Ultrasonic Cleaner Thoughts

[hemioutlaw]

I am getting ready to buy an ultrasonic cleaner and was curious if anybody might have any advice on size(capacity)needed or any possible pitfalls to avoid and any of the bells and whistles that actually return bang for the buck.I certainly don't want to buy a junk model and if anybodys bought one they wish they hadn't please advise.

Thanks,Hemi

 

[rison123]

Hemi,

If you click on the "search" tab at the top of the screen and do a search in clock repair just within the last year you will find a ton of threads discussing this subject. Type in "Ultrasonic cleaner" in the subject field. I did this before I bought mine and found hours of reading dicussing this. It really helped me. I ended up buying a Crest 275, 3/4 gallon machine. One note, in this decision "size does matteer" Buy the biggest one you can afford. The bigger the better! I like mine allot, it works very well. But, I can already see where in the future I would love to have a larger one.

Good luck
Tom

 

[hemioutlaw]

Thanks Tom

Hemi

 

[Robert Gary]

Tom:

I agree with what is posted above, but one factor to be considered in the "as big as you can afford" philosophy is that the cleaning solution can be expensive so having enough solution to fill a 1 gal machine can get costly, especially if you rarely clean large movements.

It is just one consideration to include in your deliberations.

RobertG

 

[hemioutlaw]

Ok read previous posts until i was ready to fall over,without going around the house and measuring all the movements can anybody make a recommendation on a size unit (inside dimensions)that will hold most movements,I would also like to be able to service long case movements as well.

Not having ever owned a cleaner,I am quite literally a rookie in this area and was hoping to glean some advice.They sell these machines down at the local Harbor Freight however I generally only buy items there that I typically do not have to use that often and have never purchased anything there that is of a pneumatic or electrical nature because,well ya now how the old saying goes"Ya get what ya pay for".Can anybody recommend specific units that have given them years of trouble free operation.

Also the last post forewarned about the cost of filling these units.
What kind of life can one get out of 1 gallon of fluid,approx how many cleanings and is the evaporation rate excessive?

Hemi

 

[Robert Gary]

Hemi:

The largest I have measures roughly 19" long x 6" deep x 11.5" wide for the tank, and it probably holds close to 5 gallons of cleaner (I have not actually recorded the amount).

The tank I use the most measures 12 x 6 x 9.5" and holds 2 gallons, which I have measured and recorded. I wouldn't recommend any cleaner smaller than this for clock work.

The larger tank hold the GF movements, but the smaller is large enough to hold most any other clock movement.

RobertG

 

[Thyme]

Hemi:

The largest I have measures roughly 19" long x 6" deep x 11.5" wide for the tank, and it probably holds close to 5 gallons of cleaner (I have not actually recorded the amount).

The tank I use the most measures 12 x 6 x 9.5" and holds 2 gallons, which I have measured and recorded. I wouldn't recommend any cleaner smaller than this for clock work.

The larger tank hold the GF movements, but the smaller is large enough to hold most any other clock movement.

RobertG

I really would like to know why you need an ultrasonic tank that large. I assume you intend to immerse movements, not disassembled, in an ultrasonic bath. I'd also like you to tell us why you want to do that.

 

[Scottie-TX]

Now THYME;
That was not nice - casting aspersions on his clock service procedures. You may have embarassed him! I hope not.
He probably needs one that big to clean his Harley parts.
HEMI! Hemi; Hemi, how many movements do you think you may clean this year? Is this a hobby for you? Thought so.
Reason I ask you already know. Many here do not even own an ultrasonic cleaner. Sure, it's probably the most efficient and best way to clean parts but I and many here simply do it manually.
By the way HEMI; Is that a "67" Charger?
I drove one of them back in 67 - street version 440. Ya didn't steer that car. You AIMED it.

 

[hemioutlaw]

Ok,Ok,Ok--Now looky here fellas--I am merely asking questions,I detect that there are obviously two different schools of thought here on cleaning movements with one being to completely dissemble,clean and polish pivots etc.The other being to just dunk and clean(see theodoric of york"if the water accepts you").Now hows about just dunk and clean to remove some of the real nastys so that you can at least see what it is your working on then proceed with further dissembly.
From other endeavors in my life I have already ascertained that having good equipment can help make one more effecient,I have been in the machining trade for close to thirty years now tool +die,mold shop,and now in an R + D area machining highly sensitive and technical parts for deep water petroleum extraction.The Mazak CNC that I run is over a 700k machine and if you ever meet a machinest that isn't anal about what they do I guarantee that they ain't worth a flip.I just like having good equipment and while I can make most of the tools needed for clock repair which I will,a cleaner is not one that I want to make.I have a friend that shall remain nameless that has all the bells and whistles,and has been doing clocks for a long time he tells me to just get a bucket,yet he has a cleaner.I recently gave him a movement to get going and he could not but could offer no explanation as to why not.I have the patience to do this and do not accept the (well I dunno why it won't work) mentality that some in this field seem to possess.In the short time I have been exposed to this field i can ascertain that there are some really good clock repairmen and many more that follow the(I can get that square peg in this round hole)doctrine.I will be an asset to this industry and one of the former,not the latter.Am I overconfident,yuppers but hey thats just me,will I screw some stuff up,yup probably will.Will it be a lifelong learning process,I imagine so.

