De-greasing Self-Lubricating Bearings?

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Orion66
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De-greasing Self-Lubricating Bearings?

Post by Orion66 »

I've been looking into some new bearings for our Nationals mousetrap vehicle. I've found several decent ones, but they are ALL self-lubricating. I'm experimenting with washing out the really thick grease they use to lubricate the bearings with a similar one I have at home by flushing it and soaking it in rubbing alcohol.

It seems to work momentarily, but then after a few hours, the self lubrication kicks in and greases up the bearings again, making them sticky and sluggish. So my question is: is there any way to flush out all the grease in a self-lubricating bearing? For instance, will repeating this several times help at all?
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retired1
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Re: De-greasing Self-Lubricating Bearings?

Post by retired1 »

You are not really talking about self lubrication but rather packed bearings as no additional grease is added.
Kerosene might work better because it has fine lubrication properties. Watches of years ago were lubricated with vapors of kerosene.
You might want to look at open face bearings rather than the conventional closed or sealed bearings. It is much easier to get the grease our. It is subject to picking up dust and other dirt, but another kerosene flushing will take care of that.
For the really light weight of a mouse trap vehicle you might want to look at high lubricity plastic bearings.They are not teflon, but they are good. IGUS is one source. Look into their Y.E.S. program.
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Re: De-greasing Self-Lubricating Bearings?

Post by airtragedy »

Have you tried soaking the bearings in WD-40? That worked for me to degrease.
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Orion66
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Re: De-greasing Self-Lubricating Bearings?

Post by Orion66 »

I've been soaking them in 70% rubbing alcohol for the moment. It seems to work for a while, but then the bearing gets sticky and slow again.

I've got a set of open bearings on the way, and I'll see if maybe those help at all. On a slightly unrelated note, has anyone had any trouble with chrome steel rusting? The open bearings I ordered are 52100 Chrome-Steel alloy.
Chattahoochee High School

"Don't bother me. I'm busy conserving energy, momentum, and angular momentum"

2016: Bridges | Air Trajectory | Hydrogeology
2017: Towers | Helicopters | Hydrogeology
2018: Towers | Helicopters | Mousetrap Vehicle, Hovercraft
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Re: De-greasing Self-Lubricating Bearings?

Post by retired1 »

airtragedy wrote:Have you tried soaking the bearings in WD-40? That worked for me to degrease.
Kerosene is cheaper and does nor leave a residue like WD-40, which by the way is a bit over half kerosene.
If you want to see residue, put about 1/4" of WD-40 in a small dish and let it evaporate to near dryness. It leaves a yellow goo.
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