Plastic filament won't work for bearings here, because the bearings must move freely on rods even when twisting pressure is applied.
My main problem is a dire need to make 8 mm bearing seals that actually fit the 8 mm rod. The silly rubber seals that come with cheap bearings have a gap wide enough to allow tiny particles into the bearing.
Any ways to make close-fitting but easy sliding bearing shields out of whatever material?
Thanks.
Design something and print it with TPU filament with an ID a bit smaller than 8mm, that's assuming your 3D printer can handle flexible filament.
8mm valve stem seals.
Viton® fluoroelastomer, Teflon... no silly rubber.
And springs wrap around them. See?
For sliding on a rod, a good seal is a bellows around the rod... which also keeps dust off the sliding surface.
Another traditional method is to use felt (oiled, perhaps) or leather against the sliding surface.
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