Cleaning Bearings with Turpentine
Quick Question,
Will using Low Odour Turps (100% LIQUID HYDROCARBONS UN 1993) be an effective cleaning agent when trying to clean my bearings, or do I need to go out and buy some acetone.
Will using Low Odour Turps (100% LIQUID HYDROCARBONS UN 1993) be an effective cleaning agent when trying to clean my bearings, or do I need to go out and buy some acetone.
Tags: Bearings, Clean, Turpentine
Views: 6564
Replies to This Discussion
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Premium MemberPermalink Reply by Alex 'maddog' Shaw on -
Jus tto resurrect this topic. Im looking at cleaning my bearings. I have a wax and grease remover for the rinsing and cleaning of, and then WD40 for the lube, anyone tried this? Also, i was looking at using silicone spray for the lube.....any suggestions?
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Permalink Reply by Ben Wa on
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I don't remember why, but WD40 is a no-no... it is full of non-bearing-friendly stuff.
I use a $4 bottle of Ninja bearing lub. Does the job quite well and lasts forever...
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Premium MemberPermalink Reply by Alex 'maddog' Shaw on -
Ok, thanks guys.......
What about the silicone spray?
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same... if it has anything sticky it will retain crap inside the bearing. Same goes with bike chain lub, not good. I'd use the most simple kind of runny oil based lubricant you have. It's always easy just to add a drop if you think the bearings are a bit dry.
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Premium MemberPermalink Reply by Alex 'maddog' Shaw on -
Ok, looks like i gotta get some skate lube.....haha
Ben Wa said:same... if it has anything sticky it will retain crap inside the bearing. Same goes with motorbike grease, no good. I'd use the more simple kind of runny oil based lubricant you have. It's always easy just to add a drop if you think the bearings are a bit dry.
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Permalink Reply by Jezza on
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WD-40 contains a surficant, is slightly abrasive, so isnt really ideal. Silicone lube seems to attract crap, and hold it forever, and your stuck using it forever. You best bet is a light syntheic oil if you want roll speed, but if you don't mind pushing boat trailer grease is fantastic. Its pretty thick, but keeps all the crap out (including water, it seems to actively repel it).
As for cleaning build yourself one of these
Gatorade bottle, 8mm bolt and some silicone sealant, makes cleaning a lot simpler. Shake and bake
If your cleaning heavy grease or haven't done so in a while, a strong solvent is advisable eg. Acetone, though you have to remove cages etc. depending on the solvent. If you use a lighter oil and clean regularly metho works fine. Metho is the solvent equivalent of water. Doesnt do much in particular, though it can remove some surficants (if you have already used the WD-40, and pen ink (handy tip)). I recently tried Fitzys Morning Fresh method, and it works almost as well as heavy solvents, without the hassle. Used one bottle for the soapy water, shook it up, then swapped to another bottle with metho to rinse.
Alex 'maddog' Shaw said:Jus tto resurrect this topic. Im looking at cleaning my bearings. I have a wax and grease remover for the rinsing and cleaning of, and then WD40 for the lube, anyone tried this? Also, i was looking at using silicone spray for the lube.....any suggestions?
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Permalink Reply by Boris on
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so could i use a detergant for cleaning and meths for the final rinse on my ceramic bearings??? also how do i dry them, can i leave them over night or do i need to blow dry them?
thanks
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Premium MemberPermalink Reply by Fitz on -
wd40 contains silicone which blocks the steels (wet ability) to absorb oil as a lubricant.
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Yep, just make sure you don't leave the steel races in the water too long. Dunk, shake vigorously then switch quickly to metho. The metho literally evaporates as you watch it, though you can put them under a bench lamp if time is of the essence.
Boris said:so could i use a detergant for cleaning and meths for the final rinse on my ceramic bearings??? also how do i dry them, can i leave them over night or do i need to blow dry them?
thanks
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cool thanks i shall be cleaning my bearings as soon as i get my hands on some meths and bearing lube oh and if i made one of those bottles i would fill it half way with water right so that i can dunk (by turning it upside down) and then shake vigorously and then i would chuck them in a tray (or something similar) of meths then leave them out to dry then add the lube when its completly dry and only three drops of lube right? also could i use valve oil for trumpet valves cause iv got some laying around that i could use and its very runny
Jezza said:Yep, just make sure you don't leave the steel races in the water too long. Dunk, shake vigorously then switch quickly to metho. The metho literally evaporates as you watch it, though you can put them under a bench lamp if time is of the essence.
Boris said:so could i use a detergant for cleaning and meths for the final rinse on my ceramic bearings??? also how do i dry them, can i leave them over night or do i need to blow dry them?
thanks
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I fill it up to the bottom of the last bearing, so that they are all out of the liquid unless I invert it, that way you can let the majority of the fluid drain off before opening the bottle. I have one bottle for detergent and one for metho, but use the same cap. You can also reuse the metho many times, so long as you cap it.
valve oil is fine, so long as its synthetic (dont want petrolium based oils spinning out onto your wheels), it should say on the bottle. I like boat trailer grease (hard to find a synthetic one though) as it seems to waterproof the bearing, and last longer than the bearing.
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Premium MemberPermalink Reply by Fitz on -
Very important to wrinse under hot water between wash and metho bottles. This saves the metho from becoming contaminated. A tiny amount of water in the metho is ok. You don't have to take the bearings off the bolt either.
I filter the metho after every use aswell to keep it clean and ready for next time.
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