buddy of mine just got a free ultrasonic parts washer. no instruction, no nothing with it. are these things any good? anyone ever used one? also, he needs to know what sort of solution to use in it.
They are great for cleaning carbs and other smaller items. Years ago before the ban on Freon, we used to use a liquid freon soulution for cleaning stainless steel components before welding them on Mil Spec assemblies. If you don't want it, do you want to sell it?
Believe it or not, I use "Simple Green" in mine..........use it to clean carbs. It's kinda small, like the ones you might find in a hospital. But works great.
Ultrasonic cleaners do a good job on aluminum, stainless and various other metals. You need to change solution according to the metals you are cleaning. A solution for aluminum is normally pretty poor or lousy on steel. A solution for steel, will eat aluminum, all that good stuff. Get your buddy to buy his solution direct from a vendor. Some ultrasonic cleaning solutions can be very unstable, especially during blending. I don't know if there is a basic onesize fits all solution for ultrasonics yet. If there is he's home free, with a damned good cleaner.
I have a 3 gallon unit with electric heat. Gotta love other people's junk I generally use kerosene in it, but have also filled with that yellow carb cleaner stuff from NAPA. It does a great job in the nooks and crannies, but old dirt-soaked grease still needs to be scraped off. There's nothing better for getting ALL the dirt out of bicycle chains. Simple Green sounds like a good idea. Even without the heat on, the ultrasonic energy does raise the temperature of the whatever's in it over time. I assume it would eventually set my kerosene on fire if I left it running long enough. 10 minutes on high with 3 gallons of kerosene raises the temp 5 or 10 degress, I suppose. mmmm...Freon.....used to be common to find a Branson in every machine shop.
Simple green is popular in them. When I mentioned instability I was thinking about electropolishing. Must've been due for a beer. Yep, simple green works good. Quite expensive I guess, but very good for aluminum and alloys. No problems with oils when sending parts for plating. Good system.
thanks for good info guys. he just dropped it off at my house, so maybe i'll get it running this weekend.
yeah, this is a fairly small one i guess. but plenty big for what i'll ever need it for. i'll keep a look out for ya though!
I just found an ultrasonic cleaner,,,Kent-Moore. 9-1/2" Long X 5-1/2" Wide X 3-1/2 Deep.I put a chunk of old magnesium in it w/some simple green. Works bitchen,but it's pretty small.
Make sure you use a basket in it. If the parts touch the basin eventually it will burn up the transducer.
Im kinda like forsakenfew up there,,,no instructions,no nothing. It *does* have a removable stainless tray that keeps the goodies from touching the bottom.Im reaserching its history.
forsakenfew, I agree with most everybody "Simple Green" works great, I also use "409" it works good on lots of items. Be Cool Cruiser 49
I have a 20 gallon one its huge works great I use mineral spirits in mine I just dont use mine much thinkin of sellin it and yes it really is 20 gallons
there isn't much to know. A few safety thing like never put a flamible liquid in it regardless who tells you to . for one it atomizes kero and carb cleaner into the air and it will explode in your face and or damage your lungs. and it also heats as it vibrates even without a heater so you have hot atomized fuel in the air and a smoke in your mouth. Well you can figure that out. the same for casutics. never put your hands in to clean them. it can damage bone and tissue as well as bone marrow and will find every little area that has arthritus you have in your hands and it hurts like hell. it must be atleat 3/4 full at all time while turned on. don't rest items on the bottom or sides. Don't put your wife jewerly in it unless you want to pay a jeweler to put the stones back in, if you didn't crack them. other than that nothing to it.
FSFew, I have been fortunate to have a great job working with ultrasonic cleaners for 25 years now. The others are dead nuts correct, you are not supposed to use any flammable or "low flash-point" combustible solvents in one. Try to minimize plastic or sound absorbing materials in the solution, they dampen some of the sound energy. Keep things off the bottom and preferably, for a 40 kHz system, keep them 2" or more off the bottom. Don't drop anything on the bottom, it will debond the transducers. Use most water-based solutions at around 120 to 140 degrees F for optimum cleaning. If it is 20 kHZ unit, use ear muffs. Simple Green is nice and neutral, 409 is good too. The "Purple Power" solutions are strong (caustic/alkaline) and will be tough on aluminum. I mix up a solution of dishwashing soap with a trace of ammonia to do some things like jewelry. Too much alkalinity will get after aluminum so be careful. If you are so inclined, go to Oakite Chemetall's website. Try to get a sample of Dynadet if you are cleaning steel or st. steel. Oakite Rustripper kicks for stripping rust. You can use Oakite NST for cleaning aluminum. Our cleaning cycles are usually around 5 minutes long. For tight areas, use a syringe to get air out of holes so solutions can get in. The rule of thumb is if the depth of a hole to its diameter is greater than 10:1, it is tough to get the ultrasonic energy in and contaminants out. For small holes, use the syringe. Hope these addtional tips help. Holler if you need more specifics, be glad to share. Tom
at my old job, i ran a wire edm. we used to clean parts we made, and parts of the machine in an ultrasonic cleaner. a mixture of toilet bowl cleaner and water seemed to work about the best for us.
I found this on another website, warning about using some simple greens with aluminum, but others are OK: http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_7/633271_Simple_Green_and_Ultrasonic_Cleaners_for_BCG_cleaning.html Simple Green and aluminum do not mix. Becareful with it on your upper and lower because it will cause embrittlement. They do make aircraft grade Simple Green that will not damage aluminum. The regular stuff is safe on steel and your BCG. I use it full strength in my ultrasonic tank and re-use it a few times too. http://www.simplegreen.com/solutions_faqs.php?search_query=aluminum SG does make a aluminum safe cleaner, Simple Green Aircraft clean. It doesn't have the dye and perfume either. I use Simple Green HD Pro. It is suppose to be ok on aluminum and is cheaper then the aircraft version. From the website Use Simple Green Pro HD in a general cleaning dilution on floors, painted surfaces, aluminum, stainless or polished steel, chrome, plastics, vinyl, canvas, cabinets, counters, stove tops, refrigerators, sinks, showers, tile, and more. You can get it at Home Depot. SG HD user here as well. And I do indeed dilute it 50/50.. Works great.
Simple Green is fine on aluminum as long as you thoroughly rinse it off, don't let it dry, and don't leave aluminum in it for hours. It got the bad rep on aluminum and aircraft because some military air crews were using it for casual cleaning and allowing it to run into non-accessible areas where it eventually seriously damaged the metal. At least one fatal plane crash was linked to it, and several Guard helicopters had unrepairable airframe damage. So the FAA banned it's use which led to the development of the 'aircraft' SG. Pinesol mixed 50/50 with water works pretty good also, but you do have to rinse well. If you want a good non-toxic carb cleaner, Yamaha make a carb cleaner that's safe for all metals, most coatings, and all rubber parts.
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