Now that the RA-axis is completed, I may now begin to renovate the DEC-axis.
The DEC-axis had no ball-bearings or other within itself at all. What a pity, that. There's really no place within the axis to add a ball-bearing assembly, sadly.
In advance, however, I had ordered a 30mm x 47mm x 2mm needle-thrust bearing to grace the very bottom portion of the axis...
But I could only snap it into place, and then dig it back out, initially, as shown.
So, I removed the paint from the well's wall, ground down the wall a bit all round with a cylindrical diamond-bit, polished the surface, and until the bearing spun round freely...
...and with that tooth-pick. For the inner diameter of the bearing, I could not add a shim, like I did for the RA secondary ball-bearing ring, so instead I buffed, smoothed the threaded portion of the DEC-shaft that it would surround. The needle-thrust bearing will be sandwiched between two thicker, 0.020" phosphor-bronze washers as well.
Alas, I could not place the bearing where it really needed to be, and on the opposite side, within the DEC-housing...
...as it would throw everything off from there on up; pity, that, as well. The bearing seats rather nicely there, as you can see, but it was not to be.