One thing I have never been afraid of in adult life is asking questions,especially when it can help me avoid pitfalls and learn from mistakes that others have made.I sure wish I hadn't been such a He11 raiser and F/up when I was younger and had asked questions then and listened to the advice my folks had tryed to instill in me,but hey thats what makes me what I am today.

So please all reading this make recommendations,you guys know what the heck your doing(I hope,HaHa) and my ears are open!!!

***By the way thats a 68'Hemi Barracuda SS/AA class car***

 

[harold bain]

Hemi, I often clean a movement before taking it apart, like you said, just to see where it needs attention. Much easier to see bushing wear without all the grunge on it. Then once I have noted what needs to be done, I then take it apart, clean it again, do the bushing work needed and pivot polishing etc. You will likely develop your own methods, finding what works best for you.

 

[Robert Gary]

I really would like to know why you need an ultrasonic tank that large. I assume you intend to immerse movements, not disassembled, in an ultrasonic bath. I'd also like you to tell us why you want to do that. [/quote]


Thyme:

You assume wrong. I always totally disassemble a movement to clean it. The reason I "need" such a large cleaner is that this is the size that was given to me. Note that I advised in my first positing on this thread that large cleaners take a huge amount of cleaner, and I said the size I use the most is the smaller one (the one I bought used).

But, on at least two occasions that I remember, I worked on movements with massive plates that were almost too large for this large tank, so it does come in handy on occasion.

Hemi asked for tank measurements and suggestions, so that is what I gave him. I have full confidence in his ability to choose well what he needs and/or wants.

RobertG

 

[Thyme]

Scottie replied:

Now THYME;
That was not nice - casting aspersions on his clock service procedures. You may have embarassed him! I hope not.

Scottie, I merely asked a few pertinent questions. They are relevant to the discussion.

Ok,Ok,Ok--Now looky here fellas--I am merely asking questions,I detect that there are obviously two different schools of thought here on cleaning movements with one being to completely dissemble,clean and polish pivots etc.The other being to just dunk and clean(see theodoric of york"if the water accepts you").Now hows about just dunk and clean to remove some of the real nastys so that you can at least see what it is your working on then proceed with further dissembly.

At the risk of being repetitious, I will say (as I have mentioned here before) that I repair ultrasonic cleaners as part of my livelihood. Part of the reason I asked your intentions was to try to educate and inform. I personally do not use an ultrasonic cleaner to do initial cleaning to remove dirt and grime from a movement. Why not? Because the cleaning solution is expensive and easily fouled, and once it becomes fouled it does not work effectively. Most importantly, it simply is not the best way to achieve that goal. I have found that applying waterless hand cleaner with an old toothbrush, followed by scrubbing and flushing it under hot water will remove oily grime and dirt much better than an ultrasonic cleaner will.

Only buy a big tank if you intend to clean very large plates. Remember, you can also clean half of a large surface area if half of it will fit in a tank, and then flip it over to clean the other half.

As for immersing and trying to clean movements that are not disassembled: in my opinion (with knowledge of the use and servicing of ultrasonic machines) it's a waste of time and money, and your expectations will not be met.

 

[Andy Dervan]

Hello Hemioutlaw,

Several other points not mentioned.

The water based cleaning solution is a concentrated and it is mixed with water. I am not sure the exact ratio (I think 8 to 1), but it is written on the container. A gallon of concentrated cleaner will last along time.

If tank is left covered the solution will last quite awhile depending how many movements that you do and how dirty they are.

WD-40 will cause water based tank solutions to kickout, so if you remove a movement from the case and it looks greasy or smells funny DO NOT PUT INTO THE TANK. Pre-clean it first - mineral spirits is a good cheap solvent blend that you can pick up at hardware, paint, or Home Depot/Lowe's.

You can also use the old solution as a pre-clean to keep "good tank solution" cleaner.

You might consider purchasing a used ultrasonic cleaner - check Mart and at Regionals... They are pretty robust and last along time. Put the word out to your clocks friends that you a looking for decent size cleaner and maybe someone might run across one and give you a call.

Andy Dervan

 

[hemioutlaw]

Geeez I love this board you guys are giving exactly the kind of advice I am seeking and I did not want to ask for recommendations from a guy that sells cleaners as he will obviously have a personal stake in the sale.



Take a bow ya'all and thanks for the advice if anybody else wants to chime in i'm all ears.

Hemi