Ultrasonic Cleaner for knobs and parts

[Luckyorleans]

Got an ultrasonic cleaner for Christmas but no cleaning solution. . Any ideas for a dyi alternative for general cleaning of stuff like equipment knobs and also for parts with corrosion or tarnish on them are welcome.

There is a lot of info from google but it is mainly for scuba and shell brass or gun parts. Seems like a safe first venture is with some straight Simple Green.

 

[redk9258]

I would try Simple Green first.

 

[avionic]

Diluted simple green crystal.

 

[thomo57]

Ultrasonic can/will lift the plating on anything with it

 

[gslikker]

http://www.zenith-ultrasonics.com/ultrasonic_damage.htm

 

[No Money]

Try a few disposibile items first, as thomo57 says it can, and will lift plating, ask me how I know ...

 

[Oerets]

I use windex in mine.


Barney

 

[MannyE]

Parts which May be Damaged by Ultrasonic Cleaning:

• Highly Polished Softer Metals such as Aluminum and Magnesium
• Thin Glass, Quartz, or Silicon Wafers.
• Painted Objects
• Damage can be Prevented by Oscillating Parts during Ultrasonic Cleaning to Scan items past Standing Waves (hotspots) in the Fluid.

Read more here: http://www.zenith-ultrasonics.com/cleaning_sensitive_items.htm

Great link gslikker!

 

[Goodwill_HiFi]

If the parts are aluminum, I'd stay away from Simple Green unless it's the safe for aircraft version. This comes from the motorcycle guys that use the ultra-sonic cleaners to clean their aluminum carburetors.

 

[rkgren1]

I have had success with any low-suds detergent, but chemical compatibility is important.
Pre-soaking may reduce the amount of time your parts spend under excitation.

 

[NAD80]

Used to clean PCB's using deionized water in a ultrasonic cleaner years ago at work.

 

[Nat]

Aluminum can get pitted if ultrasonically cleaned too long. What too long is, I don't know, but five or ten minutes will destroy aluminum foil. I also don't know if anodized aluminum is more resistant - I would guess it might be.

 

[zebulon1]

Ultrasonic can/will lift the plating on anything with it

This is very true. If left to long they will turn dull. Fortunately you don't need to leave them in long. Maybe 4 to 5 minutes tops. The grime will rinse right off.

 

[MannyE]

I would say that with all the pitfalls, isn't it safer and just as effective to use straight simple green and a soft toothbrush? That hasn't failed me yet.

 

[Luckyorleans]

Any other suggestions for solutions to use in an ultrasonic cleaner other than Simple Green? I appreciate the feedback on careful use and am being much for more careful. I would still like to hear what folks are using in their cleaners other than the commercial solutions.

 

[gadget73]

What about just a bit of dish soap? I was under the impression that the sonic agitation is what does the cleaning far more than any soaps do. A few drops of Dawn to break surface tension may be all you really need here.

also, dish soap is pretty safe for just about any material you can name. Caustics eat aluminum badly.

 

[smurfer77]

What about just a bit of dish soap? I was under the impression that the sonic agitation is what does the cleaning far more than any soaps do. A few drops of Dawn to break surface tension may be all you really need here.

also, dish soap is pretty safe for just about any material you can name. Caustics eat aluminum badly.

I use ultrasonic on my knobs etc. I've only had one or two bad experiences. I just used a drop of dawn. Folk focus on the detergent, and that can help, but another factor that helps a lot is using hot water. In fact, many good ultrasonics have a bath heater built in.