I feel foolish once again and hope you can bail me out. Old school JP cup & spindle BB that I was putting back together, and thought I was sure that the bare balls faced outward. But, when I tightened down the adjuster cup, it didn't seem to screw in as far as it should have. There was probably twice the width of a lock ring left.

Uh, turn em around?

For anyone who can't immediately tell which way to insert a bearing cage, just pop it in the cup and spin the cone against it. Or just consider where the ring part of the cage is meant to sit - next to the cone, not rubbing in the cup.

There's only one way that feels like the bearings are doing their job... the other way is just all kinds of wrong.

One good reason for using loose ball bearings: Can't put 'em in backwards.

When you adjust the bearing make sure that there is a preload. You should feel a slight drag when you spin the axle between your fingers.