A few people have been looking for a guide on how to deshield their bearings. It’s pretty simple, and just requires patience.
(Okay, I lied, you’ll need more than patience)
What you’ll need:
-A needle, pin, pushpin, or tack of some sort. Basically anything with a sharp point you can use for leverage
-A level, flat space to work on. A table works best.
-Patience
Alright, the steps:
1.Let’s identify the c-clips. C-clips are small, thin, metal strips shaped in a sickle, or C shape. They are used to keep the shield in place. There is a small gap between these clips on each side of the bearing. They are found on the outer race side of the bearing. Image 01-2 at the bottom of this post, and image 02 show the gap between the c-clips.
Most c-clips have two different ends. One is easier to remove. Some bearings, such as the One Drop Ten Ball bearing do not have these different ends, so if you are deshielding one of these, ignore the next step.
The different ends of the c-clip are identified in image 02-1. As you may see, the correct end, the one you want to push (in light green), has more of an edge for gripping the needle/pin/tack.
2.Once you have identified which end is correct, take your needle/pin/tack, and push the pointy tip into the little gap, with the pointy tip pushing into the correct end. Push the needle/pin/tack in an outwards direction while holding the bearing firmly. This is illustrated in image 02.
BEWARE! When the c-clip comes out, it may launch itself into the air, flying around the room and getting itself lost. Be ready for this! I recommend wearing glasses of some sort to protect your eyes from these flying buggers.
This may take some time, but keep pushing the needle in that outward direction. It’ll come out eventually. If you’re having trouble, pm me and I can give you some more situation-specific pointers.
3.Once the c-clip has been removed, the shield may fall out immediately if you turn the bearing over. Or, it may need some coaxing by tapping it lightly on the table. If after the light tapping, the shield is still in there, simply take the needle and pry the shield out. This should loosen it or even remove it completely.
Now, if you like, you can repeat this process on the other side of the bearing. It’s not necessary, but I like to do it anyways.
Now you’re done! You can now clean your bearing properly.