Cleaning bearings tips

[Nth syd bear]

I tried the search function first so there

A buddy needs a set of bearings I got a set of cheapshots laying around and a set
Of mini trash logos both used are these type of cheap bearings worth doing
The speed cream thing to??
I got a bottle of that shit in the tool kit..

Any pointers if I do go ahead I haven’t cleaned bearings in years

[CHONGO]

salt water really cleaned mine up nice last week.

[Octobre Rouge.]

wash them in acetone, dry them and put two drop of speed cream per bearing

[Nth syd bear]

It’s a stupid thread I know but I was asking is

Are the cheap bearings like cheapshots n reds worth doing the whole speed cream
Or just chuck em.. it was an honest question. Acetone u say I’ve got some of that

[LegitDude]

There's nothing wrong with reds. They may be relatively inexpensive but they're not low qualty

[Roisto]

I have a set of Reds I've cleaned maybe 10 times now. They're several years old and still going strong. I find it incredibly dumb to throw things away if they can be easily fixed (or in this case cleaned). I got the Bones bearing cleaner set a few years back cuz it greatly speeds up the cleaning process IMO and you get some force to it shaking the jar to get the dirt out more properly. After cleaning with acetone I rinse mine with water to get every last bit of debris out and then dry them instantly with a hair dryer. Then lube with your choice of lube and pop the shields back on and you're set.

Cleaning the shields and popping them out and back in is the most hassle. They can bend quite easily and shouldn't be cleaned with acetone so the rubber won't get fucked. Depending on the lube you've used, they might be a bitch to clean but I've always managed, lately with a citrus based degreaser, rinsing with water and drying instantly with a hair dryer.

[Nth syd bear]

I have a set of Reds I've cleaned maybe 10 times now. They're several years old and still going strong. I find it incredibly dumb to throw things away if they can be easily fixed (or in this case cleaned). I got the Bones bearing cleaner set a few years back cuz it greatly speeds up the cleaning process IMO and you get some force to it shaking the jar to get the dirt out more properly. After cleaning with acetone I rinse mine with water to get every last bit of debris out and then dry them instantly with a hair dryer. Then lube with your choice of lube and pop the shields back on and you're set.

Cleaning the shields and popping them out and back in is the most hassle. They can bend quite easily and shouldn't be cleaned with acetone so the rubber won't get fucked. Depending on the lube you've used, they might be a bitch to clean but I've always managed, lately with a citrus based degreaser, rinsing with water and drying instantly with a hair dryer.

thank you .. all I was asking for..
I don’t have a hair dryer but I’m sore I’ll work it out...

[Roisto]

Better to leave the rinsing with water out then as you don't want to have any water in your bearings for more than a while to avoid rusting. Not sure how big of an effect getting all the last remaining loose particles out with water really even has.

[the snake]

wash them in acetone, dry them and put two drop of speed cream per bearing

/end thread

[j....soy.....]

You can use that canned air stuff to get them to dry quickly...

[Nth syd bear]

This girl I know well lives around the cnr I’ll hit up for a hair dryer in the morning

Funny shit she txted me this morning asked me what I was doing I said
“Going to Oxford st to get lube” if ur Aussie u know Oxford st is the gay Mecca of Australia
Also happens to be where my closest sk8 shop is...

Ask GAY

[Beeker]

If you are lazy just run your bearings shield-less and use Tri-Flow every couple weeks. Use the straw and don't even take the wheels off the board. It's not the greatest lube cause it doesn't last that long, but it also cleans. It seems like it just pushes the dirt to the edges so they will still look like shit, but I swear it works. Also works amazingly well for seized bearings from skating in the rain.

[SneakySecrets]

Everyone pretty much covered it, but one small thing is don’t be like me and think “well if 2 drops of lube is good, 3 is better.” 

The excess runs out of the bearings and acts like a grime magnet.  Live and learn I guess 

[anon]

Everyone pretty much covered it, but one small thing is don’t be like me and think “well if 2 drops of lube is good, 3 is better.” 

The excess runs out of the bearings and acts like a grime magnet.  Live and learn I guess 

can anyone confirm that the dirt the lube attracts acts as an extra barrier? it seems to make sense that the clumped together dirt will prevent smaller specks from going in

[LegitDude]

Expand Quote

Everyone pretty much covered it, but one small thing is don’t be like me and think “well if 2 drops of lube is good, 3 is better.” 

