Other All things Ultrasonic, which brand, which solutions, solvent ratios, etc

[OCD Solutions]

I just burnt up my Hornady branded 3l Stainless Steel Ultrasonic cleaner and am on the hunt for a new one that will last more than a few seasons.

It worked great right up until it melted the power supply but I am hesitant to buy another without doing some more research.

They all look alike but the price tag can vary from $100 to $450 on what appears to be an identical unit.

I'm leaning towards a commercial Kendal but I'd hate to pay more for something that isn't really any better.

So, for those that use them, what brand/size do you use and what has been your experience?

On the topic of solutions, I have been using a 25% mix of Purple Power with decent enough results.

 

[Kyle Chandler]

I can't remember what brand mine is, but as far as solutions I use 50/50 water and simple green. Works great for me.

 

[96superjet]

Newb question. What kind of parts are you cleaning with ultrasonic bath? Cast aluminum parts?


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[OCD Solutions]

I clean anything from grommets and coils to old ski hardware, carbs etc.

I also use it to dye nylon plastics. A little Rit dye and 180F does wonders.

 

[96superjet]

Hypothetical question. If one had a 61x cylinder with SUPER rusty and crusty sleeves which make you nervous about baking them out. Would an ultrasonic bath knock the significant amount of rust off the outside of the sleeves and allow them to be baked out more easily?


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[OCD Solutions]

Possibly, but a sonic tank large enough to do such a thing is 3-4 times the cost of a brand new cylinder.

 

[scotts2t]

50/50 simple green and water in a solid tech. It's a 2l I believe, just big enough to fit a carb. Works great for us.

 

[OCD Solutions]

I just pulled the trigger on another Hornady Magnum cleaner. I contacted them about getting parts for my old one but it's been discontinued for a few years now. They bent over backwards to get me a deal on a new one so I couldn't be happier.

This time I went with the 7 liter model so I may get to answer the question of will it work on a cylinder. I even have a crusty 650 cylinder here I can experiment on...one side at a time...

http://www.hornady.com/store/Lock-N-Load-Sonic-Cleaner-7L-110-VT/

 

[Quinc]

What parts do you notice the biggest differences on with heat vs no heat.

 

[OCD Solutions]

I run heat on anything plastic like coils or connector bodies.

The process generates its own heat so things get warm even if you don't turn the heat on.

If you run things like stators with heat, it discolors the metal components. The solution plays a part as well but the heat makes it much worse.

 

[badvinny]

Hypothetical question. If one had a 61x cylinder with SUPER rusty and crusty sleeves which make you nervous about baking them out. Would an ultrasonic bath knock the significant amount of rust off the outside of the sleeves and allow them to be baked out more easily?


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Love the new tank, in regards to 96superjet, if a cylinder is that crusty it needs a rebore anyway.

 

[Jetfiend]

That 7L Hornady is at Amazon for $269 (Hornady $425)

https://www.amazon.com/Hornady-Lock...492313231&sr=1-12&keywords=ultrasonic+cleaner

The 2L is $84

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007TNX9ZE/ref=pd_luc_rh_sbs_03_01_t_img_lh?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I have a crappy HF sonic cleaner, seems to work okay for small parts. Purple power 50/50 seems to work well.

 

[john zigler]

Subscribed......

 

[OCD Solutions]

The new sonic cleaner is badass!!!

14 coils in one batch and I still have enough room that I could have run a second layer.

The cycle time is only 30 mins but they came out cleaner after one cycle than they used to after 2 1hr cycles in my old unit.

And the sound! This unit has 3 transducers and puts out a fraction of the sound the old unit did with only 2.

Before;

After;

 

[john zigler]

Just got the same one, and have used it on carbs, works amazing!! Going to try 50/50 windex / water for a solution. Have been using purple power at 50/50

 

[OCD Solutions]

Read the labels on whatever product you try next. Quite a few de-greasers say not to use them on aluminum, including purple power.

I did a test on a crusty old 650 cylinder and an old stator yesterday with my 20% solution of purple power and it blackens the aluminum.

I have a bunch of the Hornady One-shot stuff here meant for aluminum firearms so I bet it works wonders on corrosion and aluminum.

 

[37]

Strong acids and strong bases can blacken aluminum or cause the surface to oxidize from improper pH levels. Any solvent/cleaner/degreaser has to be formulated specifically for aluminum or you'll destroy parts, even with dilution. On the mechanical side, aluminum is porous and doesn't like to be in ultrasonics for a long time. Don't use ultrasonics to strip paint or other heavy tasks on aluminum parts. Stick to short cleanings and use the right chemical. And, stop using Purple Power on aluminum, period.

Test using aluminum foil or aluminum cutoffs if you're a fabricator. If the aluminum changes color at all during cleaning then you're likely causing damage. It's a sure sign of improper pH in your mixture.

It doesn't hurt to then do a short cleaning of your aluminum parts in distilled water to clean off whatever chemicals you just used.

 

[bird]

I used 50 Vinegar/50 filtered water with some dawn dish soap to clean up my Mercury 25hp Carburetor two weekends ago. I let the parts dry in the sun for a half hour, rebuilt the carb, and was driving the boat to dinner that night.

Aluminum foil became etched in my parts cleaner with just water. I don't think it's a valid way to test mixtures.

 

[OCD Solutions]

Aluminum foil became etched in my parts cleaner with just water. I don't think it's a valid way to test mixtures.

It is if you are testing the PH of your household water supply.

 

[OCD Solutions]

I had a good candidate for testing this weekend. I used a 10:1 solution of Simple Green to see if it discolors the aluminum but it did not seem to effect it at all.

I ran two 30 minute cycles at 140F and gave it a light rinse with a stiff parts brush afterwards.