Ultrasonic cleaning video

[parrisw]

Ya, no biggie, cleaning out the sludge is good I guess.

In the posted video, they did that, used another container they floated in the main container.

 

[blsnelling]

Here's what looks like the same unit here in the States. LINK

 

[Lakeside53]

Guess I should have looked at the video!


Oh... If you float a coffee pot full of small parts, make sure it doesn't flip upside down.. into the sludge :bang: :bang: :bang:

 

[Lakeside53]

That's pretty small for saw work...

 

[parrisw]

That's pretty small for saw work...

Ya I know it wont fit a whole saw, but I can't afford $600-$1000 for one, just for personal use. Even $250 is a bit much for the amount I might use it.

 

[adkranger]

Not an ultrasonic..............

...........but has anyone used a tumbler for hard parts, like bolts, mufflers and such. I know carbs and delicate items would be out. I've got two tumblers one bench top that I use for shells and I picked up a really nice floor model from a garage sale for $20, even has buckets, hoses and mount for adding cleaning solutions to tumbler drum. I was considering trying it out..............just wondering if it's worth it.

 

[FXST]

sorry If I missed something but- So a small unit for carbs doesnt need to be heated because the ultra sonic waves create heat on their own? so a cheapy harbor freighter without heat would do an adequate job? or is it worth the extra $$$ for a heated unit.... thanks.

 

[oneoldbanjo]

I have a vibrating tumbler that I use for cleaning up old rusty bolts. There is a media of ceramic triangles that gets the rust off and leaves the finish somewhat dull, then a media of crushed corncobs is used to polish them up. Then you send them to the plater and they come back looking like new (provided that the pitting was not deep). The vibrating tumbler would not clean grease or sawdust off very well and I always clean and degrease the parts before I put them in the tumbler. The tumbler works very well on cleaning up rusty hardware like dogs, sprockets, bolts, mufflers, etc prior to painting or plating.

I have the usual 10 gallon parts cleaner that you can get with the little pump and spout and it is filled with Stoddard Solvent or Mineral Spirits - the kind of parts washer that has too strong of a flow and it splashes solvent all over the shop and you while you are cleaning parts (I need to install a valve to reduce the flow). An ultrasonic cleaner would be nice to have.

 

[FXST]

One trick I used before I got my small unit for carbs etc:


You really need a second ($40-65) small unit for carbs - just so you can keep the solution clean at all time.

Heater? - Na... the Ultrasonic energy heats the solution pretty quicky in the bigger units.


I use 4:1 diluted purple cleaner in the big unit, and Coleman fuel in the smaller - yes, it's flammable.

so I can get away without the heater??

 

[Lakeside53]

yes.

 

[FXST]

Thank You!!!

 

[parrisw]

In that video, when they cleaned the pipe wrench, they put it in a bowl with a different cleaning solution, any idea on what they used.

Oh, BTW, I ordered one of those 6.5l Ultrasonic cleaners. Will let ya all know how it goes.

 

[phillipmc]

I sometimes get an old wash tub fill it full of tap water and sit it on the hot coals left over from the fire we have outside almost everynight its a fairly hard boil and it normally cleans stuff up good

 

[parrisw]

I sometimes get an old wash tub fill it full of tap water and sit it on the hot coals left over from the fire we have outside almost everynight its a fairly hard boil and it normally cleans stuff up good

I thought you were beginning to tell us how you bathe yourself!!!

 

[adkranger]

I have a vibrating tumbler that I use for cleaning up old rusty bolts. There is a media of ceramic triangles that gets the rust off and leaves the finish somewhat dull, then a media of crushed corncobs is used to polish them up. Then you send them to the plater and they come back looking like new (provided that the pitting was not deep). The vibrating tumbler would not clean grease or sawdust off very well and I always clean and degrease the parts before I put them in the tumbler. The tumbler works very well on cleaning up rusty hardware like dogs, sprockets, bolts, mufflers, etc prior to painting or plating.

