how to clean ball bearings

[sinkerswim]

Since stumbling onto this incredable site. Over time, I have started to amass a small arsenal of tools, lubes, degreasers etc. Mostly from what Alan has put together and a couple things from the suggestions by other brilliant contributors. Some are spot on and most, you'll see, will fit your personal needs, preferences.

I doubt I'll ever have all the tools I'll ever need, but I'm getting there as time and budget permits.

I am by no means an expert. Far from it. A beginner at best. I have tackled about thirty reels and all, now, perform like new. Thanks to all the help and tips conveyed on this site.

That being said, I purchased a bearing blaster (google "bearing blaster" for suppliers) from a local hobby shop. And, have found that it does clean the bearings to bare metal, those suckers really spin when they aren't damaged. The carb cleaner blasts out the old oil and grease and a blast of canned air for that final whoosh. Done. No need to remove the shields either! At least in my experiences.

Reelspeed, Aaron, has some cutting edge tools designed and developed in the USA exclusively for reel use. He is a real reel repair guy, toolmaker. And, as the saying goes "necessity is the mother of invention". He has taken it to an art. I just need to dig up the cash to improve my arsenal, via reelspeed. I only wish someone could come up with a better mousetrap to remove bearing shields. I stink at it. Simplifying that task would sure make some folks happy. The smaller the bearing the tougher the removal.

So try the bearing blaster, fast and easy. A little pricey at around 7-8 bucks. But, performs really well. Should last forever though.

Good luck!

Sorry, I'd be remiss if I didn't give Alan his due. He has come up with some pretty nifty tool ideas as well. The bearing packer is pure genius. And, the simplicity of the bearing pullers, WOW! 

[alantani]

yeah, saw these a while back.  thought about it, but decided to go with opening the bearings first if i knew they needed to be thoroughly cleaned.  figured that such a bearing would be installed open anyway. 

[Pro Reel]

We have had a lot of discusions here and also on other sites about the best way to clean bearings. Everyone has there own opinions that range from just soaking to removing shields and spraying or using sonic cleaners. Then we all have our favorite products to clean them with. I must say, that I just don't get the folks that just soak bearings. How can that possibly get the inside of a bearing clean when only a very small amount of fluid would get inside the bearing? If you think about all the things that people clean, how many, if any, actually get anything clean by soaking. You can soak dirty dish's for a week and they will still be dirty. To really clean anything, you have to have a scrubing or agitation action. There has to be a movement of the cleaning solution through or across the item to be cleaned. If the item is a sealed bearing, then think about the design of the inside cage and balls, the fluid has to flow through there to flush anything out, and even then, without agitation or scrubbing, hard deposits will still stay there. Sonic units do a good job with most bearings. You set the bearing in a glass jar of cleaner such as acetone or nahptha and set that in the fluid of the tank. The sonic waves agitate the solution and cause the particles to break up and float out. When the fluid gets dirty, you change it and you keep doing that until the fluid stays clean. If you remove shields from a bearing, and spray a good cleaner through it, that can do a good job also. Lightly spinning the bearing while doing that will roll the cage and balls which helps to remove deposits. I have tried every method that anyone has ever suggested. The best i have found is to open them and spray while turning or to use a sonic tank, but even with both these methods, I still find several bearings that still feel like there is something still there after cleaning. Some feel rough even. Most bearings that I clean these ways will be super smooth and spin very easy, but whats up with those that don't? Are they just ruined? Well, if the cause is rust pits, then yes, they are ruined. but what if a bearing is brand new and feel rough after a complete flush? I have found several that do this, repeated and repeated cleanings will sometimes make them better, but some just never get completly free. I found a way to clean bearings that does everything. This way combines the best of the best methods and unless the bearing is corroded, it will make any bearing spin as good as it possibly can. I call this method, TUNING A BEARING. To tune a bearing you can start with any cleaning method you like. The object here is just to get all the crud off and get it basically pre cleaned. If after your pre cleaning the bearing spins 10 to 15 seconds with a soft flick of your finger, if it's completly smooth as melted butter, and makes no noise at all, then it may not need tuned. If it doesn't do all of that then try this. First you will need to make a tuning dowel. For small bearings, use a section of the sticks that you use for grilling. They already have a pointed end. For bigger bearings, you will need to carve a point on a wood dowel or use the handle of old artists paint brushes. This method works best with a dremmel tool, but will also work with any high speed drill. To use a dremmel, you will need a chuck instead of collets and you will need to carve or sand the end to fit in the dremmel chuck. I have several made up that fit different bearing sizes and also fit in my dremmel. You need to get a small can or jar that you can keep full of cleaner. I use acetone, but nahptha works great also. Put your pointed stick in the dremmel or drill, push a bearing onto the pointed end, wear a rubber glove on one hand and hold the outer ring of the bearing with the gloved hand. submerse the bearing in the cleaning fluid and run the drill at high speed or the dremmel at about 20,000 rpm. Do that for 15 to 30 seconds. The fast spin will creat a venturi action that sucks the acetone through the bearings, The balls and cages are spinning so fast that they are scrubbing themselves completly clean. There is so much fluid flowing through the bearings that everything is completly rinsed out. The bearings don't get damaged at all as the fluid keeps them cool. After you are done, dry the bearings with compressed air and see the difference, You will be amazed.

