I was going to give my Spool bearing on my Tierra nice bath and flush, but when I got them off the spool and out of the sideplate I couldn't get those little clips out to take the shield off. I used a super small needle but it didn't work, which usually does for my other reel, and eventually the needle bent from trying too hard.

I'm assuming flushing with the shields on is not an option, because the stuff would never get out. But it seems like they're stuck in there for good.

Any easier way to get them out?!

I was going to give my Spool bearing on my Tierra nice bath and flush, but when I got them off the spool and out of the sideplate I couldn't get those little clips out to take the shield off. I used a super small needle but it didn't work, which usually does for my other reel, and eventually the needle bent from trying too hard.

I'm assuming flushing with the shields on is not an option, because the stuff would never get out. But it seems like they're stuck in there for good.

Any easier way to get them out?!

any way you can soak them over night? thats what i had to do to polish my bearings, because they wouldnt come out, after a good ws 40 soak it should pop out a little easier. Dont try to hard and break anything. lol

It's not mandatory at all that the sheilds come off. Repeated soaking, rinsing and changing the solvent will clean them just fine. In a shop that does a lot of them an ultra sonic cleaner speeds up the process but that's overkill for a person doing a few of his own imo.

here is a nifty little tool that could help RPM Bearing Blaster

It's not mandatory at all that the sheilds come off. Repeated soaking, rinsing and changing the solvent will clean them just fine. In a shop that does a lot of them an ultra sonic cleaner speeds up the process but that's overkill for a person doing a few of his own imo.

I'm with DVT, I would leave the shields on.

I bought an ultrasonic cleaner at Harbor Freight for about $30 dollars. Works great for cleaning bearings....put the bearings inside a baby food jar filled with acetone. Close the lid on the jar. Put the jar in the ultrasonic cleaner well which is partially filled with water. Run the ultrasonic. When it's finished, drain the acetone. Refill with new acetone and run it again. Repeat until the acetone comes out clean.

For the price of two ruined bearings, you could pay for a small US cleaner and not have to worry about removing the shields again.

They are shields, not seals. You can leave them be - you'll probably ruin the bearing trying to remove the shield. I know, there was some article about it...let's just say a few guys know better than bearing manufacturers. It's not that it's wrong, but it does compromise things, and you should have a good reason to do it. Like having a stockpile of replacement bearings on hand, and time away from fishing to play with your gear. Leave them, and soak. Bearing Blaster....yeah it works well, but you still have to soak the bearing. I find there is always a small amount of debris left behind by the blaster.

The easiest is to soak the bearings in acetone, using a small glass baby food jar. Give the jar a swirl every 10 minutes or so. Replace the water every hour, until it runs clear and free of debris. Put the bearings on paper towel to dry for about ten minutes. I don't recommend "spin drying," since I simply cannot get my head around running a bearing at max speed with no lubricant. Add a drop of oil to the seam of the inner race (it you can, small bearings just do your best), and gently spin them on a pencil or chopstick.

I'm with J Francho on the cleaning and not spin drying. Blow drying with compressed air for computer cleaning might be ok but air from a compressor has moisture and moisture is a big enemy of bearings. Just drynig on a clear paper towel is fine.

Big issue is that more than a drop of oil is over kill.

That extra oil generally just runs out. I don't see it as a big issue, just wasteful. If you are using a sealed bearing, and over oil, and seal it up, then you got problems.