Repairing the Rockler Bearing

As I did for my first R2-D2, I devoted some time to repairing the Rockler Bearing for the second R2.

I didn't have all the tools to do a thorough job as I did the first.  I wanted to see how much of an improvement there was just cleaning, replacing the bearings with acetal ones....and teflon lubricant.

First up, get everything together...a pencil to label the rocklers, a flathead screwdriver and 2 packages of acetal bearings.  You won't need to worry about not having enough bearings, you will only use about a bag and a half.

 After removing the dome plate, I label each ring "top".  It sounds silly but when things are apart, you can quickly second guess the basics!

Now to remove the plug using the flathead screwdriver.  Notice how the end of the plug looks!

 Now have a container ready and start letting the ball bearings fall out.  You'll have to turn the rockler bearing slowly to get all of the bearings out.  As you turn the bearing, the rockler will start to come apart, so be ready for that.  

And now you can see what a mess the rockler bearing tracks have become.  Grease, debris and metal filings...the later probably from not covering the track when drilling out the mounting holes!

 The "booger cloth" after wiping all the gooey junk out...and the inner ring is nasty too...

 All I did next was use an old towel to again wipe away any residue I missed the first time...then sprayed the Teflon silicone on and wiped it again.  The results were pretty nice, visually...

Next up was to piece the rockler back together and, awkwardly, hold it together while filling it with the acetal bearings.  Once filled, it was time to re-insert the plug, making sure the alignment is correct.

Note the white acetal balls visible ...

 While spinning the bearing, I applied more teflon solicone, making sure it has an adequate amount in there.  With this done, the bearing moves considerably better but there is still a lot of chattering going on.  This means the track insisted very smooth and should be sanded and polished.  We'll do that next!