Answer the Call: Ultrasonic Cleaners

[Bull]

There are only a handful of threads on here about these devices, and only a couple brands/models covered. I am really hoping to solicit some real-world information from people about what units are a good value and do a good job. eBay has a lot of options, all from brands that I do not recognize. Now that flea market season has started, my cleaning methods are getting real old, real quick.

For example, I picked up five ratchets today. It is going to take me quite a while to soak each one in a tub of Simple Green, then scrub all the pieces with a toothbrush multiple times to get them as clean as I can. I need to get something more efficient in place, and I understand that these ultrasonic devices can do a bang-up job.

So, if you own one, I would really like to hear your opinion as to its quality and value, so that I can pick one from the sea of unfamiliar options. I'd like something that is big enough to at least fit 1/2 ratchets in.

 

[atari]

Well I have a small unit that I picked up out of the scrap pile at work. It is about 6x6x6 of usable space inside and works really well. It is a heated model and it works really well with simple green. I have also used the purple power stuff from the auto parts store but that stuff takes the anodizing off of aluminum. I have used it to clean small carb parts and ratchet internals. We have larger units at work and I have done ratchets with great results. They would shoot me if I did a whole carb. We use Lenium at work but you dont want to kill that many brain cells at once. I would get one thats heated they seem to break up the old grease better. I think mine is an american beauty.

 

[porphyre]

Maselovicislsiikw... whatever his name is. Vise guy. Has one and uses it a lot. Hopefully he'll chime in.

 

[Bull]

Maselovicislsiikw... whatever his name is. Vise guy. Has one and uses it a lot. Hopefully he'll chime in.

I know his was pretty expensive, but yes, I'd like to be reminded of the details.

 

[mjozefow]

Maselovicislsiikw... whatever his name is. Vise guy. Has one and uses it a lot. Hopefully he'll chime in.

ME??????

They are fantastic tools. CREST is the best brand to get, or it is at least the best respected in the smaller, utility cleaners category.

I clean ratchets and stuff all the time, and they work really well. If you put in a splash of vinegar, rust dissolves away nicely. Heat is NOT a necessity as the ultrasonic action warms the water quite quickly. In less than an hour my unit will be quite warm if started with cold tap. I would spend the money on the largest unit possible for your budget. Mechanical timers and lack of heat are a good trade-off for shear size.

My unit is the next one up from this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Crest-7-75-Gall...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eacc5bc19

Mine is an 8.*** gallon. Mechanical timer, non-heated.


I had a little .75gal Sharpertek, and it was a great unit. Made a lot of money cleaning carbs, it financed my new one, end then I sold it to my dad for 50% of what I bought it for. He uses it all the time now.

 

[Mickey_D]

I have a 5 gallon Tru Sweep Crest with a 500 watt driver and 1000 watt heater and it works very well. One thing to watch with aluminum is you can discolor it with ammonia based cleaners at high temperatures.

 

[wbclassics]

1976 Triumph TR6 J-Type OD housing and various sub components. These things always come to us NASTY (British cars do leak lots of oil which tends to crust up and stain aluminum really good over 30+ years).

Cleaned in our 3gallon ultrasonic unit with StripperDR cleaning solution from International Chemical Co in Phila. Bath is heated at ~165-170degF. Our standard cleaning procedure for stuff that must be critically clean is to disassemble, it goes into the standard solvent spray wash cabinet to get the major junk off, it then gets ultrasonic cleaned with StripperDR, and then it finally gets a high pressure hot water rinse. I really like Stripper DR from ICC, it has an emulsion agent in it, so it is easy to keep good fluid seperate from the nasty junk.

I don't think Ultrasonics should be considered a totally laborless operation, we're simily using it to achieve a much higher level of cleaning than we could without. They work extremely well for getting into nooks, crannies and internal passages ways that you have no hope of cleaning by hand. Things like carb bodies and these overdrive housings with the internal hydraulic passage ways.

Kai @ Wishbone Classics

 

[Tom2]

Id love one, but a little too expensive for something I wouldn't use often. I know HF has a little 2.5liter unit for around $50 I've thought about getting. Would probably work with small lawnmower carbs.

 

[holland_patrick]

I just got the HF one as they just pot out a coupon for it.. it was 50 from a normally 80 backs.. I haven't used it but I can give a report after tomorrow when i put it to the test..

 

[ossaguy]

We have the Omegasonics brand at work.We have the next size up from the smallest,I think it's 2 gallons.We use the soap that they recommend,as it's better at 140 degrees,I guess simple green is only good til 120,is what we were told.

Anyway,it works fantastic at cleaning carbs.That's what we use it for,but every now and then I'll toss in all my sockets and let it go a few cycles,they come out squeeky clean.

It was expensive,but worth it.It's paid for itself.

I know Omegasonics has a website,I think they show one that Jay Leno uses in his garage.What a garage that is,huh?

Steve

 

[Salem747]

I have one of the ebay weird named chinese ones. It is about 7 gallons. I think it was around $300.

I started using regular detergents but did more research and found that the most important feature of ultrasonic solutions is degassed. The dissolved gases in the water make the ultrasonic action less effective.

