Bearing removal, blade holder

[vera]

The bearings went in fairly tight. Now, how to get them out. I read about getting the bearings out of the engine... heating the block, but I'm guessing this won't work on plastic and might damage the plastic. I haven't run across any kind of bearing removal tool. Is there a trick to this?

[kgfly]

Get a spare feathering shaft or use a tool of the right diameter and insert it into the bearing, then wiggle/rotate the shaft while pulling, applying some sideways pressure.

If the blade holder is damaged and being replaced then of course you can simply cut it open, being careful not to damage the bearing in the process.

[vera]

Thanks for the tip. Next time I think I'll put some lube in there to help with removal later.... does that sound like a good idea or not? Do you think it would harm the plastic?

[kgfly]

If you lubricate the interface between the outside of the bearing and the inside of the grip then the bearing may well turn in the grip which would be very bad. You want the outer race of the bearing to be motionless while the inner race rotates.

[Pinecone]

In a perfect world, you would use Loctite 638 or 609 to lock the bearing outer race into place. But since we crash and bearings go bad, you wnat to get them out easily later. Do not use grease. Dry should be fine.