Cleaning Bearings

Tookie · Cleaning Bearings

Ah dirt, how lovely it is under my toes, and dastardly in my bearings.

How does everyone go about cleaning their bearings? Do you using a system that you buy? Or do you just pop off a shield and clean'em yourself?

Would love to hear from the guys that put miles on their boards since I'm a relative newcomer.

edp_swakakin

If I could add to this question as well:

Can rusted bearing be fixed\cleaned too?

James you know what I'm talking about......Rusted solid but I don't have the heart to chunk-em.

stocago

I just use the Bones system with acetone and 91% alcohol rinse, mainly because that's what I have. I'll get mineral spirits and 99% next, if I can find it.

My bearings seem to stay clean for only a couple of weeks.

Parson Adams

I use a small sherbet tub and alcohol. I found that a white lithium teflon lube works best in Texas with the added heat from the roads and day. It's a pain to clean sometimes, but my bearings are usually pretty lubed and clean for about 100-150 miles.

pavedwave

I toss mine in a small jar of Simple Green, screw on the lid, and shake it like a crazy bartender, and sometimes let it soak overnight. Usually that knocks out most of the crunchies that have built up inside -- even on the worst, rusted up bearings you're talking about Eric. We get that a LOT up here. Then after draining them and soaking as much up with an old towel, pop them back in and a couple drops of speed cream or silicone lube.

I used to use the mineral spirits and alcohol, which work fine, but I kind of like the idea of good old soap.

racer128

I use a jewelry sonicator that I also use for bike parts! Pour in some concentrated Simple Green and some water and start it up!

Rob Thomson · Electrical Contact Cleaner

Non-residue electrical contact cleaner is a favourite for me.

Pros:
- Comes in a high-pressure spray can that forces dirt and grime out of the bearings
- Super crazy solvent that dries almost instantly with no residue.
- Cleans bearings very quickly.

Cons:
- Super crazy solvent! You need to use it with plenty of ventilation. Perferrably outside.
- It is messy. You'll need to lay a few paper towels or cotton rags on your working surface, and if you have sensitive skin, use rubber gloves.

I love the fact that there is no waiting time with this stuff. You spray the bearings clean, and once they are all clean, you can proceed straight away with re-lubing and re-installing your shields.

By the way, I when I'm on the road (skateboard touring), I prefer to use industial or cycle grease on my bearings. It is slower, but reduces maintenance - it won't wash out as easily as thinner lubricants.

Rob

jat.

Put them in a glass and spray a good dose of WD40 on them. This worked surprisingly well for bearings with non detachable shields. A set of cheap no-name bearings with non detachable shields I own wouldn't spin at all, but after a couple of hours in WD40 they worked. And these were from years ago when I used to roller blade. What sucked was that those bearings didn't fit my trucks. :p

Hanael

o_0

no.
nononononono.

no WD 40 on your bearings.

Barry

How Do All Wink

Read this for bearing cleaning and how to make a bearing cleaner, if you have normal bearings (not biltins) read the bottom of the page.

http://www.silverfishlongboarding...%3A__the_%241.25_Bearing_Cleaner/

I hope this helps,
Take care,
Barry Wink

pavedwave

Caught this on the Fish, they're getting pretty decent reviews.

$75 for 100 bearings is a sweet deal.

http://www.vxb.com/page/bearings/PROD/SB/kit7235

northcoast

bump
first off, don't use a nalgene bottle to clean bearings in...it = bad

second off, i've got some rock'n'rons skyrockets...whenever i put the shields back on after cleaning, they don't spin freely in my hand...reds, toy machines, speedys, and every other bearing i've tried do spin freely in hand...i know the rons have the labyrinth shield; is there something i'm not doing with that?

i'm confused Sad

jat.

I have no experience with labyrinths, but whenever I've cleaned a set of bearings I try to flatten the shields as much as I can before I insert them. It sometimes takes several attempts before I get them inserted without the shields causing friction thus ''bad rollage''. Razz

Now if you excuse me, I have this friend, a bennett kingpin who has been longing to meet the very prince charming, Mr Hammer.

bluebugbuster

I'm a glass jar kind of guy myself. I use a can of high test engine degreaser, and a mason jar with a hole in the lid big enough for the spray can red tube nozzle gadget. I spray the ever loving hell out of them and let them soak in that caustic goodness over night.

After that, I blow them dry with a can of compressed air or better yet, the loctite brand aerosol electrical contact cleaner. I also wash out the mason jar.

Then, I let the bearings soak in a bath of synthetic low weight oil. Mobil 1 has some stuff in an aerosol can, kinda like WD-40, and that stuff is pretty awesome. I've also used AMSOIL 0W-30 synthetic snomobile oil. All very awesome stuff.

I fish them out of the mason jar with a piece of wire, and let them drip dry. I assemble them with a drop or two of bones speed cream.

Modern engine oil and all its additives are awesome for high speed, long duration, spinning bearings.

Cleaning Bearings

Electrical Contact Cleaner