking process now. Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will get back to you later with my results.
I've used this video for 2 repairs now and it was very helpful. Joystick butter is an absolute godsend. Highly recommend it to anyone doing this repair. Makes the stick movement so smooth. Thanks for the helpful guide.
Awsome!! Yeah, I still have the same tube of Joystick Butter from this video. I've done over 100 joystick assemblies and still have like 75% of it left I think. If Nintendo knew about this stuff when they made these controllers I don't think anyone would ever be watching my video. I still use the same controller from this 4-year old video. It's still perfectly lubricated 6 years later. It's crazy.
Hey, just a heads up. Isopropyl alcohol is known to be harmful to some plastics regarding their longevity. If you leave some plastics in alcohol, it will start to degrade within a few hours. Idk what these sticks are made from, but it might be safer to just use water with soap.
Thanks for this tutorial. I'm going to replace the gears in two of my N64 controllers, lubricate all moving parts and contact points, while using this vid as a reference. I've watched almost every video on UA-cam showing how to do this, and yours is the best.
I just installed a new stick and gears with this video's help! Great camera work, easy explanations, and you got down to business right away! Thank you
Extremely thorough, much appreciated. Will have to invest in some joystick butter lol. Also, I think it's awesome that you mention where to get each tool and what they do, etc. Very helpful video
Thanks very much for this. I've fixed one controller and I've got a few more lined up. I worked out that I needed to replace the gears which made a big difference. The controller has gone from unusable to nearly brand new, thanks so much couldn't have done it without you!
This is by far the best video of all the ones I've seen on fixing the n64 controller, contains very critical details the others left out. I consider this the go-to for n64 controller maintenance. Thanks for the video.
This video helped me out a ton. I had no idea about the larger gear part being on the bottom and in that particular spot. I could never close my case and it drove me nuts. Great video!
I bought a used N64 controller recently and it didn’t quite work right because of the analog stick. This video was easy to follow along with and instilled confidence in me that I could do a simple clean up of the controller. My $30 spent wasn’t wasted on a controller thanks to the clear guide and it’s fully functional. Thanks!
Mate, I recently bought a n64 and it came with a controller and a bought another controller, both controller were in a bad state, I followed your instructions and wow that was a miracle happening right there, thank you for this, both controller feels and play amazing.
Excellent video! Very detailed, professional, just all around great. I'd love to see a tear down/clean video of the console itself, if you haven't already. Would you be able to provide a link to the joystick butter? If this is really all that needs to be done to completely make them sit correctly again I have like 5 controllers I want to fix up.
Thanks. I need to work on my "video voice". I fall asleep listening to myself. I plan on doing a full controller restoration video first, then cartridge restorations, then console restorations. This video took FOREVER to edit so I don't plan on making anymore videos for another month or two. www.etsy.com/shop/joystickbutter
Thanks for the in depth guide, I bought an N64 on the flea market and the joy was horrible, turned out the inside of the joy was like it had powdered sugar in it from years of use. Now it's really responsive. Thanks again.
Bolcsi sorry for the late reply I’ve been sick 🤒 just remember, joystick butter stops the wear from occurring, it doesn’t tighten up joysticks. The powder is actually nylon powder. If there wasn’t much and you cleaned it properly and put joystick butter on it it’ll definitely bring it back to life and give it a much nicer feel :)
@@TheDeathOfLucifer I am using kitsch-bent replacement parts with great success. Depending on the amount of wear, the bowl is the biggest thing that needs to be replaced, although the gears are sometimes really rough if it's in a super almost unusable condition. Good luck! Also, you might have to do a bit of work to get them perfect as they are oem parts, the biggest one for me is widening the hole where the sensor wheels snap in so they aren't too tight. This is all information you can find googling.
Hey thanks for the great vid man. I just finished cleaning up some originals that I just bought. Unfortunately, the black gears are all worn out so ordered some replacement bits, will definitely come back to this clip once the parts arrive in case I get lost on the way out haha.
EXTREMELY HELPFUL!!! I'm definitely ordering a philips & regular of those screw drivers & some joystick butter right now. By next week. I'll have some actually properly lubed controllers! Hard to image why they didn't lube these in the first place. Also, fantastic job on covering all the ins and outs of getting that taken apart & reassembled. Very thorough.
In the last few years of the N64 cycle they actually did. It's really hard to find the ones that were but they used a super thin oil like substance on the gears. I actually have a brand new example of one. If it wasn't factory sealed I'd do a video on it showing what they did exactly. Probably wouldn't get that many views though, haha. Up until 2007 you could actually call Nintendo and they'd send you a brand new replacement joystick, with the oiled up gears, for free. It wasn't the best but it was better than nothing. A lot of times if you find a really old N64 controller with a pretty close to tight stick it more than likely had the oiled up gears on it.
Restore64 you needa post more videos and keep doing what you’re doing. Your current videos are great and a lot of others and I would agree that you should keep on going with the n64 content we’d love to stick around for!
@@raygun23 I'm unable to film anything new at the moment. Hoping that'll change soon. I have a lot of great stuff I plan on putting out that I think will help a lot of people.
The only thing that means more to me than comments like this are that there's more controllers out there in the wild getting properly took care of. Love it.
Joystick butter is extremely expensive at about $24 per ml. However, if you are only working on a personal collection, it's probably worth it. I am currently experimenting with Molykote 44 medium, which seems to be a very good lubricant. It states that it is safe for most plastics, but to test it. So, currently, I have a joystick bowl from an N64 "soaking" in it for a couple of months to see if there is any etching or otherwise general degradation. That being said, I do have some old QuickShot joystick controllers, which have large joysticks, so I'm not so worried about testing. I used some of the MolyKote on them, and they are very smooth, not sticky at all and, just like joystick butter, you really don't need much; just a very thin coating. All that said, it was only about $27 for 5.3 oz, which is a huge value if it works out. Anyway, like I said, still testing, but my hopes are up. Great video.
