Vibratory vs ultrasonic cleaners

[crankshaftdan II]

Does anyone care to chime in on which above mentioned tool cleans & degreases/rust for sockets, wrenches,ratchets the best/fastest? Like the HF large 18 lb bowl vibratory vs say a 10"x8"x10" ultrasonic cleaner?? There's probably a big price gap between both machines and I have never heard of anyone using liquid cleaner in the HF one?? I have the smaller 5lb hf unit and have had limited sucess with sand/walnut shells/black beauty on cleaning alum. parts/sockets/small wrenches/pliers etc. I need to replace my bowl as they wear thin with the media pretty fast. Any input appreciated....Cranky

 

[rlitman]

You're comparing a tumbler to an ultrasonic? They work totally differently.
An ultrasonic uses a liquid cleaning medium, with no abrasive required. The sound waves in the liquid force their way into crevices that no tumbler could get into. That's why they're used for jewelry (where you can clean underneath a set stone for example), and watch repair (where you need to clean without leaving a residue behind).

I don't think an ultrasonic would do anything to rust. Or to put it this way, if you put a rusty tool in an ultrasonic cleaner in a rust removing solution, I think you would be hard pressed to tell the difference in cleaning, between when the machine was on or off (except for the fact that the ultrasonic heats the liquid to some extent, and stirs it up a bit, which would accelerate an acid removing rust).
Now for degreasing, it should be excellent, IF you have the right solution in there.

 

[Outlawmws]

Tumblers are not "cleaners" they are polishers. polishing stones, metal parts, and yes they are mildly abrasive to very abrasive, depending on what media is used.

As said above, an Ultrasonic is a cleaner. Loose rust might come off, but not etched in rust.

 

[Crow Horse]

There are ultrasonic cleaning agents that are made for rust removal. I believe that Omega de-scaler is one, but it's VERY expensive. I've also read that adding some white vinegar to the water helps in rust removal. I have an UC, similar if not the same as the HF unit and it works great. It does have limitations. For general degreasing/cleaning the unit works really well.

I'm looking for an affordable rust removal agent for an UC. If I find one I'll post it.....

All Good Medicine,
Crow