"Get Your Bearings"

A simple but helpful tool

Here's a simple tool that is easy to make from an old spoke that will help you if you go so far as to service/repack your bearings.  The looped part is used to scoop individual bearings from their races and the pointy end is handy for dislodging an errant bearing that may have fallen into the channel created by removing the axle.

Make a right angle bend with blunt nosed pliers

This is what it should look like

Bend again

Will look like this

Using hands, bend the long part up

Like so

Keep bending and press the long part into the crook

Cut off half of the remaining spoke

When cutting off the excess spoke, don't be tempted to use a pair of cable cutters.  I've seen numerous pairs of cable cutters in the shop ruined by this practise.

A file works well to sharpen the end of the spoke or if you have access to a grinder, you can do a quick job of it.