This isn't the first time I've heard of someone using Molykote 44. There's a guy that repackages the 44 Light variant and sells it under his trade name "Stick Grease" which is super illegal "passing off". I guess that's where people got the idea to start using it. Molykote 44 is a high-temp bearing grease, as stated in the Dow SDS and on the Dupont website. The main ingredient in Molykote 44 is lithium stearate which is basically lithium grease. Lithium grease is used to lubricate metals which makes sense since this product is designed specifically for bearings. It's perfectly safe to use Molykote 44 on plastics as it doesn't contain petroleum so your soaking test won't yield any results, /just to save you some time/. The only thing you'd have to worry about putting it on is silicone. The reason I shared this video is to hopefully save others from the months I spent researching/experimenting myself. Don't let me stop you though. There's nothing like feeling it in your thumb and seeing it with your own eyes. Molykote 44 may feel alright at first. Just about anything would. I wouldn't recommend using lithium based products on an application like this. Of the countless things I have tried the lithium based products initially felt okay but were the absolute worst overall. I will say this. I did my fair share of research before using joystick butter as I have some very rare controllers in my collection. I wanted them to be perfect even though nobody, while I'm alive anyways, will be using them. While there's no way to prove this, the controller in this video still has perfect/slick gears. They, still, haven't worn down at all. It's a satisfying yet shocking feeling every time I pick it up.
@@restore64 Thank you very much for the info. I have tried a few types of grease and so far, the MolyKote felt the smoothest. I have not tried joystick butter, mostly because of the price and every time I've looked it up, it seemed in very short supply. I was mainly looking for a really good grease, that I could order at any time. If you have other suggestions as well, I would definitely listen. However, I do see what you're saying, with potentially rare equipment that you will never play. My rarest being a first run Odyssey in the box, I'm going to take it out and play it just once next year for its 50th birthday, then put it up forever. Anyway, before I rant too much, thanks again.
@@joat1979 You ain't lying. When it first came out I paid something like $45 for a 3 mL syringe of it. I'm cheap as hell so it killed me to do that. After doing some research and talking to the owner I realized it's exactly what these gimbals need. I also found another clever use for it which I plan on showing in a future video. Time has been getting the best of me lately.
And here my family made fun of me for holding onto my old controllers with wonky joysticks. They mean a lot to me. My dad and sis taught me how to read holding those controllers and helping me sound out words. Thank you ❤
@ oh, sorry that wasn’t clear. They were playing the games and teaching me how to read from the text on the screen! Ocarina of Time for example would highlight important words and we’d go through them. They used the controllers to do that
@Josh McCellan that intro you did with the floppy disk is pretty cool.. didn't even know you could do that. The link you posted is incorrect. You accidentally added an "N" on the end. Here's the link: ua-cam.com/channels/TP1cHW4n2iAuX6r5v7Bq1g.html
@@restore64 I use shotcut, its a free & open source video editor, and ad an incentive to make more videos, here's an intro for you: drive.google.com/file/d/1oevTMybetDgGn6gP5Dd5N1HwMHfwPPTY/view?usp=sharing
@@restore64 I'm restoring two right now I think they are way beyond repair so I was gonna order the gear parts from store.kitsch-bent.com/product/n64-joystick-gears
@@justmetal227 only use those as a last resort. They aren't very good. Even if you spend a lot of time hand filing off the flashing they're still far from accurate.
justmetal227 I saw one guy on UA-cam do that a long time ago and I haven’t been able to find the video since. He had a custom jig made so it would resize them to the exact factory specs.
The only issue I continuously have is the stick almost feeling sandy even after lubricating it, I'm thinking this is just due to the bowl being worn and maybe the only fix I can think is almost like a steel stick bowl solution. Or maybe a way to elevate the stick a little so it doesn't grind against the bowl
Awesome video man. Great information and clear camera work. Well done. Need to do this on my controller as well. Just curious does this eliminate the "slop" that older N64 controller get or is that due to something breaking inside?
That's due to the groove in the black "gears" being too wide and the white bowl being worn down. The white bowl is what is putting upward pressure on the stick to help it center. If the bowl is worn down it won't push upwards on the stick anymore. Some people have fixed that with epoxy but there are replacement bowl and gears that are available for sale on ebay or Kitsch-Bent. Shipping from Kitsch-Bent can be pricey if you're not in the US though.
If you have an ultrasonic cleaner, you can use that with a 5% Simple Green solution to clean all those parts with grooves and crevasses. DO NOT use the heat feature though as that will discolor the ABS plastic.
DUUUUUUDE! Thank you so much, I disassembled my yellow Pikachu one and couldn't assemble it back! And I was afraid of disassemble my other controller (I only have 2) and screw that one too! Lol But thanks to you, I just saved my Pikachu one! :D Subscribed! There's a little of drift and left is not that good but I don't care! It works again! Thanks! :D
Mine dig not look like yours at all. But I simply cleaned inside ant put a little bit of silicone grease. And now min it’s as new. But I ordered new ones that supposedly should hold up better.
this is so detailed, thank you for making this and i cant wait to refurb mine! im just recently getting into modding and refurbishing and this helped a lot!
Thank you for commenting! Stay tuned. I plan on putting some new ones out that show some tips and tricks that have never been shown before. Working on them now.
I'm keeping this video favorited for when I can make use of it. The aftermarket controllers I've used just don't hold up in quality. Most notably, their joysticks are FAR too sensitive. Not great when you're trying to snipe keese in Zelda.
Restore64, great video, I really love the amount of care and detail that went into this. This worked great on one of my controllers, but the other is really worn down. What would you do to a controller with a floppy joystick?
One method I've seen is applying heat and pushing the outer edges of the gear in with an additional heat source in the middle to melt the inner walls flat again thus making the gear perfect. I believe this is along the lines of what the steelsticks64.com guy does when refurbishing and fitting his joysticks with his own custom internals. Hopefully someone will release a tool that'll make this easy to accomplish then everyone will have perfect sticks :)
White lithium grease can work if you don't have any joystick butter, or if you're a kid and $20 is alot, but make sure it's not petroleum based because it will deteriorate the plastic
@@joshm264 White lithium grease should never be used to lubricate plastic under any circumstances. Not only does it not work well it's not what it was designed for. It's only used for metal on metal lubrication. While a petroleum free white lithium grease is safer to use on plastics it doesn't make it better to use on plastics. The purpose of petroleum free white lithium grease is for applications where you need to lubricate metal on metal that inevitably come into contact with other plastics/rubbers. I've used both petroleum and petroleum free variants of white lithium grease and they both preform the same way. Very poorly. I knew they would since they're not designed for plastics but the penny-pincher inside me had to do it just to see. I've easily done over 100 controllers with the tube of joystick butter I got a long time ago and still have plenty left. I did the math and it works out to about 20 cents an application. There are tons of cheaper alternatives that work way better than lithium grease but I can't in good conscience recommend them because they all suck :(
@@joshm264 I agree. To do one or two controllers it's pretty expensive. I didn't think about it like that. I'd still buy it though. It's worth it to keep your joysticks perfect. It's not like you can go to Walmart and buy a new factory fresh N64 controller anymore :( Plus, I use it when I restore consoles, controllers, and cartridges in a different way that I'll share once I get around to making restoration videos for those. I just keep putting it off because making new videos is so time consuming.
I thought I already replied to you but I guess I forgot to click "REPLY". Sorry about that. I planned on putting a lot more out but I've been extremely tied up with life here lately. Hopefully I'll be able to soon. Never thought this video was going to get over 10k views, haha. If you subscribe and click the notifications thing you should be the first to hear about it when I do. I think the next video I'm going to do will be a Game Pak "cartridge" video similar to this one. Exciting stuff! :D
I’ll definitely be picking up some of that lube. I came across this video today because I recently scored 2 of the funtastic consoles, a jungle green CIB w/ all styrofoam and an ice blue (no box). The green is mint and on eBay for sale, but I’m keeping the blue for myself. Only trouble is the stick was pretty bad (and controller was filthy). I’d say stick was 3/10, maybe 4. After cleaning it out it’s prob a 7.5/10. Huge improvement. Thanks for the info. I’m good with taking stuff apart and cleaning, but had never done anything N64 before and didn’t want to make my 3/10 controller a 0.
There's really something special about finding CIB decades later. These controllers are pretty indestructible. The point of the Joystick Butter is to prevent wear and keep the gears perfectly lubricated. It won't increase your tightness but if you have a really loose stick and it's cleaned properly it may definitely feel more responsive.
The GCS joystick is horrible and you'll lose all of your fine movements. If you push the stick more than 15-20% out the movement will jump out to 90%+ even though the stick isn't that far out. It makes every game a nightmare. Kart, Super Mario, 007 etc.
@@restore64 as long as I can play again I'm not too bothered, not ideal I know but not like I can get new Nintendo parts as production stopped about 20 years ago. I'll try fix the original but not entirely confident I'll do ok.
Amazing! I have the Goldeneye controller but the joystick is fucked 😢 everything else is fine including the console and game which I just fired up. Still works, got it when the game was first released and shit all my saves are still on the cartridge ❤😢 My new project is to fix that controller. Thanks for the video
No, thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. And wait... you have a what?! A Goldeneye controller? I've never heard of that. You mean just a regular gold colored controller?
@@restore64 I do appreciate the video. It is very in-depth and thorough. I can't wait to try this on my childhood N64's controllers now that I have an Everdrive 64. Thank you for making this video!
Nothing is permanent but the Joystick Butter lasts forever it seems. I only play mine once or twice a week and it's been fine since I made this video almost 3 years ago. It's really nice stuff. If you played heavily maybe you could reapply it once a year if you wanted to but I don't think even that is necessary. When I get some time I'm going to re-open my joystick just to check the condition but 3 years later and it still feels like the day I applied it.
I can’t open the screw to the joystick. I’m twisting in the right direction but I’m not entirely sure if I’m doing it right or if I’m just not strong enough
Oh no! If you're twisting counter-clockwise "to the left" and it's not coming out it may be stripped. If it is you'll have to use a thin trim tool, inserted in between the two parts of the housing, to apply pressure on the housing while unscrewing to get it open.
@@restore64nvm, I found a screwdriver that was both small enough to fit around it? And has magnetic ability so I managed to get it out. It works with most of my stripped screws too because of the magneticness
Seems this wasn't that worn down, I've just bought one and it was very loose, you could wiggle it almost 50% left to right without it actually doing anything.
Yeah I don't know why I kept calling it the kid's toothbrush over and over again. It is a "kid's toothbrush" and that's what I call it but when I play the video back it sounds like I'm saying I'm using my kid's actual toothbrush but I'm not, I promise, haha. They just work really well because it's nothing but a short bit of bristle. No rubber things or extra stuff in the way. Next time you go to the dentist if you already have a toothbrush ask for a kid's one, they're pretty nice :D
Hey man, your video rocks! I am doing restoration of my old consoles and now it's time for the N64. The only thing I ask if is there anything to replace the butter? Is it lubricant or glue? I don't think I can find it here in mx. Thank you man!
so I can do this clean/repair even if its very worn down, I see in some other videos that its created almost a powder like mass from the grinding of the plastics against eachother, at that point, isnt it ruined?
Very detailed video and thanks for that Joy stick butter info, i wasn't sure what type of grease or lubricant i would have used to properly maintain my n64 in good condition but, now i know :D ,also how long has your current Joystick butter lasted? is this your second or third?
I saw your earlier comment and to reply to that it's called "isopropyl". I put it in the video description. It's very strong stuff so protect your skin and make sure you don't use it on any visible surfaces on the controller because it can burn the plastic if you use too much. I've used tons of different stuff but the Joystick Butter is the superior option. Once you use it you'll understand why. If you have a tight stick and want to keep it that way you need to properly lubricate it since they don't come properly lubricated from the factory. It's been 2 years since I applied it to my daily driver and it feels as good as the day I applied it. I've restored over 100+ controllers and I'm still on the same tube. It has been awhile but I believe mine came with 3.5-4ml. For the average person one tube will last you a lifetime. With the precision tip it allows you to apply only what you actually need so if you're just using it for one controller you won't even see the plunger go down.
Thanks! The joystick internals are comprised of two different non compatible plastics. This lubricant is specially designed for it. I tried about 15 different things before I bit the bullet and paid for it because I'm cheap but it's worth it's weight in gold. I can't, in good faith, recommend anything else.
What about using silicon based plastic lubricants? I use them for my 80s and 90s mech kb switches. I'm mostly interested maintaining the original analogs as well since it seems all the replacement options aren't as good as the original.
I've used them all. They all "seem" to work since they're all technically lubricants but they don't do exactly what you want them to. Some get sticky, some dry, some are too thin, or too thick, some dry into a dusty like abrasive that makes things even worse, and a hundred other nightmare scenarios. White lithium grease was by far the worst thing I tried. Putting actual butter in your joystick would probably work better than half the stuff people recommend in online forums. Joystick butter is expensive for people who just have one or two good controllers they want to keep tight but for me, a controller enthusiast/collector who does a lot of them, it's worth it's weight in gold. There's literally nothing like it.
To this day I feel the n64 joystick is the most sensitive and accurate analog stick. More than ps3/ps4 and xbox360/one try playing perfect dark on n64 and then switch to the remaster. Aiming is so much harder on a 360 controller
Hey man great video I'm definitely gonna fix all my controllers I have like 5 original ones that need some TLC. Plus three others that still work like new. Wow ok so can I just use some Coco butter sticks to lub it once I take it apart? Where can I buy joystick butter ? Or something similar you can recommend where it's easy to find. Thanks
Thanks! They're gettin' old so they all need a little TLC sooner or later :) You can get the Joystick Butter here www.etsy.com/shop/goodgameco - I wouldn't use any type of natural lubricant from a plant/fruit on plastic.
I haven't had to reapply it once since I've put it on my main playing controller. It's made out of something fancy that coats the gears and when you move the stick around it just keeps reapplying it. It's wild.
What's wrong with the kitsch-bent parts? I've restored some very loose sticks with the gears/bowls before. Of course, I'd keep original parts if the sticks where still tight.
Well they're not as bad as the company name "Kitsch-Bent" but they're far from perfect. Even if you meticulously remove all of the flashing they're just not good. If you take a joystick refurbished with KB parts and compare it to a factory fresh N64 joystick you'll know what I mean. The KB example will feel very rough and gritty.
That's fair enough. But it's turned my unusable sticks (as in the stick would flail around if you shook it) to usable, and they're dirt cheap. I might do an epoxy style refurbish with my OEM parts one day, but for now they're worn out beyond recognition.
For a cheap fix you can't beat it. But I wouldn't do it. It'd suck the enjoyment right out of the game for me. Look into using heat to fix the gears. Epoxy is a lot of work. Steel sticks is too rich for my blood. He goes through great lengths to produce those extremely high quality parts but without getting into it I feel like it solves one problem and creates another. Regardless, if Steel Sticks wasn't so expensive I'd still buy one.
No, lubricating doesn't add volume back to the worn gears. Sometimes simply cleaning/rebuilding will make the stick feel better and retain whatever tightness is still left.
Yes, I like that you’re encouraging people to do THIS. I hate when people throw away oem parts in place of aftermarket ones just because they’re not clean.
That people may have thrown out stick modules with perfectly working optical sensors(which aren't made anymore) for crap amazon potentiometer replacement is my nightmare fuel.
I've done this repair many times but I always come back to this video just to listen to while I clean these stick boxes, always good to go back and make sure you're doing it correctly
The best video after 5 searches, very detail and great audio!
Thanks for the feedback. Audio and video was done with an old iPhone SE but I was able to clean the audio up quite a bit with Audacity. 4k is available if your display supports it ;)
i know im randomly asking but does any of you know of a trick to log back into an instagram account?
I was dumb forgot my login password. I would appreciate any tricks you can offer me!
@Izaiah Mathew Instablaster ;)
@Onyx Shepard Thanks for your reply. I got to the site on google and I'm in the hacking process now.
Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will get back to you later with my results.
@Onyx Shepard it did the trick and I actually got access to my account again. Im so happy:D
Thanks so much you really help me out!
Legendary tutorial. Followed this for all my n64 pads, and they feel great. Hopefully no more degradation. Thank you!
No, thank you for leaving such a nice comment.
I've used this video for 2 repairs now and it was very helpful. Joystick butter is an absolute godsend. Highly recommend it to anyone doing this repair. Makes the stick movement so smooth. Thanks for the helpful guide.
Awsome!! Yeah, I still have the same tube of Joystick Butter from this video. I've done over 100 joystick assemblies and still have like 75% of it left I think. If Nintendo knew about this stuff when they made these controllers I don't think anyone would ever be watching my video. I still use the same controller from this 4-year old video. It's still perfectly lubricated 6 years later. It's crazy.
@@restore64 Excuse me. Where Can I get it? edit: Oh my bad, I´ve seen where...thanks
Hey, just a heads up. Isopropyl alcohol is known to be harmful to some plastics regarding their longevity. If you leave some plastics in alcohol, it will start to degrade within a few hours. Idk what these sticks are made from, but it might be safer to just use water with soap.
Thanks for this tutorial. I'm going to replace the gears in two of my N64 controllers, lubricate all moving parts and contact points, while using this vid as a reference. I've watched almost every video on UA-cam showing how to do this, and yours is the best.
No, thanks for taking the time to write this comment. I'm glad it helped :)
I just installed a new stick and gears with this video's help! Great camera work, easy explanations, and you got down to business right away! Thank you
Only way to do it. I hate when I watch other videos and you have to watch 5 minutes worth of intros and ads before they get to it.
@@restore64 haha same, and there are a LOT of those videos especially with video game stuff
Extremely thorough, much appreciated. Will have to invest in some joystick butter lol. Also, I think it's awesome that you mention where to get each tool and what they do, etc. Very helpful video
Thank you for the kind words :)
Thanks very much for this. I've fixed one controller and I've got a few more lined up. I worked out that I needed to replace the gears which made a big difference.
The controller has gone from unusable to nearly brand new, thanks so much couldn't have done it without you!
This is by far the best video of all the ones I've seen on fixing the n64 controller, contains very critical details the others left out. I consider this the go-to for n64 controller maintenance. Thanks for the video.
No, thank you for taking the time to leave this comment. It means a lot.
lmao @ the part where you put the stick back together being the most replayed part. people out here struggling.
This video helped me out a ton. I had no idea about the larger gear part being on the bottom and in that particular spot. I could never close my case and it drove me nuts. Great video!
It’s a fun little puzzle. Once you’ve taken a few apart it becomes effortless. I still remember the first one I took apart. I was so confused. Haha 😂
I bought a used N64 controller recently and it didn’t quite work right because of the analog stick. This video was easy to follow along with and instilled confidence in me that I could do a simple clean up of the controller. My $30 spent wasn’t wasted on a controller thanks to the clear guide and it’s fully functional. Thanks!
I'm just now seeing this comment. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to hear that even after all these years this video is still helping people!
Mate, I recently bought a n64 and it came with a controller and a bought another controller, both controller were in a bad state, I followed your instructions and wow that was a miracle happening right there, thank you for this, both controller feels and play amazing.
I'm just now seeing this but THAT IS AWESOME. Love to hear it!
Damn that was satisfying to watch not to mention heavily informative. Great job, bud.
Thank you :D
Excellent video! Very detailed, professional, just all around great. I'd love to see a tear down/clean video of the console itself, if you haven't already.
Would you be able to provide a link to the joystick butter? If this is really all that needs to be done to completely make them sit correctly again I have like 5 controllers I want to fix up.
