Skateboard Bearings
What is the best way to clean my skateboard bearings and get them going fast?
I would also like to know if theres a gadget of some sort which can do it for you and if theres some way to keep dirt off my bearings.
There are a lot of ways to clean skateboard bearings.
One way you shouldn't do it, though, is using WD-40 or water. WD-40 leaves this film on the balls, and messes with the lube. Water... well. Water rusts chromium steel, which bearings are made of.
You can use degreasers like paint thinner, acetone, mineral spirits, etc.. Keep in mind that if you do use these, you should never pour them down the drain, into the grass, etc. because they are horrible for the environment. This makes it incredibly difficult to get rid of, so a lot of people like to use environmentally friendly alternatives like citrus cleaners. They're less harsh, though, and so don't clean your bearings -quite- as well, but they still work nicely. A company called Pleasure Tool (which supposedly makes excellent bearings, by the way) has citrus cleaners here: http://edsbearings.com/ . Scroll down a bit.
If you use acetone, make sure you don't put the plastic bearing cage in with the metal parts, because acetone eats plastics (it doesn't eat nylon, but to be safe, just take anything that looks like plastic or rubber out. Pretty much, only metal goes in.)
There are ways of deep-cleaning your bearings, like throwing them into an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner, but really, you still have to disassemble the bearings yourself, so there's no point.
To keep dirt off your bearings, you can use these things called Grind Kim Rims, which cover your outside bearings (they're like truck nuts with big washers attached to them.)
The most important thing is that you have bearings that are not crap (this doesn't mean expensive. It just means that they have to be halfway-decent.), and that you have a good lube. Bones Speed Cream is a classic. Some people like Tri-Flo because it's cheaper. Then there's the people who like white lithium grease, because it lasts longer than oil.
Good luck, and stay safe. Bearing cleaning can be kinda sketch, but it's definitely worth it.
How to Build a Skateboard : Build a Skateboard: Bearings
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