Home  Blog Waxing Bearings
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Written by Administrator
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Friday, 31 March 2006 |
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An alternative lubricant is hot melt chain wax. Some finer points of the process
Currently using SkateWax brand hot melt wax, from the makers of ChainWax. A great product that has been discontinued as far as I am aware. In the process of developing a home-brew recipie (paraffin/beeswax/additives). Perhaps a ski wax might work well.
For waxing bearings, how long they are in the wax depends on how much lube is left in the bearing. Having the stove on low, with the wax in water and fully melted, and using an appropriately bent hanger, dip the bearings in for 10-30sec. The shorter the duration the more wax deposited. Remind me to video the next part if I haven't already. You will see the haze on the bearing disappear between 8 and 11sec after insertion, and large bubbles come out of the bearing starting around 9 and finishing about 14-15sec. Smaller bubbles stop between 17 and 22sec.
Remember to cool shield side down on paper towel.
I think 15sec is the magic moment; it should leave you with an amount of wax that will take 10-20hrs to break in (toward 10 if those hours are hot, above 90deg), and should last 2-5 years (seasons). A 30sec dip will break in within the first hour of skating, but will likely last only 1 year (season). The advantage of the shorter dip is immediate use near peak performance.
Note that before each use, the bearings will be stiff. As soon as you skate on them for 20min or so, enough for the bearings and lube to heat up, they will spin freely. |
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