24 Tatula Full Bearing Tune: Adding Two Bearings to the Handle

The handle only has one bearing at the tip, and the base uses a resin bushing as shown in the photo. We will replace this with a 740 ZZ bearing.

Use a thin hex wrench to hook and pull out the cap, then remove the screw, which has plenty of Loctite on it.

I thought it would be a breeze, but when I tighten the screw firmly, the handle doesn't spin well. It feels like the outer diameter of the bearing is being squeezed. I think I did this last time too, so I'll reduce the size of the shim. Bottom right shows the stock resin bushing and shim. Top left shows the bearing and the shim I'm replacing it with this time. I wasn't sure about the thickness, but I went with a 0.2mm one with a 5mm outer diameter and 4mm inner diameter. If it's too thick, the tip side might fall short and become too tight, I suppose. Hobby shops sell assortments with various thicknesses, and keeping some in stock is really useful for all kinds of applications.

With this, the handle knobs now spin super freely too. Though, I doubt this part has that much of an impact on the actual winding feel.