Ultrasonic cleaners

[Nemrod]

Does anybody use these. I had a little one but it was not very useful so I saw one at Harbor Freight, a store I rarely visit because it stinks of Chinese cardboard, but every know and then what can I say.

So, it is pretty strong, it seems, one regulator it removed the chrome . But that regulator had issues with the chrome anyways. One regulator I acquired had a dirt dauber nest in it, it removed that pretty quick.

The white vinegar soak can be reduced perhaps though I do not think it will remove verdigris without the vinegar soak first. Maybe if I use it with Simple Green in the cleaner tub?

What is the collective thought on these?

Uh, no, it is not vintage, though I do often feel like I am working with stone tools and wood sticks.

Nem

[Bryan]

I use one almost daily.....Mine didn't cost a lot and has been running for more than two years. Be sure where you buy it they will sell you extra baskets because the wire baskets will get eaten up if you use it all the time. I believe this is the actual one I have...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-PRO-160-WAT ... 4d07ea10db

I use a bit of simple green and an ultrasonic cleaner from GMC but you can use a tiny amount of vinegar in a pinch.....Don't run it too long or your chrome will come off.Don't put plastic or rubber in them either....What it does best is get in all the tiny areas that are hard to reach and get them clean. Rinse Rinse Rinse your parts after you take them out. Change the chemicals often and don't store it full of chemicals. Oh and don't store your wire baskets in the solution.

[Nemrod]

Bryan, thanks. Believe it or not that is exactly the one I have. They are on sale at HF for I think 74.95 or something. Hey, my adult autism makes it hard for me to remember numbers . But, mine has a plastic basket and it also has a heater element in it.

Is there anything special about the baskets that I cannot just find something that works with little feet on it?

Why not rubber parts?

So, they do remove chrome? Not sure I like that! It only did it on one old regulator second stage that was already pretty flakey.

Cool, I like it then

James

[Herman]

I use a similar one from HF. It does a good job. I found some plastic baskets in an office supply store dollar rack that do a nice job as alternatives to the factory one. I use a 50/50 vinegar solution most of the time but do limit the time depending on the condition of the reg. I don't see a problem putting the plastic/rubber parts in the cleaner, just use dishwashing soap instead of vinegar.

[Nemrod]

It says you can use it for cleaning watches and I know people do use them for that but it seems to me that a mechanical movement watch (auto or hand wound) would possibly be ruined by it. Would it damage the movement, the jewels etc? That is probably a question for our watch geeks I suppose.

Nem

[Drado]

It says you can use it for cleaning watches and I know people do use them for that but it seems to me that a mechanical movement watch (auto or hand wound) would possibly be ruined by it.

I've used mine on some of my watches (water resistant) - amazing how much gunk can come out from around the watch band links. Use it for my wife's jewelry as well - though I've heard that using pearls in one is a definite no-no, and even some degree of care must be used with diamonds if there's a large inclusion or imperfection in the stone.

As for my regs, since the one I have is a lot smaller than what was featured, I end up having to rotate the parts in the basket... Maybe its time to invest in a bigger one!

[Bryan]

Bryan, thanks. Believe it or not that is exactly the one I have. They are on sale at HF for I think 74.95 or something. Hey, my adult autism makes it hard for me to remember numbers . But, mine has a plastic basket and it also has a heater element in it.

Is there anything special about the baskets that I cannot just find something that works with little feet on it?

Why not rubber parts?

So, they do remove chrome? Not sure I like that! It only did it on one old regulator second stage that was already pretty flakey.

Cool, I like it then

James

Every regulator class I have attended lately including the Genesis class on Wednesday have said.... Do not clean plastic parts in an ultrasonic cleaner... Could be nothing to it but I have never chanced it.
If you use a strong solution and run for several cycles it will take off chrome.

When I have an especially grungy regulator I take it apart and soak the parts in simple green and hot water overnight. After that I use a bolt brush(heavy bristle nylon tooth brush )on threads and hard to reach areas. After that 4 minutes in the ultrasonic cleaner usually does the trick.

[Nemrod]

Thanks, I will heed that warning and not use in on plastic and rubber at least until I understand more about it.That is good info. I picked the thing up on a whim, I was at HF to get a tool to make another tool from for work and saw it there, what the heck. I did not buy this cleaner just for regulators, I am always building and making and fixing things, hopefully I will get some use from it.

Nem

[ebj]

I bought the largest capacity cleaner I thought I would ever need. I got a good deal on ebay for a Fisher Scientific FS30 which holds about a gallon of cleaner. It also has a drain valve on one side which makes emptying after use very easy. I can fit a complete DH reg in by itself or several first and second stages.
I use a solution of salt-x for most of my heavy duty cleaning. My cleaner doesn't have a heater, but the ultrasonic action heats the water fairly quickly. I can also use hot water when I first mix the cleaning solution. The warmer the water you have the faster it seems to clean. I also use a mixture of crystal simple green to clean valves, fittings and regs for O2 service. It does a great job and doesn't leave the part with that simple green smell.
Nemrod. the instructions that came with my unit said not to let any item that you are cleaning touch the bottom or sides of the cleaner. On mine, the ultrasonic pads are connected to the bottom of the cleaner. Something about affecting the cleaning action or absorbing the ultrasonic stuff.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/FISHER-SCIENTIF ... 35c26c6d0b

[Emilio Largo]

I've only used a ultrasonic cleaner occasionally at work for gun parts, so I'm not an expert. However I do know they work great to clean bracelets that have been removed.
Remember it is not advised to clean an entire watch because the case is sealed with rubber o-rings. I can confirm with a friend who is a watchmaker, but only individual watch movement parts may be ultra sonically cleaned. I feel certain that an assembled automatic watch movement is not.

[Douchebag]

A sure fire way to remove chrome from your regs is to put a vinegar solution in it. There are fine US cleaner solutions out there and a small amount of detergent is good to use too if there is grime on it. But the majority of the cleaning effort is done by cavitation of the water NOT The cleaner. The cleaner only acts to solubilize the grease or grime that's there and to keep it from re-depositing on the surface. If you do use a cleaner, remember, a little goes a long way. If you don't believe the efficacy of just water alone try a little test. Take a piece of foil and hang it in the solution of water only. Now turn on the cleaner and let sit for 10 minutes. All those little holes and wrinkles is the cavitation not the added cleaner.

I run a lot of parts through my cleaner with water only. Just be sure to de-gas before you put parts in it.