bluemule 

One of the bonded metal / rubber dust covers on my no-name front hub was somewhat dinged up and not flush when I started repacking the bearings. When it wouldn't seat flush by finger pressure, I finished wrecking it by trying to seat it by gently tapping it with a small hammer and piece of wood. They are too delicate for this. Luckily, I found replacements in the used parts room at LBS. Here's how I persuaded the replacement seal into place without wrecking it.

1 - May be unnecessary, but I put the seal in the freezer to make it as small as possible.
2 - Set the wheel on the bottom of a milk crate so the axle pokes through and the hub is supported
3 - Set the seal on the hub and just barely start it into the seat
4 - Lay a cone wrench flat on top of the seal and press gently to distribute your pressure evenly over most of the circumference. Rotate the wrench and work the seal into place until it is flush.

Bill Kapaun

How about using a deep socket and lightly tapping "object" into place?

Andrew R Stewart 

The side of one's cone wrench, which is already on the workbench just to one's side. For the dust caps that have their "inside the cross-sectional shape" face outwards (like Shimano Freehub bodies do) a socket that fits in the "U" of the dust cap works well. But they are one duct cap that I try to not remove. Andy

bluemule 

It's a good idea about the socket, although given my initial experience trying to "tap" the seal in place, I'm leery of using impact versus pressure with tactile feedback.

I hesitated taking the seals out in the first place, but the bearings were very tight and gritty, with one seal was already half out and a bit bent. Now the hub is clean with well seated covers, and I'll be paying attention to adjustment and condition. So when it needs repacked next time, I'll try leaving the seals in place.

Bill Kapaun

Tapping has worked for me for the last 50+ years in a plethora of mechanical applications. although I'm sure your experience far exceeds mine.

dedhed

Flat washer and tighten the axle nut

bluemule 

Thankee much, guvner. Merry Christmas! [tugs forelock, shuffles away properly chastened]

bluemule 

Nice approach. Gradual, controlled and relentless pressure. Fingers on the washer can give tactile feedback and keep it level to the hub. You can peer at the work from the side to make sure you're seating and not squashing the seal if it gets caught on the edge.

WGB 

Honest questions.

A) was there ever a specific tool to remove the seals?
Asking because I hate trying to clean out long dead dried grease yet if I remove the seals I dent them (meaning ruin them)

B) was there ever a specific tool to re-install the seals? As this thread shows I am not the only one who has this issue. Surely there was a tool bitd.

maddog34

A) Yes.. but they damage the seals... i use an old Dull flat blade screwdriver with rounded edges and a bit of a bend in the TIP of the blade (a hammer and anvil can create that bend) that old dull 6 or 8 inch #2 screwdriver with bent tip also makes a great tire iron :-D....... Lay the driver across the seal, hooked tip under the inside diameter of the seal.. slap the handle, using the hub as a Fulcrum. Out she comes!

B) Yes.. a SEAL INSTALLER ... they come in a kit... they are expensive and not used much unless you do that sort of thing for a living... If you have a socket large enough to span the bore of the hub, use the BACKSIDE of the socket against the seal and insert a Drive Extension as a handle, from the Hex side of the socket... use a light hammer and tap multiple times. the outside of the Hub will act as a stop, setting the installed depth of the seal... Inthe case of theCassette type rear hub, the Cassette side seal is inset to a specific depth... a Socket of correct Outer diameter will work fine.. install that seal AFTER you set the bearing balls in place but before installing the Axle with Cne and Jam Nut previously positioned and jammed in place snugly.... some trial/error may be required... they like to walk sideways sometimes... a quick tug with a hooked pick can set them straight.. hopefully!

Seals that press fit to the Axle Cone require a Socket of the correct diameter to span the seal but not contact the Cone during install... if that type of seal gets pushed too far down, the seal will rub the bearing balls and the results will not be good. Once again, a bit of trial and error is called for.

If a seal still gets bent during removal, the Correct 12 point Socket is used to tap out the dent on a smooth metal surface... this can also flare out the seal lips... be careful when choosing the socket.... a 17mm or 19mm 3/8 drive socket usually fits.

If you have a metal lathe, make a seal installer... or don't waste the time and just use the sockets you already have. ;-)

Surprisingly, the backward Socket and extension look very similar to the SEAL INSTALLERS... and seal removers were most likely invented by the seal makers.

bluemule 

Removal tool
A fulcrum leg added o the hooked screwdriver might help. Fancier version could have a pivot and clamp to change the angle of the fulcrum leg to adjust for different size hubs.

dedhed

Pretty much every stamped metal, press fit oil seal, whether automotive, bicycle, or any other application, is damaged during removal. It's the nature of the product and why they sell replacements. Consider them consumables like brake pads or cables.
On a bicycle hub it's not a high stress bearing application and isn't used to keep lube in, so reuse of a slightly damaged one isn't the end of the world.

bluemule 

I thought that would be the case, but when I went looking for replacements at online bike supplies and at LBS, I expected to be able to get a half dozen for some reasonable small hardware price. But nobody was selling them online or even at my LBS. Ebay offers a few of them as exotic things of incalculable value. I found KOK International, a manufacturer in Taiwan, should I wanted a container full of 'em. I eventually found what I needed by rummaging LBS used parts. Hence this thread. So far, no one's been able to say, "Oh, yeah, [[i]online bike vendor A, B, C, etc.]'s got em for a buck or two, bags of 10 for shops."

dedhed

you learn that shops are not the place to find certain small parts that are common in other industries and go where those people shop.

​​​​​​https://www.motion.com/

​​​​​​https://www.mcmaster.com/

​​​​​​https://www.grainger.com/

WGB 

Thank you. I have destroyed a few of these. I only remove when dealing with rims which have sat long enough to have the grease turn to sludge. I have used the methods described but with poor results. I will watch for a (cheap) seal remover.

Ps. Is this the tool you speak of? Shown on left in photo with two new seals.

I have one (somewhere) ....

bluemule 

That's just a drawing I made for my post, not an actual tool. It wouldn't be difficult to make one with a screwdriver, hammer, anvil, welder and files. If you work on many different types of bikes, maybe a make set with different fulcrum angle or span to fit different size hubs.

But why reinvent fire? Automotive seal / bearing pullers and installation kit. Just fabricate them at a scale appropriate to bicycle hubs. The disks for the installation tool could be formed with a lip to support the sides of the seal at the start of installation, then changed to a flat face for setting it flush. You wouldn't necessarily have to use impact - hand pressure may suffice.

dedhed

I've never used anything but brass drifts, hardwood blocks, or sockets to install bearings and seals in auto or machine applications in my DIY world. I do have a seal puller like this.
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

bluemule 

WGB That bag of seals and nifty puller is exactly the sort of supply I expected would be easy to find at the online bicycle shops and ebay and amazon. But I could find nothing of the sort. Hence my other thread Sourcing bonded dust covers / grease seals. Is that a SUNTOUR logo? Looks vintage…