Thanks. I need to work on my "video voice". I fall asleep listening to myself. I plan on doing a full controller restoration video first, then cartridge restorations, then console restorations. This video took FOREVER to edit so I don't plan on making anymore videos for another month or two. www.etsy.com/shop/joystickbutter
Thanks for the in depth guide, I bought an N64 on the flea market and the joy was horrible, turned out the inside of the joy was like it had powdered sugar in it from years of use. Now it's really responsive. Thanks again.
Bolcsi sorry for the late reply I’ve been sick 🤒 just remember, joystick butter stops the wear from occurring, it doesn’t tighten up joysticks. The powder is actually nylon powder. If there wasn’t much and you cleaned it properly and put joystick butter on it it’ll definitely bring it back to life and give it a much nicer feel :)
@@restore64 what would you suggest to tighten it?
@@TheDeathOfLucifer I am using kitsch-bent replacement parts with great success. Depending on the amount of wear, the bowl is the biggest thing that needs to be replaced, although the gears are sometimes really rough if it's in a super almost unusable condition. Good luck! Also, you might have to do a bit of work to get them perfect as they are oem parts, the biggest one for me is widening the hole where the sensor wheels snap in so they aren't too tight. This is all information you can find googling.
Hey thanks for the great vid man. I just finished cleaning up some originals that I just bought. Unfortunately, the black gears are all worn out so ordered some replacement bits, will definitely come back to this clip once the parts arrive in case I get lost on the way out haha.
EXTREMELY HELPFUL!!! I'm definitely ordering a philips & regular of those screw drivers & some joystick butter right now. By next week. I'll have some actually properly lubed controllers! Hard to image why they didn't lube these in the first place.
Also, fantastic job on covering all the ins and outs of getting that taken apart & reassembled. Very thorough.
In the last few years of the N64 cycle they actually did. It's really hard to find the ones that were but they used a super thin oil like substance on the gears. I actually have a brand new example of one. If it wasn't factory sealed I'd do a video on it showing what they did exactly. Probably wouldn't get that many views though, haha. Up until 2007 you could actually call Nintendo and they'd send you a brand new replacement joystick, with the oiled up gears, for free. It wasn't the best but it was better than nothing. A lot of times if you find a really old N64 controller with a pretty close to tight stick it more than likely had the oiled up gears on it.
@@restore64 cool!
This is some good shit. Hella detailed thank you man!
No, thank you for watching!
@@restore64 well, time to play some roblox
Easily the best video I’ve watched on UA-cam for a really long time! Cheers!
This comment made my day! Thanks!
That is the Nintendo 64 control stick being served as the ancestor of Joy-Con control stick.
- Me as the Nintendo Switch User -
How to refurbish a worn down controller:
step 1 steal your kids tooth brush
step 2 *iSoPrOpYl*
step 3 put ky jelly all up in there
step 4 bran noow
My insides hurt. Hahahaha
Restore64 you needa post more videos and keep doing what you’re doing. Your current videos are great and a lot of others and I would agree that you should keep on going with the n64 content we’d love to stick around for!
@@raygun23 I'm unable to film anything new at the moment. Hoping that'll change soon. I have a lot of great stuff I plan on putting out that I think will help a lot of people.
@@raygun23 you want more of his stuff to break? How rude.
@@restore64 that’s what she said
Such a good video. Way better than all the other videos. Detailed but short. My controllers are as good a new now.
The only thing that means more to me than comments like this are that there's more controllers out there in the wild getting properly took care of. Love it.
Super helpful video, and as a bonus there's a "involuntary ASMR" quality to it (I mean this as a compliment!)
Thanks! I shot this on a first gen iPhone SE :)
Best video i have seen on how to fix my crappy sticks! Good job mate
This video, plus a new set of gears and some lube, now my original joystick is like new. Thank you so much for the great explanation. Great video!
Great video! I appreciate how thorough you went to explain the cleaning process.
Thanks!
Joystick butter is extremely expensive at about $24 per ml. However, if you are only working on a personal collection, it's probably worth it. I am currently experimenting with Molykote 44 medium, which seems to be a very good lubricant. It states that it is safe for most plastics, but to test it. So, currently, I have a joystick bowl from an N64 "soaking" in it for a couple of months to see if there is any etching or otherwise general degradation. That being said, I do have some old QuickShot joystick controllers, which have large joysticks, so I'm not so worried about testing. I used some of the MolyKote on them, and they are very smooth, not sticky at all and, just like joystick butter, you really don't need much; just a very thin coating. All that said, it was only about $27 for 5.3 oz, which is a huge value if it works out. Anyway, like I said, still testing, but my hopes are up. Great video.
This isn't the first time I've heard of someone using Molykote 44. There's a guy that repackages the 44 Light variant and sells it under his trade name "Stick Grease" which is super illegal "passing off". I guess that's where people got the idea to start using it. Molykote 44 is a high-temp bearing grease, as stated in the Dow SDS and on the Dupont website. The main ingredient in Molykote 44 is lithium stearate which is basically lithium grease. Lithium grease is used to lubricate metals which makes sense since this product is designed specifically for bearings.
It's perfectly safe to use Molykote 44 on plastics as it doesn't contain petroleum so your soaking test won't yield any results, /just to save you some time/. The only thing you'd have to worry about putting it on is silicone. The reason I shared this video is to hopefully save others from the months I spent researching/experimenting myself. Don't let me stop you though. There's nothing like feeling it in your thumb and seeing it with your own eyes. Molykote 44 may feel alright at first. Just about anything would. I wouldn't recommend using lithium based products on an application like this. Of the countless things I have tried the lithium based products initially felt okay but were the absolute worst overall.
I will say this. I did my fair share of research before using joystick butter as I have some very rare controllers in my collection. I wanted them to be perfect even though nobody, while I'm alive anyways, will be using them. While there's no way to prove this, the controller in this video still has perfect/slick gears. They, still, haven't worn down at all. It's a satisfying yet shocking feeling every time I pick it up.
@@restore64 Thank you very much for the info. I have tried a few types of grease and so far, the MolyKote felt the smoothest. I have not tried joystick butter, mostly because of the price and every time I've looked it up, it seemed in very short supply. I was mainly looking for a really good grease, that I could order at any time. If you have other suggestions as well, I would definitely listen. However, I do see what you're saying, with potentially rare equipment that you will never play. My rarest being a first run Odyssey in the box, I'm going to take it out and play it just once next year for its 50th birthday, then put it up forever. Anyway, before I rant too much, thanks again.
