New video at youtube: Bearing rehab

[HANK METZ]

A short presentation on how I salvaged and restored special ball bearings (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uLESB5r7S0) for a classic power tool.

229344


- Beachside Hank
The use of nails in fine furniture is to be abhorred- drywall screws are preferred.

[Michael Mayo]

Very successful rehab. I have done similar things to other bearings and had similar results. That will be a helpful video to many people thanks for sharing.

[Sid Matheny]

Nice easy to follow video. Thanks for sharing.

Sid

[Van Huskey]

Thanks, I have soaked and cleaned bearings before BUT never thought to use the DP to spin them clean, great tip... maybe worth sending to one of the magazines...

[ian maybury]

That old RAS makes the current De Walt models look pretty flimsy.

This from an engine building background. The one issue with old ball/roller bearings if that if there's any corrosion (as is frequently the case in old items) in the tracks they are not going to last very long in an application involving decent RPM. The time to check is when they are washed clean but before re-lubrication. Don't leave them unlubricated for more than the minimum time it takes as its scary how quickly rust forms.

Any detectable roughness at all when given a spin and they need replacement. Checking when lubricated tends to cover a multitude.

Easier said than done if the bearing turns out to be a no longer available size, but equally if they are run for more than a short while in this state it can be that they let go abruptly and take other stuff with them...

ian

[Chris Fournier]

Interesting, but those bearings are not "restored". You certainly have cleaned up the outside very nicely.

From the image I believe that those are 2RS bearings which means they have two rubber shields on the outside. These shields keep factory applied grease INSIDE the bearing.

I would suspect that your pickling excercise dissolved most of this grease on the inside. While your bearings are now tidy looking, they are also devoid of grease, especially after your DP exercise and this is not good.

The saving grace in this instance is that they are used in a very low speed application and may well be seviceable. If these bearings were on a motor powered arbor of some sort they would be fried in no time. Sealed bearings should be replaced if the intention is to "restore" a machine - if of course the bearings have been driven out of their seats or are suspect that is.

[Bob Wingard]

I did something similar, but, with different technique & tools.

I soaked the bearings in an ultrasonic and heated bath of Ed's Red gun cleaning solvent (look it up - it's great) ... then, I put them on a bearing packing device and slowly forced fresh grease up & through each bearing. Then, I set them aside for a little while, and did the repack thing a few more times, until I didn't see any more old grease or crud coming out. For the low speed application (mine is an old DeWalt GA carriage) it has worked out very well. The original condition of the bearings, of course has a lot to do with final results. Dirty, caked bearings come out much better than corroded or Brinnelled ones, but they still show an improvement.

[david brum]

In defense of Hank's method, it is acceptable practice for these particular bearings. They have metal shields (without tight tolerances) and are usually rehabbed with WD40. They really don't require any grease. In fact, the drier the bearing, the better, since there is less chance of attracting sawdust gunk. Keep in mind that these bearings are carriage slide guides and rotate very slowly, so there is no heat built up.

[Van Huskey]

In defense of Hank's method, it is acceptable practice for these particular bearings. They have metal shields (without tight tolerances) and are usually rehabbed with WD40. They really don't require any grease. In fact, the drier the bearing, the better, since there is less chance of attracting sawdust gunk. Keep in mind that these bearings are carriage slide guides and rotate very slowly, so there is no heat built up.

Agreed, the biggest key is they go in the guides and spin maybe 200 rpms for a couple of second at a time. Doing the same without repacking the bearing will produce far less favorable results on TS arbor bearings etc.