Can't remove bearings from metal grips

[p4ddy]

Does anyone know the best & easiest way to get VERY VERY stubborn bearings out of metal Trex 450 main grips?? I've heated the grip up but nothing. I had trouble getting them in & to be honest i think the only way is to bust them up with a screw driver?? I'm thinking i got one dodgy grip as the bearings in the other just pushed in & i can remove them but the other grip seems to have a smaller bore.

All of this because my landing pad sheet of cardboard decided to lift & attack my main blades. Strangely my woodies are not even marked & the only damage was a snapped feathering shaft. I don't quite understand how woodies survived a force strong enough to snap metal Good job too because i have feathering shafts but not blades. Still not much use if my bearings are busted

[daren]

P4ddy,

I'm in winchester, any chance you can get to me this afternoon? I'll have a go at getting the bearings out for you.

[Holst]

You need to press them out somehow.

If you have access to a vice you can find a bolt or peice of meal thats will press against the bearing but not press on the grips. Then put the grip into the vice (use some wood on the end of the grip to stop it from being bent or scratched) and gently tighten the vice to press the bearing out.

Dont try and bash the bearing out with a punch and hammer as you might bend the grip.

I think you can buy a small press for this sort of thing from heli shops if you dont have any other way of doing it.

[p4ddy]

stop it from being bent or scratched).

Ooops, too late. It's not bent but has a nice ugly end from a soft tap, as the cloth it was on didn't protect it too well. Yes i have a HUGE industrial sized vice in my late grandads shed (well actually what was his is now all mine) so i'll go round & try out the slow press technique. Thanks guys for your help.

BTW i'm unable to come up to winch as i'm about to pick up my girls for the weekend, going fishing tomorow

[unwind-protect]

Put them in the oven for 10 minutes. The aluminium grip will expand at twice the rate of the steel bearing, and should come out much easier.