@@joat1979 You ain't lying. When it first came out I paid something like $45 for a 3 mL syringe of it. I'm cheap as hell so it killed me to do that. After doing some research and talking to the owner I realized it's exactly what these gimbals need. I also found another clever use for it which I plan on showing in a future video. Time has been getting the best of me lately.
Awesome. This will be my next little project since I really want to use my N64 again after many years. Thank you!
No! Thank you for the comment. Just now saw this. Sorry for the late reply!
And here my family made fun of me for holding onto my old controllers with wonky joysticks. They mean a lot to me. My dad and sis taught me how to read holding those controllers and helping me sound out words. Thank you ❤
You learned how to read using an N64 controller? I wish I still had my childhood N64 :(
@ oh, sorry that wasn’t clear. They were playing the games and teaching me how to read from the text on the screen! Ocarina of Time for example would highlight important words and we’d go through them. They used the controllers to do that
THANK YOU MAN I FIXED MY OLD NINTENDO Toys r us controller
Fantastic just fixed a controller by following this as the wheels were full of dust. Great video. Thank you
Thanks for showing me how to keep my stick great for years to come!
I'm glad you enjoyed the video. This took literally forever to edit :/
@@restore64 Yeah, my channel [ ua-cam.com/channels/TP1cHW4n2iAuX6r5v7Bq1g.html ] that I started has 1 video because of how hard it is to edit it
@Josh McCellan that intro you did with the floppy disk is pretty cool.. didn't even know you could do that. The link you posted is incorrect. You accidentally added an "N" on the end. Here's the link: ua-cam.com/channels/TP1cHW4n2iAuX6r5v7Bq1g.html
@@restore64 I use shotcut, its a free & open source video editor, and ad an incentive to make more videos, here's an intro for you: drive.google.com/file/d/1oevTMybetDgGn6gP5Dd5N1HwMHfwPPTY/view?usp=sharing
You are doing the lords work my friend.
No my friend. You are. When you leave comments like this it makes the video relevant to other UA-camrs searching for similar content.
great video, but for a loose joystick what part needs to be replaced?
Yes I'd like to know as well
This dude needs way more subs
I see you subbed as well! Thanks! The comments mean more to me than the subs but I'll take whatever I can get :)
@@restore64 I'm restoring two right now I think they are way beyond repair so I was gonna order the gear parts from store.kitsch-bent.com/product/n64-joystick-gears
@@justmetal227 only use those as a last resort. They aren't very good. Even if you spend a lot of time hand filing off the flashing they're still far from accurate.
@@restore64 got a new method. Heat at 312 Fahrenheit and close the gears until they are back to original size :). Then lube and done.
justmetal227 I saw one guy on UA-cam do that a long time ago and I haven’t been able to find the video since. He had a custom jig made so it would resize them to the exact factory specs.
Super straightforward and easy to follow! Thanks for making this
Most thorough video I saw yet! Excellent Tutorial! 😄👍
Thank you for your kind words. It took a lot of work.
Thank you man this really helped 10/10
No problem :)
Never ever understood why the joystick would get this powder in it all the time. Thanks for the video!
No, thank you for commenting!
Thank you so much! Used this video as a guide to install new gears in my really bad OEM controller... It was very very loose.
Where can I get good quality replacements for the button pads?
Only video I needed to watch dead ass.
Only comment I like... dead ass.
The only issue I continuously have is the stick almost feeling sandy even after lubricating it, I'm thinking this is just due to the bowl being worn and maybe the only fix I can think is almost like a steel stick bowl solution. Or maybe a way to elevate the stick a little so it doesn't grind against the bowl
Awesome video man. Great information and clear camera work. Well done. Need to do this on my controller as well. Just curious does this eliminate the "slop" that older N64 controller get or is that due to something breaking inside?
That's due to the groove in the black "gears" being too wide and the white bowl being worn down. The white bowl is what is putting upward pressure on the stick to help it center. If the bowl is worn down it won't push upwards on the stick anymore. Some people have fixed that with epoxy but there are replacement bowl and gears that are available for sale on ebay or Kitsch-Bent. Shipping from Kitsch-Bent can be pricey if you're not in the US though.
If you have an ultrasonic cleaner, you can use that with a 5% Simple Green solution to clean all those parts with grooves and crevasses. DO NOT use the heat feature though as that will discolor the ABS plastic.
Awesome video, now I need to get some joystick butter!
Do it, you won't be disappointed. I wish I would have found the stuff sooner. It really does what it's supposed to do. Thanks for the like!
Top Quality this man!!
Done an Original earlier following this.
Superb, smooth as butter.
Controller feels great.
Overall 5* video🙂👍👍
Thank you so very much for leaving this kind comment.
DUUUUUUDE! Thank you so much, I disassembled my yellow Pikachu one and couldn't assemble it back! And I was afraid of disassemble my other controller (I only have 2) and screw that one too! Lol
But thanks to you, I just saved my Pikachu one! :D Subscribed!
There's a little of drift and left is not that good but I don't care! It works again! Thanks! :D
Mine dig not look like yours at all. But I simply cleaned inside ant put a little bit of silicone grease. And now min it’s as new. But I ordered new ones that supposedly should hold up better.
You may have an aftermarket stick.
Good video, I replaced all 4 of my N64 controller with a new joystick.
Nice!
You're a legend dude
Stop, you're making me blush.
this is so detailed, thank you for making this and i cant wait to refurb mine! im just recently getting into modding and refurbishing and this helped a lot!
Thank you for commenting! Stay tuned. I plan on putting some new ones out that show some tips and tricks that have never been shown before. Working on them now.
I'm keeping this video favorited for when I can make use of it.
The aftermarket controllers I've used just don't hold up in quality. Most notably, their joysticks are FAR too sensitive. Not great when you're trying to snipe keese in Zelda.
Aftermarket options are horrible :(
Restore64, great video, I really love the amount of care and detail that went into this. This worked great on one of my controllers, but the other is really worn down. What would you do to a controller with a floppy joystick?
One method I've seen is applying heat and pushing the outer edges of the gear in with an additional heat source in the middle to melt the inner walls flat again thus making the gear perfect. I believe this is along the lines of what the steelsticks64.com guy does when refurbishing and fitting his joysticks with his own custom internals. Hopefully someone will release a tool that'll make this easy to accomplish then everyone will have perfect sticks :)
dude's a genius.
I don't know about all that but thanks for the comment!
Hi! question: would you recommend white lithium grease over joystick butter?
