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Skateboard/longboard bearing help

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dodgey
Posts: 590 - Karma: 266
hey does anyone know the best way to clean out bearings?  i've always just taken 'em out of the wheels and wiped the outsides clean with a paper towel but i feel like there may be a better way


Oct 16 2009 4:20PM
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Noddard
Posts: 2652 - Karma: 3,831
i run a little wd-40 through them and spin them, and you can take the side plates off too to get the dirt out.
Oct 16 2009 4:24PM
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connory998
Posts: 1197 - Karma: 34
http://www.silverfishlongboarding.com/forum/longboard-skateboarding-wheels-bearings/16564-how-clean-maintain-your-bearings.html
Oct 16 2009 4:30PM
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I_Am_Mod
Posts: 13214 - Karma: 3,753
i just blow my bearings out with a compressor, a bit WD40 maybe and then i lubricate with this:

Click for larger image
^^wax based lubricant; it attracts way less dirt and repels water better imho....
Oct 16 2009 5:46PM
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CTD
Posts: 6300 - Karma: 348
all horribly wrong. WD40 needs to stay far away from bearings.

if they are sealed on both sides, you need to remove at least one of the seals. the rubber ones can be lifted with a razor, metal ones have a little C clip that holds them im.

go to the hardware store, and buy a can of acetone. its like 6 bucks. let the bearings soak in a jar of acetone for a day or so, spin them with the open side down. pull them out, and let them dry completly. give each bearing a drop or 2 (more just spins out and makes a mess) and put the seals back in, being careful nut to bend them. they will be WAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY faster.
Oct 16 2009 6:09PM
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CTD
Posts: 6300 - Karma: 348
oh yeah, you can reclaim the acetone by pouring it through a coffee filter. last forever that way.
Oct 16 2009 6:10PM
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spliff.Life
Posts: 7847 - Karma: 1,549
WRONG never use wd-40 it is a degreaser and will ruin your bearings.

the process i use and think works best is to
1. remove bearings
2. place in a yogurt cup with just enough pure unleaded gasoline (from the lawnmower gas) to cover them
3. slosh around for a minute or two
4. remove bearings with screwdriver so dirt stays in cup
5. find a new cup do the same for a second cleaning
6. make sure you spin them all so to make sure nothing is caught in them
7. dry on a rag
8. lubricate thoroughly

my process may not be right but it works great for me and always leaves them going faster then before.



Oct 16 2009 6:23PM
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spliff.Life
Posts: 7847 - Karma: 1,549
sounds a bit like what i do, i used to use paint thinner, now i use gas. but acetone sounds like a great idea
Oct 16 2009 6:25PM
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dodgey
Posts: 590 - Karma: 266
word thanks guys i'm gonna do that over the weekend and hopefully be ridin fast next week!!



++K for all the help
Oct 16 2009 11:42PM
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spliff.Life
Posts: 7847 - Karma: 1,549
definitely a good idea, my friend never lubed his longboard bearings and one day we were bombing 40+ on a 16 mile hill we hit once before that day and his bearings heated melted his wheels, melted the bearing caps, his wheels locked and got thrown about 20 feet because of the sudden stop
Oct 16 2009 11:57PM
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Funnel
Posts: 7815 - Karma: 1,531
Hmmm. I've had my board for like maybe three weeks to a month now and it's my first longboard, so I'll definitely need to learn how to lube my bearings correctly. I've probably put over 15 miles on it so far, maybe even 20+. On average, how often should I lube them? The fastest I've gone is 20-25, but I rarely go that fast because I don't have many big hills right near me, but once I can drive this Summer, I'll be riding a ton in the mountains?
Oct 17 2009 12:01AM
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TGdude
Posts: 290 - Karma: 10
i just buy new ones when they start to suck because theyre so cheap.
Oct 17 2009 12:03AM
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N-Mentz
Posts: 190 - Karma: 10
this. dont use wd-40 ever. and if you want your bearings to last longer you should throw some type of bearing lubricant on after all that.
Oct 17 2009 11:12AM
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Funnel
Posts: 7815 - Karma: 1,531
Definitely stay away from WD-40. I don't know a whole lot about longboards yet, but I do know that you want to stay away from WD-40. It was the same with bike chains- felt great at first, but in the long run it just fucks you over.
Oct 17 2009 11:16AM
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fragglemuffin
Posts: 3312 - Karma: 444
exactly.  WD40 Ruins your bearings.  It removes all the bearing's lube, and makes everything run metal on metal
Oct 17 2009 11:22AM
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[Dawn
Posts: 1718 - Karma: 69
FUCK NO. WD40 EATS AWAY AT YOUR BEARINGS AND RUINS THEM

take some gasoline, and then put it on a bowl
take the guards off your barrings and then put them in the gasoline and let them soak for 24 hours (this is not a joke. gas will take allll of the moisture out and will not eat away at your bearings)
then let them air dry or use an air compressor that you can probably find at your woodshop. then take BONES SPEED CREAM and put 2 drops into each bearing, then spin them, let em sit for a while, then put the gaurds on and they be better than new.

sorry about all the spelling issues
Oct 17 2009 11:34AM
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[Dawn
Posts: 1718 - Karma: 69
yes and bearing lube is a must. get some at your local longboard store or ask your friend to borrow some.
Oct 17 2009 11:38AM
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LMPJibbin
Posts: 1607 - Karma: 17
this......works every time
Oct 17 2009 12:43PM
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I_Am_Mod
Posts: 13214 - Karma: 3,753
Alright, apparently i was wrong, luckily my bearings are still fine, even after using WD 40, (i won't be using that again tough...)

But i can however recommend the white lightning stuff for keeping dirt away...
and for sheer speed i use teflon spray; it lubes em so well i can easily spin my wheels freely for a bit over a minute

(my bearings are half a year old and i do about a mile each day on em....)

Sry for the bad advice about the WD40.... :S

Oct 17 2009 1:31PM
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Dbit
Posts: 385 - Karma: 71
BUY CHEAP BEARINGS black panther abec 3's are all you need. Replace once a season and the rubber guard keeps most of the dirt out. Then you dont have to clean them and stuff
Oct 17 2009 2:30PM
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NickSki.
Posts: 2009 - Karma: 61
http://www.skatewarehouse.com/Bones_Speed_Cream_/descpage-BSSCLU.html
Oct 17 2009 6:56PM
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DAMICO
Posts: 2645 - Karma: 12

Tri-Flow

Oct 17 2009 8:00PM
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CTD
Posts: 6300 - Karma: 348
yeah, but clean fast bearings are 100 times better to skate on that cheap slow ones. Biltins are only like 20-25 bucks, last forever, are crazy fast, and easy as pie to clean. plus you never get bearing bind or have to deal with spacers and washers.
Oct 20 2009 11:49PM
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Dbit
Posts: 385 - Karma: 71
no i mean dont go buy abec 7s when you can get abec 3 that go the same speed. The abec rating has to do with how circular the bearings are, not how fast they spin. Abec 7s are designed for much higher speed applications than DH skating because they are more perfect. Its all about the quality of the company than the abec rating. Save your money, buy black panther abec 3's with the rubber seal and they WILL last
Oct 21 2009 5:42PM
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ChefBoyardee
Posts: 219 - Karma: 11
This. Biltins are the way to go... wayyy better call then buying bearings each season
Oct 21 2009 6:08PM
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SethLangbauer
Posts: 1119 - Karma: 74
how do you guys take the bearings out of your wheels? with a screwdriver? dont screwdrivers dent the bearing sides?
Oct 28 2009 10:06PM
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