Actually no it isn’t that messy. There is an applicator that should have come with your tube of silicone. You should cut the hole it it very small and only fill the recess.
Mrcnja: was that right after you had put on the silicone, or after it had dried, and you clean it up?
yoyofan11: To get a smooth finish like that; after you put on the silicone, you use a plastic card or some thing like that to smooth it out, and make it flush with the edges.
Amdroid, that picture was after everything was cleaned up, but I assure you that it was almost that clean before cleanup.
I used a guitar pick for the silicone in that picture, yoyofan11.
Another trick for everyone, after you smooth the silicone out with your tool of choice, use a paper towel to clean off as much excess as you can while it is still wet. Then use your finger nail, the end of a pencil, or any other non-abrasive tool to clean up the dried silicone before it cures. It will be much easier to do all of that than to try and clean it all up after the silicone has fully cured.
i do clean up the excess after 20 minute or so, so the silicone is half cured and peel off easily.
that is also easy for me.
it’s OK IMO if the silicone get in the bearing seat, you can clean it by peeling it off half cured.