White lithium grease can work if you don't have any joystick butter, or if you're a kid and $20 is alot, but make sure it's not petroleum based because it will deteriorate the plastic
@@joshm264 White lithium grease should never be used to lubricate plastic under any circumstances. Not only does it not work well it's not what it was designed for. It's only used for metal on metal lubrication. While a petroleum free white lithium grease is safer to use on plastics it doesn't make it better to use on plastics. The purpose of petroleum free white lithium grease is for applications where you need to lubricate metal on metal that inevitably come into contact with other plastics/rubbers.
I've used both petroleum and petroleum free variants of white lithium grease and they both preform the same way. Very poorly. I knew they would since they're not designed for plastics but the penny-pincher inside me had to do it just to see. I've easily done over 100 controllers with the tube of joystick butter I got a long time ago and still have plenty left. I did the math and it works out to about 20 cents an application. There are tons of cheaper alternatives that work way better than lithium grease but I can't in good conscience recommend them because they all suck :(
@@restore64 Yeah, but the only problem is that you can't get smaller amounts if you only have a few
@@joshm264 I agree. To do one or two controllers it's pretty expensive. I didn't think about it like that. I'd still buy it though. It's worth it to keep your joysticks perfect. It's not like you can go to Walmart and buy a new factory fresh N64 controller anymore :(
Plus, I use it when I restore consoles, controllers, and cartridges in a different way that I'll share once I get around to making restoration videos for those. I just keep putting it off because making new videos is so time consuming.
Great Video! Are you still working on more videos? I'd love to see more N64-Restauration stuff by you. You're doing a great job explaining everything!
I thought I already replied to you but I guess I forgot to click "REPLY". Sorry about that. I planned on putting a lot more out but I've been extremely tied up with life here lately. Hopefully I'll be able to soon. Never thought this video was going to get over 10k views, haha. If you subscribe and click the notifications thing you should be the first to hear about it when I do. I think the next video I'm going to do will be a Game Pak "cartridge" video similar to this one. Exciting stuff! :D
@@restore64 Nice, I'm really looking forward to it! Thanks for the reply! :-)
I’ll definitely be picking up some of that lube. I came across this video today because I recently scored 2 of the funtastic consoles, a jungle green CIB w/ all styrofoam and an ice blue (no box). The green is mint and on eBay for sale, but I’m keeping the blue for myself. Only trouble is the stick was pretty bad (and controller was filthy). I’d say stick was 3/10, maybe 4. After cleaning it out it’s prob a 7.5/10. Huge improvement. Thanks for the info. I’m good with taking stuff apart and cleaning, but had never done anything N64 before and didn’t want to make my 3/10 controller a 0.
There's really something special about finding CIB decades later. These controllers are pretty indestructible. The point of the Joystick Butter is to prevent wear and keep the gears perfectly lubricated. It won't increase your tightness but if you have a really loose stick and it's cleaned properly it may definitely feel more responsive.
Thank you so much for this!!! Appreciate your time and effort in doing this
No problem! I appreciate you taking the time to leave this comment :D
My controllers thumb sticks are loose, bit of a wiggle before moves register. Ordered new ones but could only find GameCube style as I cannae solder.
The GCS joystick is horrible and you'll lose all of your fine movements. If you push the stick more than 15-20% out the movement will jump out to 90%+ even though the stick isn't that far out. It makes every game a nightmare. Kart, Super Mario, 007 etc.
@@restore64 as long as I can play again I'm not too bothered, not ideal I know but not like I can get new Nintendo parts as production stopped about 20 years ago. I'll try fix the original but not entirely confident I'll do ok.
My stick still loose 😢
This procedure will prevent it from becoming looser.
Thank's man i have found so much dirt in my controller...nice tutorial.
No, thank you for the comment!
Such a soothing video watching the stick get cleaned and putting it all back together.
is this an OG stick or reproduction one?
If it ain't OG it goes in the trash where it belongs ;)
Good
The best video on youtube
I thought so too until I saw this guy doing cradle on agent in 33 seconds: ua-cam.com/video/EC5npW1rQdU/v-deo.html
Amazing! I have the Goldeneye controller but the joystick is fucked 😢 everything else is fine including the console and game which I just fired up. Still works, got it when the game was first released and shit all my saves are still on the cartridge ❤😢 My new project is to fix that controller. Thanks for the video
No, thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. And wait... you have a what?! A Goldeneye controller? I've never heard of that. You mean just a regular gold colored controller?
*For every time he says "isopropyl alcohol", take a shot*
_of isopropyl alcohol_
Sounds like a good time :)
@@restore64 I do appreciate the video. It is very in-depth and thorough. I can't wait to try this on my childhood N64's controllers now that I have an Everdrive 64. Thank you for making this video!
Do u needa add that stuff u added becuase I don’t have it so I just used toothbrush that’s it...
If you don't it'll just continue to get worse.
Thanks!! I just fixed my old controller
Glad I could help!
Great video! Is this permanent? If not how often do you reapply?
Nothing is permanent but the Joystick Butter lasts forever it seems. I only play mine once or twice a week and it's been fine since I made this video almost 3 years ago. It's really nice stuff. If you played heavily maybe you could reapply it once a year if you wanted to but I don't think even that is necessary. When I get some time I'm going to re-open my joystick just to check the condition but 3 years later and it still feels like the day I applied it.
@@restore64 do you need joystick butter?
I'm your 500th sub 🙂
THANKS!
I can’t open the screw to the joystick. I’m twisting in the right direction but I’m not entirely sure if I’m doing it right or if I’m just not strong enough
Oh no! If you're twisting counter-clockwise "to the left" and it's not coming out it may be stripped. If it is you'll have to use a thin trim tool, inserted in between the two parts of the housing, to apply pressure on the housing while unscrewing to get it open.
@@restore64nvm, I found a screwdriver that was both small enough to fit around it? And has magnetic ability so I managed to get it out. It works with most of my stripped screws too because of the magneticness
Really thorough! Thanks for this video!
Seems this wasn't that worn down, I've just bought one and it was very loose, you could wiggle it almost 50% left to right without it actually doing anything.
GREAT video, you've helped out tremendously in 2020! :)
Damn he used his kids tooth brush 😂😂😂
Yeah I don't know why I kept calling it the kid's toothbrush over and over again. It is a "kid's toothbrush" and that's what I call it but when I play the video back it sounds like I'm saying I'm using my kid's actual toothbrush but I'm not, I promise, haha. They just work really well because it's nothing but a short bit of bristle. No rubber things or extra stuff in the way. Next time you go to the dentist if you already have a toothbrush ask for a kid's one, they're pretty nice :D
really nice tip about getting the clips off. thanks dude
No problem! Glad it helped :)
Making life easy for us. Thanks!!
