Cleaning spin trainer

[Sessy]

Hey, I've got this spin trainer, like two rotating disks on top of eachother, I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about. But, after over a year of use, there's dust inbetween the disks, where the oily substance is.
It's like it attracts the dust or something. It spins, but gives a weird little feeling like sandpaper under your feet, and I'm worried the thing might break if I let it get dirty enough.

Is there a way to clean inbetween the disks?

[Rusty Blades]

If it is a metal one, yes you can clean it. It will have been oiled or greased and that is what will attract dust.

Get some paint thinner from the hardware store - it's cheap, like $5.00 for 4L - pick up some spray lube to (anything except silicon). Take your trainer and the thinner outside to some place where you don't want grass to grow and drizzle a little thinner between the plates and then work them back and forth. Do this a couple of times to wash out the dirt and oil then spray a LITTLE bit of lube into the bearing between the plates and you should be fine for another year or so.

Don't do this if you have a plastic trainer.

[Sessy]

Oh yes, it is metal.

Thanks!!! Will white spirit / turpentine work too?

[Query]

I have the same problem, with the rectangular Gold Medal spinner, though in my case it never spun right. It has always frozen if you balance a milimeter or so off center. I looked a couple in a store recently, and realized they did not have that problem - mine must be defective. I'm stuck, cuz I ordered mine mail order a few years back. But maybe I could fix it by taking it apart, cleaning, re-lubricating, and re-assembling.

The thing is, the lubricant is listed as a "lithium grease" (white). If you mix oil with grease, the result often leaves a non-lubricating mess (I froze some bicycle cables that way), so be cautious about the indicated fix, if it looks like your lubricant is pasty grease rather than fluid oil. If it doesn't work, you may have to take it apart to clean out the mess.

On mine, the top plate has holes, which it looks like you must align just-so with the other plate so you can put through a very thin screwdriver of just the right size (being careful not to strip the screw heads with the wrong size), in order to take it apart. I guess you would then remove the current grease, clean, insert new grease, and re-assemble. Is definitely not designed to make this easy.

The newer and more expensive "Gold Medal Pro Spinner" looks like a better design, which might keep the dirt out a little better.

Still better are ordinary bearings, like used in Bill Schneider's home-made spinner:

http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~schneidw/skating/homemade_spinner.html

[Sessy]

Thanks for the heads up! :bow:
It was lubricated by my ex-stepfather when I just got it, because it didn't spin well, and he did so with a black greasy substance, he used something from the garage for cars, so I hope I'm safe there...
I didn't keep the box, I don't even know which type I have, let alone what it's lubricated with! Mine is like, two golden coloured round disks on top of each other.

[Rusty Blades]

If he greased it with automotive grease the easiest solvent is gasoline but I must emphasize VERY STRONGLY to do it outside, away from buildings, and away from any source of ignition and let it air thoroughly before bringing it inside. (I use gasoline extensively for machinery parts and have a little table under a tree where I clean parts.)

Gasoline would actually work better on automotive grease. If you really want to go hog wild, you could pick up a can of carburetor cleaner from the auto parts store and spray it between the plates - that will work like gang busters! (That's also a backyard job.)

[Skate@Delaware]

Sessy, does yours look like this one?

http://www.rainbosports.com/shop/site/product.cfm/id/4AC584C0-475A-BAC0-57906E2DD06001EB

It's what I have and man, does it really spin!!! I sometimes wish I could slow it down!

ps-i remember my dad using gasoline to clean EVERYTHING!!! i think he would have washed us kids in gas if he could! mom used to have a fit tho, he used to wash engine parts outside and have a cigarette dangling out of his mouth...she swore he would blow the whole place up!

[Sessy]

Yep that does look *mostly* right, except mine cost about 25 dollar more - but those could be just import-taxes into the European Union - and it has an all-gold middle part. It's too dark to make a photo right now here.
I got it from this store, but the one in the picture is not the one I have: http://members.aon.at/fbaierl/RTS.pdf
it looks like this is the one, but the page this google link linked to is no longer available: http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:v1gFMGTuFNXLUM:http://www.skate-connection.com/figursk8/figacces/goldmspin_220.jpg

I like the way that you need little push for it. Just like on ice! I can't really spin on the ball of my foot though, the ball ends up just past the middle so my heel is a little on the side of the spinner, because my ankles don't have the stability otherwise. I can't do it like on the manual. But it does help for on-ice greatly anyway so I guess that's not a big problem.

Carburator cleaning stuff - my bf uses that for spraying on computers before spray-painting them different, cool colors... I'm kinda afraid it will eat my entire spinner away, LOL! :mrgreen: Aren't there tiny little roller balls inside there or something?

[spinnerguy]

Hello SESSY.
It would help if I would know if your spinner is the GOLD MEDAL brand, and if it is, which of the 2 models. Please let me know by giving a good description (color and shape, or a picture) and I will be happy (and able) to give you help.
Regards

spinnerguy

[Sessy]

Thanks but it's already been taken care of :)

[spinnerguy]

...would you mind telling spinnerguy what you have done with it to get it right?
"he" may have a better idea for the next time...

[Sessy]

I made puppy eyes at my boyfriend. :halo: