How to clean roller bearings

[Souldriver 64]

For you guys with rubber shielded bearings such as the bones this is THE guide for you. Just ignore the skateboard assembly parts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doh6kMgdyPM

it took my bones a long time to slow down and make that dirty grinding noise but once they did i stopped using them so they wouldnt get damaged or seize and cleaned them as per the video.

the hardest part was getting the balls lined up to fit back into the retainer cage after the cleaning, as for some reason the balls didnt want to roll easy on some of the bearings. after they were reassembled they were fine. I used the acetone as well, worked very well, yellow tinged ball bearings came out with their silvery mirror finish restored. I know sonic sells a citrus cleaner but some say that citrus cleaners can leave a residue on the bearings plus acetone is cheaper and more readily available. you can use pure or denatured alcohol as well.

you dont need to shake it that hard, do note that part in the video is sped up for time so it looks a bit more vicious. also my acetone didnt seem to be dirty but there was dirt on the bottom of the bottle that came out and it had a slight cloud to it.

One step i added was after the bearings were done i put in the retainers by themselves, they had just as much dirt on them as the bearings. but for the shields just wipe them down or use soap and water if theyre real bad. DO NOT put them in the acetone or most other solutions, as the rubber will bubble after time and they are as good as gone after that happens.

after putting the cages back in and before i put on the shield i put in 2 drops of bones speed cream per bearing and spun it, they went back to being silent and were soo smooth. 2 drops is more than enough and i did have to wipe off a little bit of the extra that came out so it wouldnt attract dirt itself. but wait, they didnt spin as long!! I looked it up and this is normal, the lubricant needs to break in a little bit with use plus an unlubed bearing will tear at itself rust over and seize over time. and it will seize while youre using it. no one needs a faceplant.

Hope this helps you guys. It did with me.