[redsetta]

That sounds like a great technique - and one I'll definitely use.
Thanks for the insight.
All the best, Justin

[redsetta]

G'day Kevin,
Just thought I'd let you know that I've been using your Dremel/venturi 'Tuning a bearing' technique for a while now and it's an absolute cracker.
Really appreciate you sharing that one.
All the best to the family.
Righto, Justin

[Bryan Young]

Wow, this is the first time I saw your post Kevin.  I will need to try this.

[Pro Reel]

I have now built an assembly line in the garage to manufacture a very nice tool for doing the bearing spinning. It will be available soon. We are using prototypes of the new tool in the shop now and it's nice. I can slide just about any size bearing onto the cone, hold it in place and spin it under solvent. It only takes about 15 to 20 seconds to flush the bearing to bare metal clean. It removes stuff you never knew was still in the bearings. You will be amazed at the layer of microscopic particles that form on the bottom of the solvent jar that you use to do this. I preclean the bearings first in an ultrasonic just to get the grease and old oil out. Even after doing that to a point that I thought they were completely clean, I still see a huge improvement with the vortex spin.

[0119]

I still see a huge improvement with the vortex spin.

So for the do it yourself'er, the RPM bearing blaster would be a wise investment?

[Pro Reel]

I still see a huge improvement with the vortex spin.

So for the do it yourself'er, the RPM bearing blaster would be a wise investment?

I've tried the bearing blaster and although it looks like it should work, it didn't work very good for me. It does move some solvent through the bearing, but not at enough speed to dislodge heavy particles. My method of spinning them while submersed is much better.

[day0ne]

On the subject of cleaners, I have used brake cleaner instead of carb cleaner with good results

[Reel time]

Was wondering if soaking in simple green and a shot of air is enough for bearings and most other parts

[alantani]

usually, no...... 

[thorhammer]

We have had a lot of discusions here and also on other sites about the best way to clean bearings. Everyone has there own opinions that range from just soaking to removing shields and spraying or using sonic cleaners. Then we all have our favorite products to clean them with. I must say, that I just don't get the folks that just soak bearings. How can that possibly get the inside of a bearing clean when only a very small amount of fluid would get inside the bearing? If you think about all the things that people clean, how many, if any, actually get anything clean by soaking. You can soak dirty dish's for a week and they will still be dirty. To really clean anything, you have to have a scrubing or agitation action. There has to be a movement of the cleaning solution through or across the item to be cleaned. If the item is a sealed bearing, then think about the design of the inside cage and balls, the fluid has to flow through there to flush anything out, and even then, without agitation or scrubbing, hard deposits will still stay there. Sonic units do a good job with most bearings. You set the bearing in a glass jar of cleaner such as acetone or nahptha and set that in the fluid of the tank. The sonic waves agitate the solution and cause the particles to break up and float out. When the fluid gets dirty, you change it and you keep doing that until the fluid stays clean. If you remove shields from a bearing, and spray a good cleaner through it, that can do a good job also. Lightly spinning the bearing while doing that will roll the cage and balls which helps to remove deposits. I have tried every method that anyone has ever suggested. The best i have found is to open them and spray while turning or to use a sonic tank, but even with both these methods, I still find several bearings that still feel like there is something still there after cleaning. Some feel rough even. Most bearings that I clean these ways will be super smooth and spin very easy, but whats up with those that don't? Are they just ruined? Well, if the cause is rust pits, then yes, they are ruined. but what if a bearing is brand new and feel rough after a complete flush? I have found several that do this, repeated and repeated cleanings will sometimes make them better, but some just never get completly free. I found a way to clean bearings that does everything. This way combines the best of the best methods and unless the bearing is corroded, it will make any bearing spin as good as it possibly can. I call this method, TUNING A BEARING. To tune a bearing you can start with any cleaning method you like. The object here is just to get all the crud off and get it basically pre cleaned. If after your pre cleaning the bearing spins 10 to 15 seconds with a soft flick of your finger, if it's completly smooth as melted butter, and makes no noise at all, then it may not need tuned. If it doesn't do all of that then try this. First you will need to make a tuning dowel. For small bearings, use a section of the sticks that you use for grilling. They already have a pointed end. For bigger bearings, you will need to carve a point on a wood dowel or use the handle of old artists paint brushes. This method works best with a dremmel tool, but will also work with any high speed drill. To use a dremmel, you will need a chuck instead of collets and you will need to carve or sand the end to fit in the dremmel chuck. I have several made up that fit different bearing sizes and also fit in my dremmel. You need to get a small can or jar that you can keep full of cleaner. I use acetone, but nahptha works great also. Put your pointed stick in the dremmel or drill, push a bearing onto the pointed end, wear a rubber glove on one hand and hold the outer ring of the bearing with the gloved hand. submerse the bearing in the cleaning fluid and run the drill at high speed or the dremmel at about 20,000 rpm. Do that for 15 to 30 seconds. The fast spin will creat a venturi action that sucks the acetone through the bearings, The balls and cages are spinning so fast that they are scrubbing themselves completly clean. There is so much fluid flowing through the bearings that everything is completly rinsed out. The bearings don't get damaged at all as the fluid keeps them cool. After you are done, dry the bearings with compressed air and see the difference, You will be amazed.

