And my tuppence worth...
owenmpk wrote:1. Not a good idea to use gasoline as a degreaser
It works fine if you use a simple bit of caution. For instance, I smoke a pipe - but not when cleaning bearings. I also do it outside so there's plenty of ventilation.
2. Latex gloves are disolved by gasoline.
True. However, using leather gloves with a latex glove as a liner seems to work just fine.
3. Use one of the old races to push the new races all the way in after grinding materal off the outside of the old race so it will slip in to the hub with no issues.
Good idea!
4. Screwdrivers are not punches.
If you're talking about installing a race, quite so. If talking about removing it - if the race is so damaged that it needs to be removed, why worry about damaging it further? If not, why are you removing it?
5. Clorinated solvents were develop so they would not burn but they are worse to dump on the ground and ground water then gasoline.
6. MTBE is worse in ground water then gasoline.
We're talking about a few ounces every couple of years. The environmental impact is so negligible as to be non-existant.
I guess the point is, a thrown bearing is more likely to ruin your day (maybe even your entire vacation) than cleaning it with whatever solvent you choose to use. I tried acetone and it simply didn't do the job. I don't trust the citrus-based solvents to evaporate enough to have no impact on the new bearings and grease.
Joseph