Ultrasonic Cleaners
- Skub
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Ultrasonic Cleaners
Any recommendations?
I was looking at this one. It'll probably be used for things the size of carburettors,etc. Also any heads up on the best cleaning fluid?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B087JFRYM6? ... 9jm5u5eqkv
I was looking at this one. It'll probably be used for things the size of carburettors,etc. Also any heads up on the best cleaning fluid?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B087JFRYM6? ... 9jm5u5eqkv
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- Rockburner
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Re: Ultrasonic Cleaners
LOL - I bought the 10l one only last year.
(eek - that was in '23!
) (Which they seem to have stopped selling). FWIW I think you'd struggle to get a carb body into the smaller ones. I'd go for at least 5L. Mine is 10L and would take an entire Amal Monobloc with room to spare, but it's actually not as deep as you might think.
Looks like the prices have sky-rocketed.... I only paid £110 for my 10l.

I would say bring your stuff over here ..... but that's a bit of a trek for you!
IIRC I found that this stuff got good reviews and recommendations :
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00 ... UTF8&psc=1
De-ionised water
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00X30OJWO? ... asin_title
These are also handy for tiny stuff.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0B ... UTF8&psc=1
Re the de-ionised water - I "believe" you can "grow your own" if you have a de-humidifier - but I've not tried it yet.
Looks like the prices have sky-rocketed.... I only paid £110 for my 10l.

I would say bring your stuff over here ..... but that's a bit of a trek for you!
IIRC I found that this stuff got good reviews and recommendations :
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00 ... UTF8&psc=1
De-ionised water
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00X30OJWO? ... asin_title
These are also handy for tiny stuff.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0B ... UTF8&psc=1
Re the de-ionised water - I "believe" you can "grow your own" if you have a de-humidifier - but I've not tried it yet.
non quod, sed quomodo
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Mr. Dazzle
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Re: Ultrasonic Cleaners
Re: de-isonised water and dehumidifiers.
I've got a dehumidifier to make my washing dry quicker. Obviously the question "what does this water taste like?" entered my silly little brain when I emptied it.
Exactly like battery top up water, can confirm.
You shouldn't drink ONLY deionised water BTW, but a taste won't hurt you
I've got a dehumidifier to make my washing dry quicker. Obviously the question "what does this water taste like?" entered my silly little brain when I emptied it.
Exactly like battery top up water, can confirm.
You shouldn't drink ONLY deionised water BTW, but a taste won't hurt you
- Rockburner
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Re: Ultrasonic Cleaners
Mr. Dazzle wrote: Mon Jan 13, 2025 9:52 am Re: de-isonised water and dehumidifiers.
I've got a dehumidifier to make my washing dry quicker. Obviously the question "what does this water taste like?" entered my silly little brain when I emptied it.
Exactly like battery top up water, can confirm.
You shouldn't drink ONLY deionised water BTW, but a taste won't hurt you![]()
I'm not sure what's more worrying....
that you've tasted the water out of your dehumidifier... or that you've drunk battery water!
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Mr. Dazzle
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- Skub
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Re: Ultrasonic Cleaners
Mmm. I'd imagined the 3l model would take a carb,but they don't give any other dimensions,so maybe best err on the side if caution and go for bigger. 6l is next,then 15l. I'll have a think about that.
On the plus side,I empty plenty of water from the dehumidifier down the drain,so that would be a neat recycling trick. Do you add in any cleaner to the water,or will the ultrasonic clean it without?
On the plus side,I empty plenty of water from the dehumidifier down the drain,so that would be a neat recycling trick. Do you add in any cleaner to the water,or will the ultrasonic clean it without?
"Be kind to past versions of yourself that didn't know what you know now."
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Re: Ultrasonic Cleaners
I'd imagine the cleaning solution would chemically eat away at the grime, while the ultra-sonics act as a "catalyst" to that action, so yeah - using the solution would be beneficial.Skub wrote: Mon Jan 13, 2025 10:42 am Mmm. I'd imagined the 3l model would take a carb,but they don't give any other dimensions,so maybe best err on the side if caution and go for bigger. 6l is next,then 15l. I'll have a think about that.
On the plus side,I empty plenty of water from the dehumidifier down the drain,so that would be a neat recycling trick. Do you add in any cleaner to the water,or will the ultrasonic clean it without?
non quod, sed quomodo
- Rockburner
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Re: Ultrasonic Cleaners
If I remember... I'll probably try that next time I use the thing. The whole cleaning out of the entire "sink" did bother me and I do remember thinking "there must be a better way to do this...".rusty wrote: Mon Jan 13, 2025 11:12 am I've had one of the 10 litre Vevor ones for a coupe of years and it's been pretty good.
