Solvent for flushing bearings?

[The Kangler]

I've searched but I can't seem to find an answer.   What solvent and procedure do you guys use to flush reel bearings?  Seems like I remember someone mentioning naphtha, but I don't trust my memory.  Any advice you can give would be much appreciated i.e. how long to soak?  How to remove the solvent after flushing?  etc.  THANK YOU!!!

[Yudo1]

I spray some brake cleaner fluid in a small clear bottle and I shake the bearings in it for awhile then spin them a pencil to test them. Repeat process until they are smooth then set them on paper towel to dry for a day. It works for me and I didn't want to get an ultrasonic cleaner or bearing blasters.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Naphtha works well but it's nasty stuff. acetone is a better choice. My favorite is perfect solution but that's probably overkill for a reel or two. 

[Angry John]

Many guys use simple green and put them in a small ultrasonic.  I have good luck using starting fluid.  It does not leave anything behind and i have yet to find an occasion where i melted any plastic with it.  It dries very fast and is cheap.  Lots a ways to skin this cat those are just two...

[FrankN209]

CRC 05101 QD Electronic Cleaner

[RoLo]

Plain ole 'gasoline' is tough to beat, but does harbor a fire hazard.

'Kerosene' is a safer alternative and an excellent degreaser.

 

Roger

 

[WRB]

Acetone is a keystone solvent and easy to use with good ventilation. Clean in acetone then rinse in alcohol, then lubricate.

My suggestion is send your reels to DVL annually for cleaning.

Tom 

[The Kangler]

Thanks for all the replies!

26 minutes ago, WRB said:

Acetone is a keystone solvent and easy to use iwith good ventilation. Clean in acetone then rinse in alcohol, then lubricate.

My suggestion is send your reels to DVL annually for cleaning.

Tom 

I'm not familiar with DVL.  Care to enlighten me? 

[WRB]

3 minutes ago, The Kangler said:

Thanks for all the replies!

I'm not familiar with DVL.  Care to enlighten me? 

DVT

[BassThumb]

2 hours ago, WRB said:

Acetone is a keystone solvent and easy to use with good ventilation. Clean in acetone then rinse in alcohol, then lubricate.

My suggestion is send your reels to DVL annually for cleaning.

Tom 

What's the purpose of rinsing the bearings in alcohol after the acetone soak, if you don't mind me asking?

 

I always use acetone but I've never used alcohol afterwards. I just let them dry. Does it work better?

[JustJames]

Delaware Valley Tackle, he the one replied to your post. He is our site sponsor and always help out other as well.

[OnthePotomac]

A second here on CRC Electronic Cleaner.  A whiz at removing grease, no odor, no residual and dries instantly. I put the bearing in a tiny cooking screen strainer, step out doors and blast away.  Then they get a short bath in lighter fluid, Yellow Rocket Fuel (SS), or Oust Met Oil (ceramic) and good to go and it does not take all day to clean them. 

[RoLo]

 

On 5/19/2017 at 2:58 AM, BassThumb said:

What's the purpose of rinsing the bearings in alcohol after the acetone soak, if you don't mind me asking?

 

 

Pretty much like washing yours hands with Ivory soap then washing them again with Dove soap 

 

For decades, the Gold Standard toolroom degreaser was 'carbon tetrachloride'.

But due to liver toxicity, carbon tet was banned by OSHA and alternative degunkers are now used.

Gasoline, alcohol, paint thinner, acetone, mineral spirits & kerosene are all popular degreasers  (flip a coin)

 

Roger

[cadman]

I put naphtha in a small jar and put it in my ultrasonic cleaner. Cleans the bearing very well without any residue. Once the bearings are dry (I wait about 1/2 hour, as naphtha flashes off quickly), I put on my favorite oil and I'm good to go. There are a lot of ways to clean bearings, find the one that works for you.

[buzzed bait]

14 hours ago, FrankN209 said:

CRC 05101 QD Electronic Cleaner

 

same here, works really well for me

[J Francho]

I use pure acetone from beauty suppliers.  Same stuff a nail tech would use.  I basically keep changing out the fouled acetone, and soaking and swirling until the acetone runs clean after a soak.  Usually a few hours for each batch.  Three soaks usually gets the nastiest bearing clean.  Baby food jars work well.

[XpressJeff]

Flammable is a major concern for most of the solutions mentioned.

 

Use care my friends!

 

Please!

[J Francho]

You'd have to really try hard to start a fire with any of them.  Perfect Solution is not flammable at all - it's not a solvent, but a degreaser. 

[offsidewing]

The alcohol rinse is to make sure the degreaser leaves no residue.  Not all degreasers leave a residue.  

[The Kangler]

17 hours ago, JustJames said:

Delaware Valley Tackle, he the one replied to your post. He is our site sponsor and always help out other as well.

Thank you.  He will be getting a call at the end of the season. 

[fishwizzard]

How often are you guys cleaning your bearings?  I am just getting comfortable with taking my reels apart and the amount of gunk in some of them was surprising.  I have a mix of factory bearings and HH aftermarket ones and the difference is really pronounced on some reels, so I want to keep the performance up, but not "scrub the rifling out" as they say.  

[.ghoti.]

On 5/19/2017 at 7:09 PM, offsidewing said:

The alcohol rinse is to make sure the degreaser leaves no residue.  Not all degreasers leave a residue.  

All of them leave a residue. Ive heard many people claim that their method and solvent of choice leaves no residue. That would be what i call a large steaming load of what drops out of the south end of northbound bull. Don't believe me. Thats OK.

 

If you're really interested, do a little experiment. Put a couple of drops of your favorite oil in your favorite coffee cup. Wipe it around to coat the whole bottom. Now, use your no-residue solvent to soak out the oil. Dont scrub it. You cant scrub out a bearing. Soakit again if you feel like you need to. Let it air dry overnight. Pour yourself a nice cup of fresh coffee the next morning. Drink it. Drink it all, and then come back here and tell me your favorite solvent left no residue.

[Airman4754]

Get a Bearing Blaster from a skateboard, hobby shop, or online. They are under $10 and make this process infinitely easier and faster.

 

Hit them with three or four squirts of brake cleaner. Press them into a paper towel and rotate it a little. Do this to both sides. It will pass the spin test after this.

 

I can service my bearings in about three minutes start to finish.

[offsidewing]

17 hours ago, .ghoti. said:

All of them leave a residue. Ive heard many people claim that their method and solvent of choice leaves no residue. That would be what i call a large steaming load of what drops out of the south end of northbound bull. Don't believe me. Thats OK.

 

If you're really interested, do a little experiment. Put a couple of drops of your favorite oil in your favorite coffee cup. Wipe it around to coat the whole bottom. Now, use your no-residue solvent to soak out the oil. Dont scrub it. You cant scrub out a bearing. Soakit again if you feel like you need to. Let it air dry overnight. Pour yourself a nice cup of fresh coffee the next morning. Drink it. Drink it all, and then come back here and tell me your favorite solvent left no residue.

 

I alcohol rinse everything after a degrease.  Bearings, carrier groups, chains, etc.  

 

Your advice is dripping with hubris and I don't drink coffee.  

[.ghoti.]

20 minutes ago, offsidewing said:

 

I alcohol rinse everything after a degrease.  Bearings, carrier groups, chains, etc.  

 

Your advice is dripping with hubris and I don't drink coffee.  

Dripping? Just read my post, and i will have to admit it sounds a bit snotty. Sorry. I did not intend it to be so condescending. My bad.

The point is, you will always have something left behind. And that little bit of whatever really makes no difference.