Cleaning bearings?

[Benito]

When I spin my Stb the bearing seems to get stuck what should I do?

[yollector]

Take out the bearings.
put them in either acitone or rubbing
alcohol.
Swisch them around for a few minutes.
Blow all the excess out with your mouth.
Put them back in / if that does not work
you might need to get new bearings.
    good Luck.
Richy CYYC 

[czyoyo]

Be careful with rubbing alcohol. The small amounts of water in it can cause the bearings to rust.
You might want to lube them after cleaning them. They will last longer if you do.

This can be done with yo-yo oil, sewing machine oil, or even a bit of chap-stick in the bearing.
Lube will make the bearings smoother and last longer but it will slow them down. A little slowing down is fine. Just do not put more than a 1/2 tear drop in each bearing.

The process is the same as with yo-yos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rApGeK9DQk

Oh, and if you do have to replace the bearings:

Strummol8 and Duncan use small size "A" yoyo bearings. You can get them quite cheap from any yoyo distributor website.

Good Luck

[the Earl of Whirl]

chap-stick in the bearing?

I have never heard of that!

[yollector]

  The bearings we use in our tops and yoyos
are Abec rated and we order them Dry.
  I dont know how importiant spin time is for a top
but it is for yoyos.
  So like czyoyo said if you lube it it will not spin as fast.
You can try lube and if you dont like the way it plays
clean it again and dont lube it.
   Leave a post so we can see how you made out.
Richy CYYC - CTC 

[Benito]

I cleaned my BK with rubbing alcohol and its awesome  I'm going to try the STB now thanks guys.

[czyoyo]

chap-stick in the bearing?

I have never heard of that!

yeah it acts as a thick lube. Slows the bearings a good bit buy allows for quiet play.

  The bearings we use in our tops and yoyos
are Abec rated and we order them Dry.
  I dont know how importiant spin time is for a top
but it is for yoyos.
  So like czyoyo said if you lube it it will not spin as fast.
You can try lube and if you dont like the way it plays
clean it again and dont lube it.
   Leave a post so we can see how you made out.
Richy CYYC - CTC 

Totally agree with everything. Spin time is important for tops but not as much as yoyos.

I cleaned my BK with rubbing alcohol and its awesome  I'm going to try the STB now thanks guys.

Great! glad it worked! Rubbing alcohol works if you get all of it out of the bearing. Acetone it is not a big deal if you miss a bit of it because it will just evaporate within a few hours.

[Benito]

Can't do it for the STB. Dad says I needa oil it.  Its spin time is really bad.

[yollector]

you might need to replace the bearings 

[Dick Stohr]

You say you can't clean the STB bearing, why not?  Explain to your Dad that oil in bearings is for high speed applications to prevent wear and to dissipate heat.  Yo-Yos and Spin Tops are not high speed applications.  The bearings run best when dry or with only 1/2 drop of oil if rust is a concern.  It sounds like your bearing is gunked up and needs to be cleaned.  If that does not work then you can think about replacing the bearings.  It worked for your BK why not for the STB?

[czyoyo]

Bearings can die. It takes a long time but they do wear out. However, unless they came in contact with something unusualy abrasive I doubt that this is the case.
Oil will further slow down the bearing but make it smoother and quieter.. It is a trade-off. If you put oil on the bearing only use a half drop. (even less if you can)
I would try to clean again and this time shake it hard. My guess is that there is dirt lodged up in the bearings that you didn't get out the first time.
Good luck

[Benito]

I can hammer the bearings out like with a BK right? And yea he doesn't want me to mess with it.

[czyoyo]

Yes. The top bearing comes out the top. The bottom bearing comes out the bottom. It shouldn't take much. 

[Benito]

Alright thanks  hopefully I don't damage anything

[yollector]

I dont think HAMMER is the word
we want to hear