Clean bearings are going to roll smoother, roll faster, and will last much longer than dirty bearings. Dirt and grime foul the bearings and can cause pitting which make rotation uneven and rough. The following paragraphs have instructions for cleaning bearings with removable shields. If you do not have removable shields, then skip the following instructions. Cleaning and lubricating your bearings often will make them last a long time. Also try to avoid getting your bearings wet or sandy, as both of those are particularly bad for bearings.
The tools that you are going to need for this process include a straight pin, a small bowl or a metal pan, a bearing cleaning product, a small brush for cleaning such as a soft or a medium toothbrush, paper towels and clean towels or shop rags.
When dealing with removable shields you are going to want to insert the very tin of the straight pin into the C-rings end, which is responsible for keeping the shield in place on the body of the bearing. You should just gently pry away the C ring toward the middle of the bearing and work the pin around the circle. Now you can remove the shield as slowly as you can, making sure that you are not causing damage.
Now place the bearing in a container and flush it with the cleaner to get rid of contaminates. Citrus based cleaners work particularly well for this purpose. Use the toothbrush to remove grime and dirt. If the bearings happen to be particularly dirty, then this step may need to be repeated. Make sure that the solvent is changed with every rinse.
Once the bearing has been cleaned, make sure that it is patted dry gently using a towel that is clean and free of lint. Place the bearings on a paper towel and give them time to air dry. Now make sure that all of the water has had a chance to evaporate away before you move on to the next step in the process.
Once the bearing is completely dry you can add between one and two drops of a high quality lubricant to the bearing’s inside. A little bit of lubricant can really go a long way. Now you should rotate the bearing in such a way that the lubricant is worked into all of the moving parts, and make sure that all of the balls have been completely and properly covered in the lubricating agent for the best results.
Now replace the shield, placing it on the bearing and allowing the C ring to slip back into the groove that is just next to the shield. Now you can work the C-ring’s remaining length gently and slowly along that fitted groove until it has completely and fully snapped back into place. Now you can put your brand new clean bearings right back on your skates. Make sure that you spin them a bit to make sure that the lubricating agent is distributed evenly and to ensure that all of the wheels are spinning as smoothly as possible.
Photo Credits: joelogon
Originally posted 2009-11-23 03:30:32. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Related Posts -
ABEC ratings: Is higher really better? Pt. 1 In the worlds of inline and board skating, you will find many areas of much debate. However, one of the most contested areas you will encounter is that of skate bearings. German? Swiss? Ceramic? Stainless Steel? ABEC rating? So many choices, and so many opinions on what is better and...... -
Skateboarding Tricks There are a wide variety of different skateboarding tricks that you can try to perform out there. They range significantly in terms of level of difficulty. There are a wide variety of different tricks that you can learn, depending on what your own skateboarding skills are and what types of...... -
Learning to Skate Faster One question that hockey players and performance skaters often find themselves asking is how they can possibly learn how to skate faster or otherwise improve their performance on the ice. Regardless of how good a particular hockey player is, they are constantly going to try to improve their capabilities on...... -
Roller Skating Mechanics One of the most popular questions that is asked by people learning how to roller skate has to do with the mechanics involved in roller skating. Many brand new roller skaters find themselves wondering how they can achieve acceleration in a forward motion while they are skating on a surface...... -
Common Braking Mistakes pt 2 There are a number of common mistakes in braking when it comes to skating. Here is a look at some of those common braking mistakes, and even more importantly, what it is that you can do in order to eliminate them simply by improving your form and your ability on......
Related Websites -
Simple Air Conditioning Cleaning Keeping your air conditioner clean is the best way to make sure it runs at its maximum capacity. Air conditioning cleaning will vary depending on the type of air conditioner you use, but all of them are relatively simple as long as you have basic tools and can follow directions...... -
Waxing and Repairing a Snowboard Once you have achieved what we mentioned in the last blog about removing the wax from your snowboard, you can wet the sandpaper using a little bit of water, and then use a light amount of pressure in order to sand the entire base of the board. You should take...... -
Boat Trailering Tips Whether you've just bought your first boat, or you are looking for ways to make it easier to transport your boat to and from the lake, there are a couple of things that you need to know. Boat trailering looks very easy, but there are actually quite a few things...... -
How to Handle Sand Traps Even the best golfers can end up at the bottom of a sand trap every once in awhile and it pays to know how to get out of one. This is probably one of the most frustrating hazards you can run into while you’re golfing, but there are some tips...... -
Collecting Antique Teddy Bears Are you wondering why you might want to go into collecting antique teddy bears? It really is a matter of taste when it comes to collecting antique teddy bears. It is quite possible for you to collect these bears on a wide variety of different levels. You can collect all......