I bought a few different solution concentrates (powder & liquid) from Branson. There are various strengths as some can cause pitting on softer metals like Al. These solutions also have degreasing aids.

It's amazing to watch it work. You put in a piece of jewelry or something that "looks" clean and a cloud of greasy black junk comes off of it. I have done some oil pumps and oily engine parts and it works really good.

 

[mjozefow]

For example, I picked up five ratchets today. It is going to take me quite a while to soak each one in a tub of Simple Green, then scrub all the pieces with a toothbrush multiple times to get them as clean as I can. I need to get something more efficient in place, and I understand that these ultrasonic devices can do a bang-up job.

For comparison, that Bonney you sold me was "clean" by most standards. I got a pretty decent cloud of grime to come off of it, even though it looked really clean. You can only get so far by scrubbing.

 

[holland_patrick]

So far I should just bring back the HF one it's been running pretty good for some time not but hasn't removed much from the tools maybe i'm asking too much??? pic's to fallow

 

[Bull]

So far I should just bring back the HF one it's been running pretty good for some time not but hasn't removed much from the tools maybe i'm asking too much??? pic's to fallow

Hmmm...not good. What detergent are you using?

The one fellow on here who made a thread about his got some amazing results!

 

[holland_patrick]

they had one on sale with the machine so i picked that up I'll have to look in to other cleaners..

I'm still running it in there but it's not really doing a bang up job

 

[Bull]

Well, how dirty are the tools? To me, they look only lightly dirty but then with quite a bit of rust, which the machine isn't going to touch unless you add some white vinegar like Mitch suggested.

It might be the pics, but those items just don't seem to have grease and grime on them in the "before" shots.

 

[Tom2]

Yea, I dont know much about USC machines - but they're probably not gonna vibrate off rust. The vinegar idea is a good one. Thanks for the pictures.

This is why I love my sandblaster I blasted a handful of things the other night. It took like 10 minutes, and they were all down to fresh metal. I dont know how I lived without it..

 

[jsantoro]

Here's a float bowl with 15 years of crud. about an 10 cycles in the HF ultrasonic.

 

[Bull]

Here's a float bowl with 15 years of crud. about an 10 cycles in the HF ultrasonic.

Wow. Those are pretty awesome results.

When you are running these, is it safe to let a long part rest on the top of the tank like that?

I know the unit can be damaged if the part rests on the bottom of the tub...at least I think I read that on here at some point.

 

[Stuart in MN]

My brother bought one of the HF ultrasonic cleaners for cleaning motorcycle carburetors, and he reported it does a pretty good job.

 

[mjozefow]

Wow. Those are pretty awesome results.

When you are running these, is it safe to let a long part rest on the top of the tank like that?

I know the unit can be damaged if the part rests on the bottom of the tub...at least I think I read that on here at some point.

Not trying to brag or "one-up" but my machine will clean parts that dirty in about 30mins. My old one would be about two hours. The better the machine, the faster it cleans. Mine is 500 watts of ultrasonic power to ~8.5 gal, I have seen cheapo imports stick a 50W transducer under a 3gal tank. Needless to say you don't clean fast like that!

 

[IndyGarage]

The little harbor freight ones do fine on jewelry, but they wont really clean anything really dirty.

I bought a 1 1/2 gallon sharpertek last year to clean motorcycle carbs. I ordered it with the upgrade transducers - don't know whether it's a really high quality unit, but it will clean up carbs in about 30 mins.

I think the solution you use makes a big difference - for everybody that has one, what's the best cleaning solution you've found?

 

[mjozefow]

The little harbor freight ones do fine on jewelry, but they wont really clean anything really dirty.

I bought a 1 1/2 gallon sharpertek last year to clean motorcycle carbs. I ordered it with the upgrade transducers - don't know whether it's a really high quality unit, but it will clean up carbs in about 30 mins.

I think the solution you use makes a big difference - for everybody that has one, what's the best cleaning solution you've found?

Purple power and a splash of vinegar. Gets everything clean and doesn't break the bank.

 

[Bull]

Mitch, do you think this one is ****?

http://cgi.ebay.com/160-WATT-5-29-P...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item483a800835

I can't justify blowing gonzo dollars when I am going to be cleaning flea market ratchets that I might make $5-10 on. This one at least seems long enough to hold all ratchets except long-handled ones.

 

[mjozefow]

Mitch, do you think this one is ****?

http://cgi.ebay.com/160-WATT-5-29-P...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item483a800835

I can't justify blowing gonzo dollars when I am going to be cleaning flea market ratchets that I might make $5-10 on. This one at least seems long enough to hold all ratchets except long-handled ones.

Dave,

Ya, looks OK. It will likely be just enough to get you hooked. I had a Sharpertek 3L I liked a lot. There are also a few nice used ones on there. You may be able to get a good deal. YOU NEED A BASKET THOUGH, NEVER PUT HEAVY STUFF ON THE BOTTOM. IT WILL RUIN THE MACHINE!

Here is my USC cleaning tools.

 

[Bull]

I considered a used, professional grade unit but even they seem to sell high and of course I feel it is a risk.

What happened to your old unit?

