Ultrasonic Cleaners

[Mad Mart]

I bought one of those Chinese ultrasonic cleaners the other day and was wondering, for those who have been using these for a while, what you guys are using as a cleaning agent? Particularly for removing rust.

Martin

[xvivalve]

I've used very dilute Jizer in mine, but generally just water.

The problem is if the cleaning agent creates a froth or bubbles when agitated...

[new to this]

Ive been thinking about getting one,what size did you go for

Dave

[marshman]

Just a very dilute degreaser or water with a bit of detergent. All the cleaning is done by the ultrasonics generating little bubbles in the water/fluid which explode next to the surface effectively blasting the dirt off.

They are great for cleaning some things - dynamo and starter motor armatures is one that springs to mind. Getting carbon deposits out of inlet manifolds etc. is another. But I would not rate them for cleaning rust - sand/bead blasting is the most effective I have found for that. (coarse glass grit for big lumps - suspension arms etc) and fine glass beads for smaller parts like carb bodies and soft aluminium parts, fine brackets etc. They really only remove surface dust/dirt/grime and general detritus. They don't remove tarnishing, significant corrosion, heavy deposits of grease or oil - for that you need an abrasive process.

If there are any heavy lumps of grease then in my experience the ultrasonic cleaner has little effect on them and they need washing off first.

What sized one did you get?

[TrustNo1]

I have a 30 litre cleaner but they are not really designed for removing rust just dirt and crud but if you you need to remove rust an acidic cleaner is your best option and always use deionised/ filtered water never tap water.
I use a specialist 'carb cleaner' thats made for use in ultra sonic cleaners.

for carbs cleaning I've used a parts washer to get the worse of then a 30 minute bath to get the harder to reach grim off and clean the innards out then rinse with clean water, then air dry with air line.
For anything rusty its the sandblaster.
You could also invest in a tumbler machine which is great for smaller parts like bolts but they are very noisy.

[Mad Mart]

I went for the 6l one. I haven't used it much but have filled it with tap water but put small stuff in a container with gunk. Worked fairly well.

[KWM338R]

Hi Mart,

We use Alconox in our ultrasonic cleaners at work. I use it to clean car parts using tap water and Alconox and it works bloody great for cleaning. I always soak the parts after in a bowl of fresh water, not sure if I really have to but it makes me feel better. It doesn't remove rust though, once cleaned the parts go in the blaster.

Regards,
Mark

[Toledo Man]

A few of the YouTubers I subscribe to use these for cleaning carbs. One such YouTuber is "retrorestore" who used to own a Dolomite. I'll ask him what he uses. I've been toying with the idea myself for cleaning the HS4s on my 1850 auto so this thread ties in quite nicely.

EDIT: He got back to me and this is what he said:

I normally use a splash of paint thinners or white spirit

He went on to say that he's gonna try some carb cleaning fluid he's found on Amazon which is for use in ultrasonic cleaners and is about £15 for a litre.

[TrustNo1]

carb fluid is about £25 for 5 litres and using thinners, white spirit or similar isn't a great idea as the cleaner heats the water and fluid.