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Would This Ultra Sonic Cleaner Work On Styluses?

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There are those that say using a liquid to clean your stylus may cause the tip to separate from the cantilever. I don't know if that is true or not.
 
Ultrasonic cleaning does wonders, however, I suggest you try the ultrasonic cleaner with an old cartridge where the stylus is worn out. if after a few cleanings the stylus is still on the cantilever, then it should be alright.
 
John James said:
There are those that say using a liquid to clean your stylus may cause the tip to separate from the cantilever. I don't know if that is true or not.
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Good question. Similarly, I'd be curious as to whether there was a negative effect on the bond joint of the tip to cantilever due to the ultra high frequency sound waves from the cleaner.

Assuming there was no negative effect from either the fluid or sound waves, ultrasonic would be the hot ticket to getting it super clean.
 
should be suitable. Just don't use any harsh chemicals. Whenever I've had a stylus gunked enough that regular means didn't want to clean it, I've just held the tip in the cleaner for 30 seconds or so to get it clean. I actually use Glass Plus in mine most of the time since its effective but doesn't contain ammonia. I dont know that I'd feel comfortable really dropping the whole thing in, or leaving it for any amount of time but a few seconds seems to be effective without being harmful.
 
Signet ultrasound

I've used this Signet for years with no problems. Takes one drop of SC-2 cleaner.
 

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Stanton681EEES said:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/230822871524

I've read with interest a couple of posts here about Ultra sonic cleaners and wondered if this would do a good job or would be a complete waste of time.
Any info would be appreciated.
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I would suggest instead that you get a good microscope and look at before and after using various cleaning methods -- dry brush, liquids, magic eraser, others, ultrasonic, etc. -- comparing results and weighing convenience.

I've not tried the ultrasonic bath but 1) I can't imagine an $18 ultrasound cleaner actually does much at all - looks like a scam. and 2) I can't imagine even the high dollar ones do a better job than more convenient less expensive approaches.

The Signet ultrasonic thingie that hawkster posted is at least more convenient.
 
if one weren't using chemicals, i cannot see the danger. it would only be good for MMs though as MCs' styli aren't removable. i for one would not be immersing my MC carts in water or any other liquid.

that ultrasonic stylus brush makes me wonder about suspension effects. i would have bought one had they not been quite costly.
 
I once found a world war 1 medal whilst metal detecting.:thmbsp:
I placed it in an ultrasonic cleaner hoping to clean it and it lifted the electroplating:thumbsdn:.

Try it on an old stylus first
 
ALDI have been selling them for $25, stainless tub and plastic inserts.
They are 240 volt here in Australia
 
Stanton, I actually bought one of those battery-powered jobs a couple of weeks ago from an online-auction vendor and they cancelled the order, saying the shipments they were getting were all damaged, no further explanation. I was thinking a battery powered one would be more gentle, if anything. Maybe I'll try again with a different vendor.

Meanwhile, my $25 2006 Aldi unit works fine. I wouldn't be without it. I usually leave styli in a tap water + 5ml of dollar-store all-purpose spray cleaner concentrate bath for two or three 3-min. cycles and have yet to lose a diamond. However, anything not solidly connected will come loose, including glued-on plastic bits on Sonus styli, gold lettering on Pickering styli and damping grease in Shure damper-brush styli. I resort to the ultrasonic cleaner when all my other methods (brushes, Magic Eraser, brushes with denatured alcohol) fail, or the crud is so extensive that the entire stylus assembly needs to be cleaned.

But don't take my word for it, grab a few gunked-up styli from eBay, the thrift store or your little brother, and try it yourself.
 
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Mine was made in 1965 according to the rubber stamp on the transducer inside. Its all stainless, made by the E/MC corporation. It uses a spark gap, a step-up transformer, and a resonant circuit made from a ringing coil and a 10kv .1uf capacitor to drive the transducer. Its grossly ancient, but the thing works. Sounds scary when in use though because of the spark gap.
 
In doing a little research on these $25 AC-powered units, I noticed the power consumption: 35 watts. That's about 15 amps at the operating voltage of the piezo drivers. AA cells would have a short, unhappy life at that current draw, so it's safe to say the battery-powered units aren't nearly as powerful, all other things being equal.

But maybe somehow they're not, so if anyone gets a battery unit, let us what kind of performance to expect. Make sure to check the frequency the drivers put out-- the higher the frequency, the tinier the nooks and crannies that get their scrubbing [cavitation] bubbles.

Meanwhile, my unit cleaned up some NOS ADC styli, then did a nice job on the multiblade head of my Braun electric shaver.

In the next couple of days I'll be auditioning (heh) the cheapest unit Amazon sells and a $20 job I got from an online auction site.
 
wualta said:
In doing a little research on these $25 AC-powered units, I noticed the power consumption: 35 watts. That's about 15 amps at the operating voltage of the piezo drivers. AA cells would have a short, unhappy life at that current draw, so it's safe to say the battery-powered units aren't nearly as powerful, all other things being equal.

But maybe somehow they're not, so if anyone gets a battery unit, let us what kind of performance to expect. Make sure to check the frequency the drivers put out-- the higher the frequency, the tinier the nooks and crannies that get their scrubbing [cavitation] bubbles.

Meanwhile, my unit cleaned up some NOS ADC styli, then did a nice job on the multiblade head of my Braun electric shaver.

In the next couple of days I'll be auditioning (heh) the cheapest unit Amazon sells and a $20 job I got from an online auction site.
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Thanks looking forward to your findings. Cause i have a few styluses that the cantilevers could stand a good cleaning.
 
Turns out the entry-level stainless-steel tank models, the ones that sell for between $20 and $25, are pretty much alike under the skin-- 35 watts drive to the super tweeter (presumably one driver attached to the bottom of the tank); 40 to 42kHz working frequency; ~600ml liquid capacity in an oval tank; simple 3-minute timer; simple on-off controls.

The $25 Aldi end-hinge model I have is still being sold elsewhere as a CD-7800 and looks the same. On mine, the hinge is a mechanical weak spot:

cd-6800a.jpg


Recently I won a $20 "800", variously CD-800 or VGT-800, on eBay. This one has 40kHz output:
800 ultrasonic cleaner from ebay.jpg

Here's the cheapest stainless-tank model Amazon sells, ~$24 shipped when bundled with a minimum order:
8871cb6f0cc3a8d142a572c6cfa3594c-a.jpg

The new ones are quieter than the older one, but they seem to perform about the same when I run my usual 3 cycles (9 min. total). Comparison is difficult, since I rarely have 3 styli that are equally gunked up with the same flavor of gunk.

Things to remember: the tank and water is the driver's heat sink, so never run the thing without a full tank of cold water. Anything that touches the tank is not receiving the ultrasound and is not being cleaned. Styli with magnets can be a problem, though they still come clean. They buzz loudly on the tank surface, though. A quick splash (maybe 3 to 5ml) of an all-purpose spray cleaner concentrate will really enhance the cleaning. In a pinch, you can use plain water. You can operate the cleaner with the lid open for long objects with filthy tips. Obviously, don't dunk anything that shouldn't be dunked.

If you need gentler cleaning for some reason, you can use the provided plastic baskets. The plastic absorbs some of the ultrasound energy.
 
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