How do I clean my bearings?

[alex 0]

Hi guys, How do I clean my bearings on my wheels? Also, how do i tell if my bearings are good enough to need cleaning. I.E. is it worth it to clean my bearings that came with my mission d3's or should i just invest in a real set of bearings (ie. bone swiss, bsb, etc.)

[kovalchuk71 212]

id just buy new bearings. the ones on the mission D-3's cant be cleaned (my bro has d-3)

[alex 0]

oh ok

i have other bearings too but i'm wondierng what to use to clean them and how to do that. i've never cleaned bearings before but rather just bought another new cheap set off ebay.

[kovalchuk71 212]

here ya go:

http://www.epuck.com/webapp/wcs/stores/ser...ve_bearings.htm

[alex 0]

great..thanks so much

is it really worth it to clean my 20$ abec 7 bearings?

or should i invest in a good set? i've never had good bearings before so i'm just wondeirng if it really is worth the investment. how long do they last?

any suggestions/preference on which brand and such?

thanks

[MDE3 0]

Do they spin free for 20 - 30 seconds? Do they have rough spots when you spin them or make noise? If not..they are probably fine.

[slapper_snipper_73 0]

use a dry rag to clean em, or else go and purchase some cleaner

[alex 0]

so would u guys reccomend that i keep these cheap bearings and clean them or go out an invest in a good set?

thanks

[kovalchuk71 212]

ive used orange clean.... its cheap and it works :)

[MDE3 0]

Again..when you tighten the bolts down hard, do the bearings spin freely? Do they nake a ratchety noice? Are they "rough"?

If not then just use them..if they are rough, then the e-puck description is as good as it gets, but a bit more time consuming than some other procedures.

I used to just remove one shield and leave it off, but leave the "cage" in place(steel or brass assembly which holds the bearing balls spaced evenly)..on the inside of the bearings. Then use any of the solvents decribed, or even plain old WD-40 which is usually handy and cuts the lube/rust /dirt just fine. I have an air pump, and after spraying the WD-40 into the exposed bearing/cage assembly, I would take an air needle for filling sports balls, and cut the end off where the hole(s) are. This would make a nice "jet" with which to then blow out the grit and the cleaning agent. I would just repeat the process until the bearing spun totally free at high speed from the force of the air. Add the new lube, and put them back in.

We changed wheels a lot due to playing on different surfaces, so it was not unusual for us to remove the bearings frequently..about every third time I removed the bearings I would clean and lube them. Thus leaving the one shield off was no big deal.

[Jordan6969 0]

Its so time consuming to clean bearings, so i just get new ones

[kovalchuk71 212]

Then use any of the solvents decribed, or even plain old WD-40 which is usually handy and cuts the lube/rust /dirt just

Rule of thumb for roller: NEVER USE WD-40. it has something in it that gums up and ruins your bearing in otherways. Go and spend 10.00 and get speed lube. i have it and it works great and will last you forever. i got mine a year ago and i still have half the can (thats because i used a ton of the spray trying to use it as cleaner which didnt clean that well) ;)

heres the spray:

http://www.skatemall.com/738.htm

heres 1 of the cleaners ppl are talking about:

http://www.epuck.com/webapp/wcs/stores/ser...ategory_rn=4922

[MDE3 0]

Used WD-40 for years..but not to lube the skate...to clean out the old lube. As long as you do it the way I described it is not a problem..you are "blowing out" 99.9% of the WD-40

[kovalchuk71 212]

ok sorry, i thought u were lubeing them with it. dont do that lol :D

[alex 0]

what does the wd40 do? does it cut the old lube out?

i picked up the wash and lube from inlinewarehouse...

http://www.inlinewarehouse.com/descpage.html?pcode=SONOIL

http://www.inlinewarehouse.com/descpage.html?pcode=STW

are they any good?

thanks