Ultrasonic cleaners

[Rockburner]

Talk to me!

Who's got one, is it any good, what else would i need of i bought one, recommend one etc etc


All advice gratefully received as usual.

[Count Steer]

Talk to me!

Who's got one, is it any good, what else would i need of i bought one, recommend one etc etc


All advice gratefully received as usual.

Don't think my experience will be much use. In various labs we had Grant ultrasonics but looking at them they're about 10x the price of stuff on Amazon (1 litre, unheated is over £500 inc VAT )

(One of them seemed to get most use cleaning one of the lab techs specs).

Haven't a clue why they're so expensive, they're not particularly complicated things.

[mangocrazy]

I bought a small (5 litre) ultrasonic cleaner probably about 10 years ago but eventually outgrew it and now also have a 30 litre one. They're basic generic Chinese eBay items, but both work well. The large one would take a bank of IL4 carbs without needing to separate them I think. It certainly swallowed a bank of 4 VFR carbs as one unit. Buy the biggest you can afford and definitely make sure whatever one you buy has a drain tap. In use I found that you need to thoroughly degrease whatever you're putting in the tank first, as the UC is not good at removing oil and grease. Also, dismantle whatever you're cleaning to its smallest components for best cleaning. You can buy little muslin pouches to keep all the small parts of a unit in the same place. eBay sells ultrasonic cleaning fluid for stuff like carbs that works well. Very handy things to have around.

[Mr. Dazzle]

We had one at work (well I say "had", it's still there, I just don't work there any more ) that used some properly nasty super low viscosity fluid - it had to be refrigerated constantly to stop it evaporating away. One guy splashed it in his eye and burned the front covering of his cornea off. That'll teach you to wear PPE.

Tell ya what though, it fucking worked! We'd put stuff covered in sticky uncured epoxy in and it'd come out sparkly clean. It pissed all over dirty carbs In fact they had to put a ban on people doing homers, such was it's popularity.

The fliud itself was probably pretty good at cleaning on it's own, but in combination with the Ultrasonics....*chef's kiss*

[Horse]

We had one to clean Rotring pen nibs. If you know what they are like, you'll know how long ago it was.

It worked, but nor perfectly. Unlike Dazzle, we used just water.

[Druid]

I have a little one, maybe 500ml, it's just big enough to fit a single carb body in. I don't remember how much it was but i wouldn't have paid much for it. It works well, does a good job of cleaning dirt and corrosion, not so good with oil and grease. I use warm water and citric acid, 1 teaspoon of citric acid crystals dissolved in 500ml of water

[Rockburner]

So - need a drain tap (hadn't thought about that, but it makes a lot of sense), probably worth getting one that is 2 or 3 litres or so (5 seems a bit big, would most likely only be doing smaller stuff, eg: single carbs ), and there's options on the fluid used.

Interesting - thanks all!

[mangocrazy]

So - need a drain tap (hadn't thought about that, but it makes a lot of sense), probably worth getting one that is 2 or 3 litres or so (5 seems a bit big, would most likely only be doing smaller stuff, eg: single carbs ), and there's options on the fluid used.

Interesting - thanks all!

Bear in mind that quoted volume is that of the tank. When the basket is in place, usable volume is a lot less, especially on the smaller sizes. My 5 litre tank would take a single carb, but only just. Below a certain size tank there isn't a tap fitted and you just have to pour the solution out, which is a faff and messy.

[Skub]

Mrs.Skub has one for jewellery stuff. She can hear me if I even look at it too long.

[Rockburner]

So - need a drain tap (hadn't thought about that, but it makes a lot of sense), probably worth getting one that is 2 or 3 litres or so (5 seems a bit big, would most likely only be doing smaller stuff, eg: single carbs ), and there's options on the fluid used.

Interesting - thanks all!

Bear in mind that quoted volume is that of the tank. When the basket is in place, usable volume is a lot less, especially on the smaller sizes. My 5 litre tank would take a single carb, but only just. Below a certain size tank there isn't a tap fitted and you just have to pour the solution out, which is a faff and messy.

Found a 10l with a drain on Amazon with a 45% discounted price.... On its way.

[Mr. Dazzle]

If you're talking stuff for the JAP, I doubt you'll need ultrasound. The carbs are so bloody simple you can clean everything with a toothbrush pretty much! Anything you can't, you'll be replacing anyway probs.

[Rockburner]

If you're talking stuff for the JAP, I doubt you'll need ultrasound. The carbs are so bloody simple you can clean everything with a toothbrush pretty much! Anything you can't, you'll be replacing anyway probs.

The passages on the Monobloc are pretty wide I'll admit, and I've had a good go at them, but it all helps.

Also got the Bing for the Puch to clean up, and I'm sure there'll be lots of other little things that need cleaning once the other half realises what I've bought...

[mangocrazy]

So - need a drain tap (hadn't thought about that, but it makes a lot of sense), probably worth getting one that is 2 or 3 litres or so (5 seems a bit big, would most likely only be doing smaller stuff, eg: single carbs ), and there's options on the fluid used.

Interesting - thanks all!

Bear in mind that quoted volume is that of the tank. When the basket is in place, usable volume is a lot less, especially on the smaller sizes. My 5 litre tank would take a single carb, but only just. Below a certain size tank there isn't a tap fitted and you just have to pour the solution out, which is a faff and messy.

Found a 10l with a drain on Amazon with a 45% discounted price.... On its way.

Nice work! You'll be glad of the extra capacity - ya can't beat cubes...

[ZRX61]

To make (most of) the fluid last longer, put small doodads in a ziplock bag with some of the same mix.