FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: PRODUCT INFO

*How do I remove my shields or seals?

For fixed metal shields you should use an awl. Place the awl on the shield toward the outer race. Punch down lightly until you make a small hole. Then peel the shield back with the awl. Removable metal shields are held in place with a retaining ring. Run a sewing needle along the inside of the outer race to pop out the retainer. Once the retainer is removed the shield should pop out with a light tap. To remove a rubber seal use a pen knife or sharp pointed object. In most cases the rubber cannot be re-used.

*Can you explain double sealed bearings?

Some manufacturers put the bearing number on the seals, which is fine if you know that a bearing with 2 seals is referred to as 2RS or a ZZ or 2Z.
Customers often refer to these numbers and order a bearing with a number like xxxxRS which, when in the past, we have supplied as a single sealed unit. The customer then complains as they clearly required a 2 sealed bearing. To stop this problem we supply a double sealed item. The customer can remove the surplus seal if it is not required.

*What is the best water proof seal?

There is no true water proof seal for bearings. Bearing seals are primarily designed to retain the lubrication inside the bearing. Most bearing seals are considered water repellant and will keep moisture out of the internal components, but they will not prevent water from entering the bearing if it is submerged. If you require a bearing that can operate submerged in a liquid, we would suggest a ceramic hybrid or full ceramic bearing depending on the operating environment.

*If I leave my ceramic hybrids dry will they wear faster?

Yes, while ceramic hybrid bearings do not need any lubrication to operate the steel races will have a longer life if they have a slight amount of lube on a regular basis.

*When should I replace my bearings?

If your bearings begin to feel gritty or notchie to the touch, they should be replaced. When bearings sit idle for a long time they must be protected from any and all moisture. This is a common problem when storing small RC engines. If any moisture has gotten to the bearings, they will need to be replaced before using the engine again.

*How much maintenance do bearings require?

Maintenance depends on the type of enclosures and lubricants your bearings have. Rubber sealed bearings require no maintenance and the lube is good for the life of the bearing. Metal shielded bearings that use either grease or oil should be constantly maintained and frequency level with vary depending on your application. Oil dissipates faster than grease, so typically shielded bearings using oil as lubrication will require constant care.

*What is the best way to maintain my bearings?

1)Soak your bearings in mineral spirits or paint thinner to remove any grease or particulates.
2)Blow bearing out with compressed air.
3)Place a light drop of oil on the bearing.
4)Give the bearing a spin, if they still feel rough repeat steps 1-3.

*Guidelines when measuring bearings

The biggest common mistake when taking bearing measurements is to measure metric bearings in inches and likewise inch sized bearings in mm, no amount of searching will produce results for this scenario.
Some simple guidelines are:
Generally metric bearings will have full mm dimensions. Thus 25mm bore x 47mm outside diameter x 14mm width = 6204 series metric bearing.
Imperial bearings measured in metric will not have full mm sizes. Thus 12.7mm bore x 28.57mm x 7.87mm is really 1/2 inch x 1-1/8 inch x 5/16 inch = KLNJ1/2 series imperial bearing.
There are a number of unit converters available to go from metric to imperial and vica versa.