The excess runs out of the bearings and acts like a grime magnet.  Live and learn I guess 

[close]

can anyone confirm that the dirt the lube attracts acts as an extra barrier? it seems to make sense that the clumped together dirt will prevent smaller specks from going in

Can confirm. Protect your bearings from dirt by completely covering them with dirt as to not let dirt in

[nosneb]

Fight fire with fire

[MetaldudeX]

Maybe by the one I get to cleaning bearings, it’s too late. But I just feel bearings are never the same after relubing them.

I get what one guy said about not throwing away good stuff but it’s hard not to when your $10 Bearings can last a few months at a time. 

[Carter]

bones makes a bearing cleaner kit. i use acetone. been riding the same swiss ceramics for 7 years. i think it may be like 10-12 bucks for a cheap looking plastic jar but its worth it.

[Carter]

[Ziad]

I have a set of Cheapshots they're pretty good, never cleaned them but I usually use Acetone when I clean bearings which is rarely done haha I only used to clean and lube my Bones Swiss.

[SneakySecrets]

Am I crazy or do other people find bones Swiss to not be worth the extra cash?  I’ve got a set and they basically perform exactly the same as my normal go-to’s: reds or modus blues.

[anon]

Am I crazy or do other people find bones Swiss to not be worth the extra cash?  I’ve got a set and they basically perform exactly the same as my normal go-to’s: reds or modus blues.

i got a set of hand-me-downs that were pretty good. the current set of swiss 6s that i have aren't doing so well for some reason

[Carter]

buy the ceramics and take care of them...will last you forever. worth the money for sure

[FrenchFriedClownFingers]

remove shields
soak in a pill bottle full of 90% rubbing alcohol
blow out bearings with an air compressor or a can of compressed air
add a couple drops of rem oil and ride like a creamy dream

[Dima]

buy the ceramics and take care of them...will last you forever. worth the money for sure

My Swiss ceramics literally crumbled in to pieces and kept getting stuck no matter how ofthen I cleaned and lubed them and did not even get anything back from Bones for this but the reds are still the best for the price.

[Joe Davola]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Everyone pretty much covered it, but one small thing is don’t be like me and think “well if 2 drops of lube is good, 3 is better.” 

The excess runs out of the bearings and acts like a grime magnet.  Live and learn I guess 

[close]

can anyone confirm that the dirt the lube attracts acts as an extra barrier? it seems to make sense that the clumped together dirt will prevent smaller specks from going in

[close]

Can confirm. Protect your bearings from dirt by completely covering them with dirt as to not let dirt in

I did my first ever bearing cleaning a few weeks ago. ~8 month old Swiss.
Popped of the shields, acetone shake/wash, three drops of speed cream (same logic), replaced shields.
Just like new. Unbelievable. Wish I would have started cleaning my bearing ages ago.
They suddenly became total shit last weekend. Like horribly bad. Cleaned them again yesterday and my god everything was filthy. Shields, washers, you name it. Don’t recall riding through anything out of the ordinary.
Used two drop of speed cream to see if that helps.
May report back.

[TwisT]

I clean mine with a cloth, the put them in a jar/bottle of acetone give them a good shake. After that I let them air dry.

I've tried various brands of lube/cream and I swear that it's not as effective as just letting them dry and sticking them back in. So no lube for me.

[manysnakes]

wash them in acetone, dry them and put two drop of speed cream per bearing

This is the way to do it.

I should add that Acetone will break down certain plastics, so I recommend pouring it into an old glass jar.

[sketchyrider]

I clean mine with a cloth, the put them in a jar/bottle of acetone give them a good shake. After that I let them air dry.

I've tried various brands of lube/cream and I swear that it's not as effective as just letting them dry and sticking them back in. So no lube for me.

for what its worth, all bearings will roll slower with lubricant, no matter how fancy. but without lubricant, you run the risk of heating up your bearings and having them seize/puke.

[manysnakes]

You should absolutely, definitely, 100% certainly lubricate your bearing. The sound and feel when you "free spin" your bearings has no real-world relation to how the bearings skate under load. I understand that a lot of people like the feel and sound of dry bearings (I do), and that's fine, but understand that they are *not* spinning faster when you're on your skateboard and that they are wearing out much quicker. The only exceptions are when you initially lubricate your bearings and they oil hasn't broken in, or if you have over-lubricated them (usually the same thing as initially lubricating them, since my experience is that most people tend to over-apply lubricants to things like bearings and chains).

There are a lot of great explainers on this aimed at skaters. This one came up in a quick Googling

https://fireballsupply.co/blogs/news/the-biggest-lie-in-skateboarding-why-hand-spin-bearing-speed