Good job on a scary task! I guess now we know where to find balls of steel! Here's my two cents, Ed: If the freewheel works fairly well, it may not need to come off the hub. In many instances, just removing that outer seal to drip some oil inside (ordinary automotive oil is just fine) will do the trick. One can deliberately overfill it, then rotate the cogs enough to distribute the oil (you'll hear it 'go silent' once the pawls are coated), then flip it over to drain overnight before reinstalling the seal. The bearings don't benefit a whole lot by using grease, since they aren't under any significant load when coasting and they remain stationary when pedaling. The oil allows it to spin a bit more freely, offering less resistance when coasting. For some people, these differences are trivial. My old race freewheel has oddly stiffened up a lot since I stored it away, so perhaps if I find the time I'll do a teardown. Then, as you've demonstrated, the grease will offer the crucial benefit of holding the bearings in place during reassembly. The purple 'high-speed' wheel bearing grease is mostly needed for the brake surfaces inside a coaster-brake hub. for all the bearings on a bike including the bearings & races in a coaster-brake hub, I buy cheap-but-mighty marine grease, like RJ the Bike Guy recommends. It's around $5 for a 14-oz cylinder at the big box store. There's no added value to be gained anywhere by paying all that money for a name-brand bike grease. Some riders prefer the white lithium grease which has lower viscosity than the purple or the green, aiming for the 'best of both worlds', a bit less coasting resistance while still helping the reassembly process.
One more thing, on many Schwinns of the 60's & 70's, the freewheels were "Schwinn Approved - made in France". I had to order the freewheel removal tool from overseas from a seller on eBay, and it took a while to arrive but it was worth it. It's made for removing Normandy, Sachs, Atom and Maillard freewheels as well. The dead giveaway on those freewheels is that the opening where the tool fits is rather large, enough to notice it easily upon first look.
Good job on a scary task! I guess now we know where to find balls of steel! Here's my two cents, Ed:
If the freewheel works fairly well, it may not need to come off the hub. In many instances, just removing that outer seal to drip some oil inside (ordinary automotive oil is just fine) will do the trick. One can deliberately overfill it, then rotate the cogs enough to distribute the oil (you'll hear it 'go silent' once the pawls are coated), then flip it over to drain overnight before reinstalling the seal.
The bearings don't benefit a whole lot by using grease, since they aren't under any significant load when coasting and they remain stationary when pedaling. The oil allows it to spin a bit more freely, offering less resistance when coasting. For some people, these differences are trivial. My old race freewheel has oddly stiffened up a lot since I stored it away, so perhaps if I find the time I'll do a teardown. Then, as you've demonstrated, the grease will offer the crucial benefit of holding the bearings in place during reassembly.
The purple 'high-speed' wheel bearing grease is mostly needed for the brake surfaces inside a coaster-brake hub. for all the bearings on a bike including the bearings & races in a coaster-brake hub, I buy cheap-but-mighty marine grease, like RJ the Bike Guy recommends. It's around $5 for a 14-oz cylinder at the big box store. There's no added value to be gained anywhere by paying all that money for a name-brand bike grease. Some riders prefer the white lithium grease which has lower viscosity than the purple or the green, aiming for the 'best of both worlds', a bit less coasting resistance while still helping the reassembly process.
One more thing, on many Schwinns of the 60's & 70's, the freewheels were "Schwinn Approved - made in France". I had to order the freewheel removal tool from overseas from a seller on eBay, and it took a while to arrive but it was worth it. It's made for removing Normandy, Sachs, Atom and Maillard freewheels as well. The dead giveaway on those freewheels is that the opening where the tool fits is rather large, enough to notice it easily upon first look.
I tried the same thing with needle nose pliers and stuck myself in the palm!!! Ouch!!!
Grease will wreck the paws; I always use heavy gear oil. If you don't mind taking it off every few years to regrease; I'm too lazy for that.
Good point! I read in cold weather the grease may keep the paws from moving freely. No problem with that for me!