Cleaning my Bearings

Hello class,
Today we will be learning how to clean the bearings for your precious skateboards.
This is pretty much the only thing you need to take care of on your board. All the other parts should take care of themselves (unless they're broken...).

Bearings tend to freeze up, but that doesn't mean you should throw them away. With a simple 20 minute cleaning, they should become good as new. If they still don't work, you should cry and make jewelry for your mom.

Alright, if you're ready to begin, go crank up your speakers and get gloves if you are a freak. This shit's about to get messy.

For our demonstration, we shall use Fabio's disgusting bearings:

OK, I guess they're not that disgusting...






I hope you all know how to pry off the bearings from your wheels.
Actually, before we start, here is a list of stuff we'll be using:

1) Nail polish remover or any kind of paint thinner. I use acetone because it starts with an A and comes first in the paint thinner aisle.

2) A container to hold your dirty bearings and your paint thinner. A bowl will do. I use a special Bones Bearing Cleaner because its awesome and I can.


3) Lube for the bearings after they've been cleaned.


4) Thumbtack or needle.

OK. After you get all those things, you'll want to remove the shields from your bearings. It's the only rubbery thing on your bearings, so they shouldn't be too hard to find... I prefer to permanently leave my shields off, but the downside to that is that my bearings get dirtier faster.


To remove them, I like to use a thumbtack. It's almost as if thumbtacks were made for this sole purpose. Their little bulb is the perfect leverage point. If you don't have one, use your sharp/thin weapon of choice to pry the shields off the bearings. It shouldn't be too different.

When all the shields have been removed, you can rinse the dirt off with water. If you want to keep your shields, just be careful you don't drop them into the drain ... I have never done this, but I feel compelled to warn you.

People actually drop things in there? how clumsy...


After you've washed the shields, leave them on the side to dry.


Now, put your bearings in your bearing cleaning container or bowl.
I like to leave the balls facing down so that all the dirt particles can fall out.
 THen, add your paint thinner to your bowl.

How much?
Iv'e found it more efficient to use less, but to repeat the cleaning cycle multiple times.

For a bowl, add enough to completely cover the bearings.

 For a special bones cleaner bottle, I add
about 1 centimeter of liquid.
(sorry, too lazy to calculate volume)

THEN, SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE.

For a bowl, swish side to side.
For the Bones container, you might want to put a ShakeWeight in your other hand for a balanced workout.

After, you should get dirty liquid.

Dump out the paint thinner and add more if you want to keep cleaning. 


We have basically dissolved all the grease and oil, so continuing to clean is not really necessary. Just spin them in your fingers to see if they work.

Remove your bearings from the solution and let them dry. Should take about 2 minutes.

Now comes the oiling part! yay! Make sure that the bearings are dry.

For the oiling, I've been told that the world comes closer to an end every time somebody uses WD-40...So...dont use it.

Use lubricants like Bones Speed Cream or Triflow.

Just stack up your bearings like pancakes and spray away with lube.
JUST KIDDING. Each bearing only needs 2-3 drops of lubricant. 


After it's been all lubed up, you can put your shields back on your bearings if you haven't washed them down the drain. They pop right back into the bearings if they aren't bent. Just make sure they're dry so they don't make your bearings rust.

 Pop your oily bearings back into your wheels and go pet your dog to get rid of all that oil and dirt on your hands.