Sealed bearing friction... ?

[autocrash]

Hey all,

I've started the monumental task of cleaning all my bearings (all 2 sets... ). I stripped apart my old lucky's abec 5, and to my surprise they were still pretty decent (these bearings are from my shortboard of 4 years hard riding (with no cleaning, and mountain bike chainlube as an occasional lubricant). I literally had to scrape the filth of the outside of these bearings to get at the snap rings (I'd previously lubed these things from the outside only, no opening, just dripping it in... bad, I know... )

So anyway, I get to my new bearings, a set of amphetamine 8-balls, and to my surprise they are sealed (ie with a pair of rubber seals, no shields). I'm kind of thinking (/hoping) this will keep my bearings cleaner for longer (because I don't think I'll be able to clean them before my garage session tonight...) but I'm wondering if it might be possible to reduce the friction caused by the seal contact by removing the seals on one side (ie. the 'inside' seal) and how much affect this would really have...?

Also, anyone have opinions about just using straight SAE 30W to lube up my bearings? ...it'll probably run out pretty fast, I would imagine, but do you think it would work for a night, a week, a month?

[Captain Hampton]

Well... the inside seal I believe to be superfluous, so it may in theory reduce your bearing seal friction in half.

[Mile_High_Mark]

It'll reduce friction some, but really, it just makes them easier to clean/lube.

[autocrash]

It'll reduce friction some, but really, it just makes them easier to clean/lube.

Fair enough, I'm also looking for easy to clean

Anyone have any thoughts about SAE 30W as lube?

[EBasil]

Anyone have any thoughts about SAE 30W as lube?

Yes. That's pretty thick stuff. It will be durable, but slow feeling. If you use that in the sealed bearings, it won't fling out and make a hideous mess, but it will in your shieldeds. If you want to use motor oil, I suggest 5wt Mobil 1. Of course, a quart will last you many years. If using motor oil, I think I'd put the seals back in.

If you want super speed, and are willing to clean the bearings more often than before, go ahead and leave off that inner seal or shield. If you want the bearings to be really fast feeling...which "mtb lube" are you using? Some of those chain lubes (the wax-based White Lightning, Pedros "dry lubes") won't hold up in a ball bearing, but some are outstanding in skate bearings...

[autocrash]

If you use that in the sealed bearings, it won't fling out and make a hideous mess...

Hey, hadn't thought about that, that should make it significantly cleaner... ...of course that also means i can run a significantly thinner oil without worrying about runoff... I think I may just break down and buy some bearing lube or something....


The mtb oil I was using was finish line I think, or something like that... it was a VERY wet lube... ...as in all over my wheels wet... ...but it improved the ride... I figured it was designed for dirty chains, so some dirty bearings would work too.. it was fairly thick though, so it did slow me down... but it sounded nice and smooth (and it was a shortboard, so thats all I really cared about... )

[mellowkat]

I have been using finish line x-country lube in my bearings, but only 2 small drops per bearing. Works well, seems to be fast enough. You could also try Rons bearing lube, really low viscosity. Works well in sealed bearings.

[Bushman]

you all want to be using MILITEC on your bearings (google MILITEC)

the military uses it for their heavy guns on the tanks, ships etc, and on their handheld weapons, , and on ANY sliding or rolling part subjected to stress (heat friction etc). after several applications, the MILITEC (not an oil) will soak into the metal and make the bearings self lubricating.

to demonstrate the effectiveness of this , i took a ABEC 5 wheel bearing, and oiled it with regular bearing lube. i mounted the bearing on a axle and used a air compressor to "spin up" the bearing. (NOT RECOMENDED UNLESS YOU USE A FACESHIELD!!!!!)

got it going at about 80,000 rpms for several minutes. the lube thinned and leaked out, the bearing heated up and then seized. bearing color was dark blue/yellow.

i took another bearing, filled it with MILITEC and repeated the test. bearing spun for over 3 hours (compressor nozzle taped down) and was cool to the touch. when dismantled, bearing surface still ahd a film of MILITEC on it. steel balls were normal color, no heat scores or pitting.

MILITEC also does not invite or attract dust.!!!!

bearings run smoother and faster, should overcome any friction fromt he rubber seal.

[mellowkat]

Sounds cool. I'l have to look into that stuff!

[autocrash]

I have been using finish line x-country lube in my bearings, but only 2 small drops per bearing. Works well, seems to be fast enough. You could also try Rons bearing lube, really low viscosity. Works well in sealed bearings.

That finish line stuff is probably about the same as the stuff I was using (was yours green?) ...it worked really well, but I added way too much.. (at the time I was just soaking them in it, then wiping the initial drips off... )

[Mile_High_Mark]

Ron's lube is good stuff. Seems to hold up better than Speed Cream (which is also excellent), and bleed out less.

[Wheel Man]

On bad quality sealed bearings the shields tend to cave in.. on these its a good idea to take the inner shield out because if the shields do cave in it'll slow you down a lot.
*caugh*black panthers*caugh*

[RustyBurrito55]

I definitly have to try that Militec stuff!
http://64.225.155.210/miva/merchant....Code=1OZBOTTLE
Suhweet 8)

[Bushman]

works incredibly well in firearms (original design application) , doeas'nt attract dust after application like other gun lubes. My buddy is over in the middle East (recon) and says the dust fromt eh sand gets into evrything. with the MILITEC he just keeps firing, no jamming, no dust buildup. thats what attracted me to use it for bearings.

[SpudMan]

works incredibly well in firearms (original design application) , doeas'nt attract dust after application like other gun lubes. My buddy is over in the middle East (recon) and says the dust fromt eh sand gets into evrything. with the MILITEC he just keeps firing, no jamming, no dust buildup. thats what attracted me to use it for bearings.

Sounds like good stuff, but you gotta heat up them bearings before it does its "thing."
I suppose the bearings heat themselves up enough in use to do the trick.

http://www.laniganperformance.com/Fi...irections.html

Read above for application and conditioning instructions.

[ShaggyIan4]

that militec stuff looks sweet. I really wanna get a bottle and throw some on my bearings and then heat them up with a hair dryer or let them sit in the sun. sounds like something worth trying out.

[Bushman]

works incredibly well in firearms (original design application) , doeas'nt attract dust after application like other gun lubes. My buddy is over in the middle East (recon) and says the dust fromt eh sand gets into evrything. with the MILITEC he just keeps firing, no jamming, no dust buildup. thats what attracted me to use it for bearings.

Sounds like good stuff, but you gotta heat up them bearings before it does its "thing."
I suppose the bearings heat themselves up enough in use to do the trick.

http://www.laniganperformance.com/Fi...irections.html

Read above for application and conditioning instructions.

You can get around the "heating up of the bearings" by taking a tin can and about 2 OZ of mILITEC, heating it up outdoors , and drop in the bearings (with the shieds removed). remove from hot MILITEC and wipe excess off. Reassemble shields and install on wheels.

never heat up bearings with a torch!!! you will get warpage and damage tot he bearings (normal operational heat from riding is fine). i do my bearings with hot MILitec about once a month. I clean them first with gun solvent, then drop into the hot solution.