How do I grease or oil my bearings?

Required aids
  • Thin gloves, so fingers and bearings are protected from contamination. The gloves should be as thin that they do not interfere with the "fingertip feeling".

    Tip: Use disposable gloves

  • A pad to protect against dirt

    Tip: Use a large piece of cardboard, an old writing pad or plastic placemats

    Never use a soiled surface. The workplace must be clean!

  • The best possible illumination of your workstation to detect soiling

    Tip: If daylight is not enough, you can align a desk lamp with your desk.

  • Ball bearing grease or oil

    Tip: If your lubricant container does not have a narrow applicator, it makes sense to use a small syringe.

  • Paper towel

    If you use a lubricant other than that in the ball bearing, you must first thoroughly clean the bearings beforehand! Instructions for cleaning ball bearings can be found here.

Auxiliaries for oiling
Instructions for greasing and oiling ball bearings

Prerequisite: The sealing washers of the ball bearings have already been removed. Instructions can be found here. For double-sealed ZZ bearings, however, you can also perform the cleaning process as described, without removing the cover plates.

  1. Apply the lubricant to the ball bearing via the syringe or, alternatively, your lubricant reservoir.

    How much lubricant your bearing needs depends on a number of factors: the type of construction, the application, the operating conditions. If, for example, the fat is supposed to provide an additional sealing effect, you can apply a little more. A blanket statement cannot be made at this point. As a rough rule of thumb, apply as much lubricant as necessary, but as little lubricant as possible, just as much of the lubricant as needed to properly lubricate the bearing.

    Oil the bearing
  2. Now gently press the sealing washers back onto the ball bearing with both thumbs under light pressure.
  3. You can now remove any excess lubricant with a paper towel.

  4. Hold the bearing in the center, i.e. on the inner ring, while turning it with a movement on the outer ring, so that the lubricant can spread.

    Please note: For grease-lubricated bearings, the ball bearing must first be in use for a few hours before optimum lubrication and thus improved smooth running is achieved.