Yup, that's just the kind of stuff I was thinking of, rusty/crusty parts. I have an air gun and old toothbrushes for the oil-encrusted saw dusty parts. Then hit 'em with the purple cleaner. Still very messy and time consuming, but it's the journey not the destination.(not that I wouldn't mind one of these ultrasonics though )

I do plenty of tumbling of rifle shells, have plenty of walnut and cob medium. Do you have a name for the ceramic stuff? I'd like to look into harder medium for steel parts.

 

[oneoldbanjo]

The ceramic stuff can be obtained from Eastwood - however I got mine from Graingers a little cheaper. I just looked at the Graingers website and could not find them - however I am sure they are in the catalog and I have a new one coming in the mail. You can also get them from anyplace that sells stuff to the rock polishing people (lapidary?), as they use them for polishing stone.

The thing that people are somewhat secretive about is that even for metal parts you need to add a little water to the ceramic pieces while tumbling. Put the ceramic pieces and metal parts in the tumbler and add just enough water that everything is slightly damp - but no standing water is present. While tumbling parts a foamy slurry will be made from the water and loose pieces of rust and ceramic. You need to buy enough media so that the pieces are completely covered in media and not bouncing around uncovered. As the ceramic wears the sharp corners will get rounded off and I suppose they will become less effective - but I have used mine an awful lot and they still work fine. When the parts are as clean as you want them rinse them off in hot water and dry them off and they are ready for painting - or put them in the ground corncob media for polishing. (Rinse all the foam off the media and let it dry in a bucket - it will not mold).

Parts that are to be zinc, silver or yellow cadmium plated can be barrel plated and look just like the factory bolts. The barrel platers usually have a minimum charge of about $ 80 for plating anything up to about a 5 gallon bucket full. Parts that are too big for barrel plating need to be done by hand and the price goes up for that. I have used the process for restoring several cars and motorcycles and it works very well - and there are usually enough parts in a car or a couple of motorcyles that the plating charge is not too bad. For a single saw project it would be kind of pricey.

 

[adkranger]

The ceramic stuff can be obtained from Eastwood - however I got mine from Graingers a little cheaper. I just looked at the Graingers website and could not find them - however I am sure they are in the catalog and I have a new one coming in the mail. You can also get them from anyplace that sells stuff to the rock polishing people (lapidary?), as they use them for polishing stone.

The thing that people are somewhat secretive about is that even for metal parts you need to add a little water to the ceramic pieces while tumbling. Put the ceramic pieces and metal parts in the tumbler and add just enough water that everything is slightly damp - but no standing water is present. While tumbling parts a foamy slurry will be made from the water and loose pieces of rust and ceramic. You need to buy enough media so that the pieces are completely covered in media and not bouncing around uncovered. As the ceramic wears the sharp corners will get rounded off and I suppose they will become less effective - but I have used mine an awful lot and they still work fine. When the parts are as clean as you want them rinse them off in hot water and dry them off and they are ready for painting - or put them in the ground corncob media for polishing. (Rinse all the foam off the media and let it dry in a bucket - it will not mold).

Parts that are to be zinc, silver or yellow cadmium plated can be barrel plated and look just like the factory bolts. The barrel platers usually have a minimum charge of about $ 80 for plating anything up to about a 5 gallon bucket full. Parts that are too big for barrel plating need to be done by hand and the price goes up for that. I have used the process for restoring several cars and motorcycles and it works very well - and there are usually enough parts in a car or a couple of motorcyles that the plating charge is not too bad. For a single saw project it would be kind of pricey.

Cool, good post. Sure beats just winging it. Grainger catalog huh? We've got those at work, will look it up.

You just shortened my learning curve, thanks.

 

[parrisw]

Got the Ultrasonic cleaner today, got a couple small parts in it now. Will post before and after pics soon. Stand by.

 

[parrisw]

Parts are done, I did 2 15 min cycles. I used Castrol super clean, mixed with water, 8 parts water 1 part superclean. The parts are really squeaky clean.

I never realized how loud this thing is, well its not that its loud, I guess its the frequency, it actually bothers my ears. Doesn't help that I have a head cold as well. But anyway, I'm very happy with it.

 

[blsnelling]

So this is the $250 unit of eBay? Would it hold a saw case half?