Bearing sheilds and retainers..

[triumphrick]

Man...I really have had a tough time removing these...

I must have four or five fish hooks...I gravitated to using jig heads and straightening out the hook to give me a little more to hang on to as I was manipulating the tip of the hook under the tip of the retainer.

Most times I found myself just chasing it around...or on many bearings it would not get under the retainer no matter how sharp I had the hook filed. I flattened many hooks and sharpened them, still the same old issue.

While struggling one day, I looked around for another hook...and there was a box cutter. The cheap-o kind that was no more than 1/4" wide..with snap off blades. I grabbed it up, poked it in along side of the tip of the retainer and it slid right under it like it was made to do that!

I have never looked back. I am amazed at how quickly I can pop these retainers off....and as the tip wears a little, I break it and use the next new edge....

For anyone else that has a hard time like I was, give this a try........

[Bryan Young]

Thanks for the recommendation. For me, I have never had much luck with box cutters, but it is probably me (how to hold, application angle,...).

[alantani]

gotta try that.  sometimes the fish hooks just don't want to work. 

[triumphrick]

One more thing I did not mention.....

My technique to remove the retainer has changed somewhat. I now pinch down on one side of the retainer with my thumb and using the tip of the tool about a quarter-inch from the other end, and in between the retainer and body, I rotate it counter-clockwise. It almost always pinches the retainer inward and pops out...

Just finished a batch of Penn Internationals and I wanted covers on the spool bearings.....this trick made quick work of all of them.

With the fishing hook, I felt lucky to get just one side and have tried cleaning bearings that way...but have always found them to not be properly flushed of old grease.

For smaller bearings I use Alan's bearing packing tool...but these are pretty substantial...and don't fit!