 

[selohssa]

Dave,

B]YOU NEED A BASKET THOUGH, NEVER PUT HEAVY STUFF ON THE BOTTOM. IT WILL RUIN THE MACHINE![/B]

What do you mean by this?

I asked a buddy his opinion about these and he gave me his for free (I guess he did not think much of these). I am trying it right now (there is no basket), it is out in the garage but I am getting a headache even though I am in the house.

I only asked my buddy after reading this thread. Here is another example of how you guys are filling up every square inch of my garage for me.

 

[Bull]

What do you mean by this?

I asked a buddy his opinion about these and he gave me his for free (I guess he did not think much of these). I am trying it right now (there is no basket), it is out in the garage but I am getting a headache even though I am in the house.

One of the other members on here related that because of doing this, he burned out part of his machine. Must be if all the vibrations to the piece being cleaned are transmitted to the body of the tank, internal components get shaken up.

At least, this is my amateurish pieced-together explanation based on what I have heard!

 

[IndyGarage]

Purple power and a splash of vinegar. Gets everything clean and doesn't break the bank.

I bought some of the $50 a gallon stuff with the Sharpertek. It really does work well, but I can't figure out what the heck would be in that stuff for $50 a gallon.

I'll try the purple power and vinegar. What dilution do you use?

 

[selohssa]

Are you supposed to drain the dirty liquid and refill it even if the cleaning is not done yet? It has been just over an hour and it looks very dirty but the tools are not done yet.

 

[RPH]

Check ebay for an "AMSCO" or American Sterilizer units, same company used to be based in Erie,PA. Now owened by Steris. These are hospital grade units and can be found. What ever you buy used, at all costs avoid the tube units, 19kV on the oscillilater tube and frequency is about 18 kHz. It will drive the dogs and you crazy from the noise. Most sold today are solid state units. Yes degas the water for 5 minutes prior to use, this process cleans by implosions plucking the dirt off.

 

[mjozefow]

Are you supposed to drain the dirty liquid and refill it even if the cleaning is not done yet? It has been just over an hour and it looks very dirty but the tools are not done yet.

You can if the mixture is saturated. Just not while it is running.

 

[Tom2]

Mitch, do you think this one is ****?

http://cgi.ebay.com/160-WATT-5-29-P...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item483a800835

I can't justify blowing gonzo dollars when I am going to be cleaning flea market ratchets that I might make $5-10 on. This one at least seems long enough to hold all ratchets except long-handled ones.

Isnt that the $50 HF one? Looks the same. Its 2.5l. A lot of people buy HF stuff and resell on ebay for a profit, I doubt that's the case with that unit - but looks just like it.

It'd be nice if around $150-$200 could get a nice sized one that could at least fit a typical 4bbl carb in it.

 

[mjozefow]

See what you can find in the more professional style Bull. Those are the only ones I've ever used.

Sharpertek is a pretty good brand. Crest is one of the better ones.

 

[scooby074]

Ive used a small Branson (this one was rebranded and sold as Baxter but ive seen them sell as Delco on Ebay) that came from a DR office to clean up a couple carbs. Worked well. But i burned it out by leaving items sitting directly on the bowl while running.

When i get the money, ill likely get a Crest. Larger than the one i had (wich would hardly fit a small carb) with heat.

Crest seems like the cheapest "pro grade" model i can find. Omegasonics and L&R are significantly more for a given size, at least in my limited reasearch

 

[holland_patrick]

Yes that one listed is the HF one...

 

[Bull]

Now hold on here fellas, are you sure that unit I posted is identical to the HF piece? I wrote down the tank dimensions for each of the units, and drew a rectangular outline on cardboard to see the actual size in front of me. I then placed my various 1/2 drive ratchets within the outline to see how they fit. The unit in the eBay link is slightly larger, so that is why I was considering it. Looks like the HF piece would be a bit tight on the diagonal for a 1/2 ratchet.

HF tank size: 9.75L x 5.5W x 3D

eBay tank size: 10.4L x 6.46W x 3.15H

The length and width are really the only measurements I am very concerned with.

Mitch, I'd love to get a professional unit, but the prices are nuts. I looked at the Crest units available, and the smaller ones are too small to fit ratchets and yet still cost hundreds of dollars!

 

[selohssa]

http://edmonton.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-tools-equipment-L-R-Ultrasonic-Cleaner-W0QQAdIdZ203824372

Is this a good buy? The one that I got yesterday drove me crazy with the noise but it did a decent job. I will not be able to handle the headaches in the future so I will buy a good one if I can find it for the right price.

 

[holland_patrick]

It looks like the same one.. but who know are you goign to pay double for a 1/2 inch...LOL

I changed out the fluid and put some CLR and water in there...

 

[scooby074]

http://edmonton.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-tools-equipment-L-R-Ultrasonic-Cleaner-W0QQAdIdZ203824372

Is this a good buy? The one that I got yesterday drove me crazy with the noise but it did a decent job. I will not be able to handle the headaches in the future so I will buy a good one if I can find it for the right price.

I dont know if its a good buy, but it is a good machine. L&R have a good name. They are very pricey units though as you can see