also, some cassettes are very tight (e.g. IPK). Heat gun will do the trick, they need a fraction of a hair worth of extra clearance for the bearing to easily fall off or get back in
I did not get pictures because my hands were so filthy, but it worked like an absolute charm. Bearings went from not spinning at all to free spinning for 30 seconds or longer. Soaked in ultrasonic cleaner with water and degreaser for 20 minutes at 60C, and then sprayed with WD40 while spinning then hit with compressed air, and they were as good as new
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You’re now at the point where I pack them with a nano-ceramic grease.
True, I also think he’s at the point where many of us would have thrown it in the trash for a new set 
If there’s enough crud to lock it, it can’t be good
frugal karting 
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Wow! did the bearings have seals or were they open cage?
I had a similar problem with my sons Nitro (Parolin). I ended up sanding the inside surface of the cassette to give more clearance. Go a little bit at a time. I still always have to use an axle to remove and put in bearings but the cadet ones were noticeably different.
2 of them had the little rubber seals but i removed them while soaking. and one of them had a non removable metal seal (sorry about my lack of knowledge of the parts) but they all cleaned just as well
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i usually clean whatever grease that’s in a new bearing out, as well, and replace with new grease. do i really need to, probably not, but it doesn’t take long and i’m sure the new grease is good for a few tenths. at least in my mind it is, lol.
Instead of using brake cleaner and dealing with it hurting the frame’s powdercoat, I use starting fluid to clean out the grid. It is usually highly pressurized and comes out with a ton of thrust. A bit softer on the frame too. After I flush the bearings out, I’ll spray a good amount of Tri-flow into them until they are running smooth and quiet. I usually do this a couple times throughout race day as well.