by "Pearson Hurst" (phurst)
Published 02/17/2017 at 10:55
by "Pearson Hurst" (phurst)
Published 02/17/2017 at 10:55
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STARS: 10
With a seemingly constant supply of grubby bits that need cleaning for various projects, I sucked it up last week and ordered myself an ultrasonic cleaner. It’s faster, cheaper and less of a hassle than using buckets of Chem-Dip and cans of brake cleaner. I have to say, this is one of my new favorite things. Just look what it did to this 42 year old piston that was seized in an old moped motor.
Before:
After:
The piston is still trashed, no fixing that, but it has cleaned the ever loving shit out of everything I have put in it, and it just uses water, a bit of dish soap and a splash of Simple Green.
If anyone is considering picking one up, this is the one I grabbed:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HGNM5WE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Timer from 1 to 30 minutes and a built in heater up to 175F. It freaking rocks!
"Party-vi" (party-vi)
02/17/2017 at 11:00, STARS: 2
That’s pretty fuckin neato.
"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
02/17/2017 at 11:02, STARS: 0
#1, did you remove the rings or did it destroy them.
#2, That’s awesome... I need a way to clean an old outboard gas tank and this might just be it... is it safe on aluminum?
"carzcarzcarz" (carzcarzcarz)
02/17/2017 at 11:07, STARS: 0
How long did you have that piston in for? Thanks for the link and write up.
"AfromanGTO" (afromangto)
02/17/2017 at 11:08, STARS: 1
I need one of these now!
"Rust and Dust - Oppositelock Forever" (rustanddust)
02/17/2017 at 11:09, STARS: 0
Wow, that’s pretty cheap too. I figured the unit would’ve cost at least twice as much.
"RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht" (ramblininexile)
02/17/2017 at 11:13, STARS: 2
Thisisrelevanttomyinterests.jpg
"benjrblant" (benjblant)
02/17/2017 at 11:15, STARS: 1
I’ve used ultrasonic cleaners extensively for cleaning 3d printed parts. They’re insanely effective and cool. On a microscopic scale, the cleaning action is actually quite violent and harsh- just make sure the item won’t deteriorate in the cleaning process. (i.e., poorly printed parts = bad.)
"Urambo Tauro" (urambotauro)
02/17/2017 at 11:15, STARS: 0
Wow, that ultrasonic cleaner looks like an industrial unit! (*smacks forehead* derp, it says “commercial” right there in the link)
I’m jealous. The one I bought last year was just a cheap Harbor Freight unit, but so far I’ve only used it that one time, so yeah I probably couldn’t have justified the price of a nice one like yours.
"Pearson Hurst" (phurst)
02/17/2017 at 11:15, STARS: 1
I removed them to get the last bit of gunk out from behind them. I’m going to do something decorative with the piston, so the rings were not needed.
The process itself is totally fine on aluminum and just about any other matterial really, but I’ve heard Simple Green can be a little rough on alluminum, so maybe consider using a different cleaning solution.
"Pearson Hurst" (phurst)
02/17/2017 at 11:16, STARS: 0
5 minutes.
"CalzoneGolem" (calzonegolem)
02/17/2017 at 11:20, STARS: 0
That’s amazing.
"ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com" (ita97)
02/17/2017 at 11:30, STARS: 1
...just added this to my wishlist.
"vondon302" (vondon302)
02/17/2017 at 11:41, STARS: 0
Wow that’s kick ass!
Never heard of it. Thanks for the tip.
"Needmoargarage" (needmoargarage)
02/17/2017 at 11:41, STARS: 0
Awesome! I looked at the Harbor Freight one but it just wasn’t large enough for what I was doing. Do you think you could fit a complete carburetor body in this one?
"facw" (facw)
02/17/2017 at 12:03, STARS: 1
That’s really cool. I feel like we should set up a gofundme to get David Tracy one. I’m embarrassed for his kitchen...
"Pearson Hurst" (phurst)
02/17/2017 at 13:16, STARS: 1
My only real gripe with this unit (and they all do this, not to single out this company), is that the rated “volume” is for the entire machine, not just the cleaning tank, so while mine is rated for 3 liters, it really only holds about half of that. I would have ordered a larger one if I had known. You could fit a 1bbl in there fine, but anything larger and you’d have to do half, flip it over and do the other half. Most of what I’m working on is smaller stuff anyways, so not a huge deal for me, but still, it’s misleading.
"MM54" (mm54mk2)
02/18/2017 at 20:52, STARS: 1
Oh man. I’ve been off-and-on about getting one of these to clean used brass for reloading, I hadn’t even thought about the possibilites for car parts and such. I might be able to justify it a lot sooner now...
"gmporschenut also a fan of hondas" (gmporschenut)
02/19/2017 at 22:28, STARS: 0
neat
I’ve seen this hack if cleaning bigger stuff
"StoneCold" (StoneCold)
03/01/2017 at 10:49, STARS: 0
...Is that a sander attached to a Rubbermaid container?
Do you have a link to this sorcery?
"gmporschenut also a fan of hondas" (gmporschenut)
03/01/2017 at 20:57, STARS: 0
I was trying to google a way to jig up an ultrasonic cleaner at home. i think the solution is bungee cords and duct tape