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I've been trying to a bearing out of my frame for 3 days - using a range of plusgas, pressure and patience. It's been slowing coming out. However the bearing has just disintegrated and left the outer race stuck in the frame - am I screwed?
Not at all - but you’re about to really test your patience! You’re going to need something like a small sharp file or blade…… and time, lots of time
Hopefully others will also add less frustrating options
Happened to me once. In a moment of inspiration I came up with the best bodge of my life. Took a bench grinder to a spare star fangled nut to trim it until it was just bigger than the bearing race. Gently tapped it in and used the nut to pull it out. It was a moment of pure joy when it came out. One of my proudest moments
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Do you own a Dremel?
Blitz - I can feel the joy!!!
Ambrose - yes. What attachment would you suggest?
Either a diamond bit in a dremmel or a blind bearing puller.
The other possibility is if the bearing doesn't need a full lip behind in. Drill two holes either side and drift it out.
If you're trying with a puller, squirting it with "Freeze and Release" might help. It cools it to something like -46ºC which might shrink it enough to come out with less force.
Blob of weld usually sorts it for me if there's only the race remaining
Wow the levels of bodge in this thread are high!
Blind pullers and a slide hammer are the tool of choice as mentioned above, also a length of 8mm key steel bent in a vice then cut and ground to a blunt chisel edge can be used as an angled drift from behind to catch a lip on the bearing remains.
However the above should be used with a bit of heat especially if it's an aluminium frame where the expansion of the aluminium is far higher than the metal of the bearing. Boil the offending part in a large pan of water or pour plenty of boiling water over it and the bearing will probably just drop out. It will still work with carbon just not as well.
If you're using a dremel cut off wheel, wear it right down so its quite small and cut at an angle.
I bought a blind bearing puller set from ebay for £16 as I needed to replace the bearings in my rear hub. A job that used to fill me with dread at the thought of ending up with what you've got there, took a total of about 10 minutes to pull them out and press in the fresh bearings.
Dremel did the trick. Tried most other options and no joy
Ta da!!!
Tried most other options and no joy
Out of interest, did you try a blind bearing puller?
If the bearing has disintegrated and the outer race is stuck up against a flange there won't be anything to pull against. I suppose you could re-assemble a bearing out of bits from another one, but looks like the prob has been solved.
The outer race is not a flat surface, it will have a channel in it that the balls run in, a blind bearing puller is the least destructive method of removal, assuming it fits the channel.
Blind bearing puller didn't have the purchase to pull it out based on how seized it was. Took it to a bike shop as well and they struggled for about an hour only to move it about a millimetre.