To save a fortune on the cleaning solution it's worth trying what this guy recommends:
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- Skub
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Re: Ultrasonic Cleaners
rusty wrote: Mon Jan 13, 2025 11:12 am I've had one of the 10 litre Vevor ones for a coupe of years and it's been pretty good.
To save a fortune on the cleaning solution it's worth trying what this guy recommends:
"Be kind to past versions of yourself that didn't know what you know now."
Walt Whitman
https://soundcloud.com/skub1955
Walt Whitman
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Re: Ultrasonic Cleaners
I'm now racking my brains to figure out what lovely foods to buy so I can amass a stock of suitably sized plastic containers.....Skub wrote: Mon Jan 13, 2025 12:05 pmrusty wrote: Mon Jan 13, 2025 11:12 am I've had one of the 10 litre Vevor ones for a coupe of years and it's been pretty good.
To save a fortune on the cleaning solution it's worth trying what this guy recommends:
I just watched that an hour ago. Some cool tips in there.
non quod, sed quomodo
- mangocrazy
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Re: Ultrasonic Cleaners
I've got a small(ish) 10 litre ultrasonic cleaner and a 30 litre one. The 10 litre comfortably takes a single carb, the 30 litre comfortably takes a bank of 4 VFR carbs while still bolted together in a V. Dunno if it would manage a bank of IL4 carbs or not.
One thing I discovered early on is that you need to properly degrease any items before you put them in the cleaner, as it hardly touches grease. Give anything greasy a really good going over with your solvent of choice and make sure they are free of any grease residues. then dump them in the ultrasonic tank. Carb cleaning fluid for ultrasonic cleaners is available on eBay.
One thing I discovered early on is that you need to properly degrease any items before you put them in the cleaner, as it hardly touches grease. Give anything greasy a really good going over with your solvent of choice and make sure they are free of any grease residues. then dump them in the ultrasonic tank. Carb cleaning fluid for ultrasonic cleaners is available on eBay.
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Mr. Dazzle
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Re: Ultrasonic Cleaners
We used to have one full of degreaser at my old place. It was refrigerated so the fluid would stay in the tank and not evaporate away to gas anyone standing nearby 
Worked a treat on almost anything.
Worked a treat on almost anything.
- Druid
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Re: Ultrasonic Cleaners
I have a 750ml cleaner, it is just about big enough for a single carb. For cleaning I use citric acid crystals dissolved in water. Citric acid crystals are cheap and available from chemists or home brewing suppliers
Re: Ultrasonic Cleaners
I ended up using Ikea ziplock bags with the fluid and the parts inside the bag. Seemed to work well.Rockburner wrote: Mon Jan 13, 2025 12:09 pmI'm now racking my brains to figure out what lovely foods to buy so I can amass a stock of suitably sized plastic containers.....Skub wrote: Mon Jan 13, 2025 12:05 pmrusty wrote: Mon Jan 13, 2025 11:12 am I've had one of the 10 litre Vevor ones for a coupe of years and it's been pretty good.
To save a fortune on the cleaning solution it's worth trying what this guy recommends:
I just watched that an hour ago. Some cool tips in there.
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- mangocrazy
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Re: Ultrasonic Cleaners
One thing to be aware of - citric acid at higher concentrations will not only remove rust, but also zinc plating and passivation. So if your carb bodies are a zinc composite, use low concentrations and check them frequently.Druid wrote: Mon Jan 13, 2025 1:33 pm I have a 750ml cleaner, it is just about big enough for a single carb. For cleaning I use citric acid crystals dissolved in water. Citric acid crystals are cheap and available from chemists or home brewing suppliers
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- mangocrazy
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Re: Ultrasonic Cleaners
I use muslin/string bags to hold small parts. Makes fishing them out a lot easier.
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- ZRX61
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Re: Ultrasonic Cleaners
mangocrazy wrote: Mon Jan 13, 2025 12:27 pm I've got a small(ish) 10 litre ultrasonic cleaner and a 30 litre one. The 10 litre comfortably takes a single carb, the 30 litre comfortably takes a bank of 4 VFR carbs while still bolted together in a V. Dunno if it would manage a bank of IL4 carbs or not.
Easily.
