Losing my bearings

[IanR]

Having taken some advice I have removed my mainfurler from my in mast system, the worm gear runs on two bearing races which (forgive my terminology) consist of loose ball bearings running inside a large aluminium casting retained by a disc which has a concave inner to allow the bearings to roll around. In effect the balls are loosely retained and pretty stiff and high friction- were until I opened up the casing!!

Now the balls are loose (!!) and before I put them back I was considering these 15 yr old Stainless 5mm balls and I was wondering if I should replace them with nylon as they are not thrust bearings and have no real lubrication and would also be inert when in proximity to aluminium. Or whether I should consider putting in some proper bearing races in which case the aluminium will require turning to fit. But the races could be proper sealed bearings.

What would your thoughts be and if I should replace the bearings, with what type and from where...

oh and a final plea, If I was a fully experienced loose bearing loader what technique would I employ to temporarily hold them in place I have considered candle wax, butter,thick grease??

thanks "the apprentice bearing fitter" /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[Jonny_H]

We put self lubricating bearings in our mainsheet cars when we needed some replacing -excellent product - came from Frederikson-bot cost £0.75 per ball!! Could get pricey if you need a hundred or so - nylon or stainless may be cheaper

Jonny

 

[Norman_E]

Usual way to hold loose steel balls in place whilst re-assembling is to stick them in place with grease. (Remember taking apart bicycles, which had small loose balls in the steering head, and bigger ones in the bottom bracket?)
If you use Torlon balls to replace the steel ones, these run dry, so you might have difficulty keeping them in place.

I suggest you examine the races the balls run in for pitting or indentations, which will increase friction. If pitted, try to source replacements. Replacement stainless steel balls should be fairly cheap, so if the old ones have lost their shiny surface finish or show signs of wear replace them. Always replace all of the balls in a bearing, never just replace some of them. If you do not know how many balls a race originally contained, the general rule when fitting loose balls into a race is that you should completely fill the race, then remove one ball.

 

[Adamastor]

FWIW: The easiest way to persuade plastic balls to cooperate: shaving foam.