Did replacement with the kit bensch parts and the stick gets stuck
That's because Kitsch Bent makes poor quality parts. I go over this at 16:39
Hey man, your video rocks! I am doing restoration of my old consoles and now it's time for the N64. The only thing I ask if is there anything to replace the butter? Is it lubricant or glue? I don't think I can find it here in mx. Thank you man!
It's a lubricant. Please don't put glue in your joystick :(
@@restore64 thanks!!!!
so I can do this clean/repair even if its very worn down, I see in some other videos that its created almost a powder like mass from the grinding of the plastics against eachother, at that point, isnt it ruined?
They are ruined at that point. You're correct. If they aren't extremely bad this will prevent them getting worse
Very detailed video and thanks for that Joy stick butter info, i wasn't sure what type of grease or lubricant i would have used to properly maintain my n64 in good condition but, now i know :D ,also how long has your current Joystick butter lasted? is this your second or third?
I saw your earlier comment and to reply to that it's called "isopropyl". I put it in the video description. It's very strong stuff so protect your skin and make sure you don't use it on any visible surfaces on the controller because it can burn the plastic if you use too much. I've used tons of different stuff but the Joystick Butter is the superior option. Once you use it you'll understand why. If you have a tight stick and want to keep it that way you need to properly lubricate it since they don't come properly lubricated from the factory. It's been 2 years since I applied it to my daily driver and it feels as good as the day I applied it. I've restored over 100+ controllers and I'm still on the same tube. It has been awhile but I believe mine came with 3.5-4ml. For the average person one tube will last you a lifetime. With the precision tip it allows you to apply only what you actually need so if you're just using it for one controller you won't even see the plunger go down.
@@restore64Is this joystick butter similar to white lithium grease?
Thanks a Lot. It was helpful, i'm watching from México.
And that's how to make an atomic precision surgery
Very nice video
Thanks alott
😘😘
No, thank you for the kind comment. It really means a lot.
Thanks, man! This did the trick! 😊
Brilliant video, very informative and clear step by step guide, brilliant, thank you! 👍
No, thank you for taking the time to leave this awesome comment and even more so thank you for showing your controller some love
@@restore64 😊👍
Great video I know it's old but it helps one question what if I don't have joystick butter any alternatives thank you.
Thanks! The joystick internals are comprised of two different non compatible plastics. This lubricant is specially designed for it. I tried about 15 different things before I bit the bullet and paid for it because I'm cheap but it's worth it's weight in gold. I can't, in good faith, recommend anything else.
@@restore64 Thanks good to know
What about using silicon based plastic lubricants? I use them for my 80s and 90s mech kb switches. I'm mostly interested maintaining the original analogs as well since it seems all the replacement options aren't as good as the original.
I've used them all. They all "seem" to work since they're all technically lubricants but they don't do exactly what you want them to. Some get sticky, some dry, some are too thin, or too thick, some dry into a dusty like abrasive that makes things even worse, and a hundred other nightmare scenarios. White lithium grease was by far the worst thing I tried. Putting actual butter in your joystick would probably work better than half the stuff people recommend in online forums. Joystick butter is expensive for people who just have one or two good controllers they want to keep tight but for me, a controller enthusiast/collector who does a lot of them, it's worth it's weight in gold. There's literally nothing like it.
I swear the mario party rowing mini game is a joystick killer
They say Nintendo intentionally designed the game that way so they could sell more controllers
@@RetroPlus we broke like 3 of them.
To this day I feel the n64 joystick is the most sensitive and accurate analog stick. More than ps3/ps4 and xbox360/one try playing perfect dark on n64 and then switch to the remaster. Aiming is so much harder on a 360 controller
Hey man great video I'm definitely gonna fix all my controllers I have like 5 original ones that need some TLC. Plus three others that still work like new. Wow ok so can I just use some Coco butter sticks to lub it once I take it apart? Where can I buy joystick butter ? Or something similar you can recommend where it's easy to find. Thanks
Thanks! They're gettin' old so they all need a little TLC sooner or later :) You can get the Joystick Butter here www.etsy.com/shop/goodgameco - I wouldn't use any type of natural lubricant from a plant/fruit on plastic.
Bookmarked this video~! Thank you!
Hey when would you reapply the joy stick butter on the joystick after when you first put it on
I haven't had to reapply it once since I've put it on my main playing controller. It's made out of something fancy that coats the gears and when you move the stick around it just keeps reapplying it. It's wild.
What happens if we don’t have kids. Do I use my own toothbrush? 😂
LOL. They're only $1 at Walmart. Next time you go to the dentist ask them for some. They'll usually give you some ;)
@@restore64 lol awesome video man super detailed.
What's wrong with the kitsch-bent parts? I've restored some very loose sticks with the gears/bowls before. Of course, I'd keep original parts if the sticks where still tight.
Well they're not as bad as the company name "Kitsch-Bent" but they're far from perfect. Even if you meticulously remove all of the flashing they're just not good. If you take a joystick refurbished with KB parts and compare it to a factory fresh N64 joystick you'll know what I mean. The KB example will feel very rough and gritty.
That's fair enough. But it's turned my unusable sticks (as in the stick would flail around if you shook it) to usable, and they're dirt cheap. I might do an epoxy style refurbish with my OEM parts one day, but for now they're worn out beyond recognition.
By the way, have you had the opportunity to try the steel sticks bowl?
For a cheap fix you can't beat it. But I wouldn't do it. It'd suck the enjoyment right out of the game for me. Look into using heat to fix the gears. Epoxy is a lot of work. Steel sticks is too rich for my blood. He goes through great lengths to produce those extremely high quality parts but without getting into it I feel like it solves one problem and creates another. Regardless, if Steel Sticks wasn't so expensive I'd still buy one.
Dude like how? I don't want to go cheap and unreliable with the tape, so how?
Does cleaning and lubricating fix the looseness and floppiness of the stick?
No, lubricating doesn't add volume back to the worn gears. Sometimes simply cleaning/rebuilding will make the stick feel better and retain whatever tightness is still left.
Is there a difference beteen this "joystick butter" and a normal grease? Because it is really expensiv
Short answer is yes.
What's the best thing to do if the joystick is a bit loose/worn out?