Saving an old bottom bracket

These old bottom brackets were not meant to be rebuilt.  They last long enough that buying a new one every year or two is not that big of a budget crisis.  As this is old technology, and on my beater bike, I decided to revive the bb instead of replacing it.  This particular one has a titanium spindle, so would have been a pricey replacement.

Here is my trick:

Using 80 Weight Gear Oil.  Add oil to a baggie and let sit for an extended period of time.  Spin the bearings to help assist the oil penetration by moving the spindle inside the shell often.

This is not as good as axle grease, but you would never get grease inside the bearings using this method.

I also use a similar method to oil those suspension bearings that have the metal dust covers.

Make sure all the dirt is cleaned off before oiling your bearings to reduce the chance of contamination.