[thorhammer]

We have had a lot of discusions here and also on other sites about the best way to clean bearings. Everyone has there own opinions that range from just soaking to removing shields and spraying or using sonic cleaners. Then we all have our favorite products to clean them with. I must say, that I just don't get the folks that just soak bearings. How can that possibly get the inside of a bearing clean when only a very small amount of fluid would get inside the bearing? If you think about all the things that people clean, how many, if any, actually get anything clean by soaking. You can soak dirty dish's for a week and they will still be dirty. To really clean anything, you have to have a scrubing or agitation action. There has to be a movement of the cleaning solution through or across the item to be cleaned. If the item is a sealed bearing, then think about the design of the inside cage and balls, the fluid has to flow through there to flush anything out, and even then, without agitation or scrubbing, hard deposits will still stay there. Sonic units do a good job with most bearings. You set the bearing in a glass jar of cleaner such as acetone or nahptha and set that in the fluid of the tank. The sonic waves agitate the solution and cause the particles to break up and float out. When the fluid gets dirty, you change it and you keep doing that until the fluid stays clean. If you remove shields from a bearing, and spray a good cleaner through it, that can do a good job also. Lightly spinning the bearing while doing that will roll the cage and balls which helps to remove deposits. I have tried every method that anyone has ever suggested. The best i have found is to open them and spray while turning or to use a sonic tank, but even with both these methods, I still find several bearings that still feel like there is something still there after cleaning. Some feel rough even. Most bearings that I clean these ways will be super smooth and spin very easy, but whats up with those that don't? Are they just ruined? Well, if the cause is rust pits, then yes, they are ruined. but what if a bearing is brand new and feel rough after a complete flush? I have found several that do this, repeated and repeated cleanings will sometimes make them better, but some just never get completly free. I found a way to clean bearings that does everything. This way combines the best of the best methods and unless the bearing is corroded, it will make any bearing spin as good as it possibly can. I call this method, TUNING A BEARING. To tune a bearing you can start with any cleaning method you like. The object here is just to get all the crud off and get it basically pre cleaned. If after your pre cleaning the bearing spins 10 to 15 seconds with a soft flick of your finger, if it's completly smooth as melted butter, and makes no noise at all, then it may not need tuned. If it doesn't do all of that then try this. First you will need to make a tuning dowel. For small bearings, use a section of the sticks that you use for grilling. They already have a pointed end. For bigger bearings, you will need to carve a point on a wood dowel or use the handle of old artists paint brushes. This method works best with a dremmel tool, but will also work with any high speed drill. To use a dremmel, you will need a chuck instead of collets and you will need to carve or sand the end to fit in the dremmel chuck. I have several made up that fit different bearing sizes and also fit in my dremmel. You need to get a small can or jar that you can keep full of cleaner. I use acetone, but nahptha works great also. Put your pointed stick in the dremmel or drill, push a bearing onto the pointed end, wear a rubber glove on one hand and hold the outer ring of the bearing with the gloved hand. submerse the bearing in the cleaning fluid and run the drill at high speed or the dremmel at about 20,000 rpm. Do that for 15 to 30 seconds. The fast spin will creat a venturi action that sucks the acetone through the bearings, The balls and cages are spinning so fast that they are scrubbing themselves completly clean. There is so much fluid flowing through the bearings that everything is completly rinsed out. The bearings don't get damaged at all as the fluid keeps them cool. After you are done, dry the bearings with compressed air and see the difference, You will be ama

this sounds like a great way to start a fire with static discharge.  IMO

[handi2]

I get to work on a lot of baitcasting reels along with everything else. When the reel is assembled with new or cleaned original bearings I use the blow gun from my compressor to spin the spool of the reel very fast. After doing this it freespool's much faster than it did after assembly. It obviously moves the excess oil around and out of the bearing leaving just the right amount.

For small bearings try an Owner Mutu Light Circle Hook in the #1 size. The curved point is very sharp and will get those small bearings open with ease. With larger bearings step up to the #2 hook. Ive been using these 2 hooks for years now. If they dont catch the retainer every time its time to use a new hook.

Keith