Ultrasonic cleaners - any good ?

I've gots a lot of SOB bits that need cleaning - especially a set of
carbs. I was wondering if these Ultrasonic baths are as good as people
claim. Any experience ? - other alternative is a few cans of carb
cleaner and my trusty airline.

yours in the (probably vain) hope of a helpful & non-piss taking
response...........

 

Yes, they do get stuff clean but...
Make sure you find out what the solvent and/or temperature will do to
any O-rings you have in the carbs.

 

Never used them, but for some jobs - such as cleaning gummed carbs -
they're supposed to be indispensable.

 

The £14 one from Aldi has proved itself to be essential for this and other
tasks. For stubborn gum and shite in some old Dellortos, I used coca-cola as
a solvent. you want to see the shit that came out.
Good on valves/rockers too (with paraffin as solvent).
JB

 

coke as a solvent - great idea !

 

That's about as old as the hills, that one.

Keep up at the back, willya?

 

Can I use any old cola, or must it be the real thing? (Serious question)

 

Check the ingredients -- you're looking for ortho-phosphoric acid,
not caffeine!

--
Ivan Reid, Electronic & Computer Engineering, ___ CMS Collaboration,
Brunel University. Ivan.Reid@[brunel.ac.uk|cern.ch] Room 40-1-B12, CERN
GSX600F, RG250WD "You Porsche. Me pass!" DoD #484 JKLO#003, 005
WP7# 3000 LC Unit #2368 (tinlc) UKMC#00009 BOTAFOT#16 UKRMMA#7 (Hon)
KotPT -- "for stupidity above and beyond the call of duty".

 

Laura has cleaned coins with cheap generic cola.

 

ok ... I did Chem many years ago so I'll read lots of labels, and thank
goodness I don't drink the stuff - it sounds filthy.

 

platypus said...

Jasmine cleaned rust out of an MZ tank with a mix of Dr Pepper and
cheapo cola. IIRC Blaney did the same. We used to use it to unseize
engines that had pistons corroded in the bores, just pour it onto the
piston crown through a spark plug hole and leave it a few days to soak
past the rings and do its work.

 

They are very good, I use mine for carb and clock parts, for jets and bodies
etc I use water and detergent.For clock parts I use a mix of water,
ammonia, and cheap nail varnish remover (1), this cleans brass parts
incredibly well. For really tarnished parts I use citric acid powder and
water mixed.

The UC is also very good for removing polish residue from alloy parts that
have been polished.

An essential bit of gear and a great labour saving device in my house.

Steer clear of the eBlag units used for tattoo tools they have a poor
reputation, oh, and you only get what you pay for with these things, also
get one with a basket, or make a basket, parts left in contact with the
stainless steel container for long periods of time can shag the
transducers.

(1) Don't use a plastic basket!

 

it's also handy for cleaning the bog. and cheaper than toilet duck.

 

I think I'm going to dismantle my Aldi £14 one, and dangle the
ultrasonic thingie in the bog water to see how well that works.

 

100% coca cola, in my case. Worked a treat. Took me a year to put
the tank back on the bike, mind - but that's another tale of
ineptitude.

 

I had a quick shufti at a bottle of Tesco cola last night; they
list it as phosphoric acid (I think the ortho- denotes a straight-chain
molecule; there's the possibility of a branched chain with the same
chemical formula but the straight one is the common one).

--
Ivan Reid, Electronic & Computer Engineering, ___ CMS Collaboration,
Brunel University. Ivan.Reid@[brunel.ac.uk|cern.ch] Room 40-1-B12, CERN
GSX600F, RG250WD "You Porsche. Me pass!" DoD #484 JKLO#003, 005
WP7# 3000 LC Unit #2368 (tinlc) UKMC#00009 BOTAFOT#16 UKRMMA#7 (Hon)
KotPT -- "for stupidity above and beyond the call of duty".

 

I meant the generic cola, in fact. but it's possible that the ultrasound
thing would clean the bog, as well.

 

<VVBG>

ukrmc - teaching you how to read soft drinks labels....

 

Oh I see - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphoric_acid (H3PO4)
No idea why they call it ortho-, because metaphosphoric acid is
([HPO3]n), a glassy solid used as a desiccant, etc. It's tempting to
think it might take in a water molecule and turn into the ortho- type.

 

I would have thought with kids the age yours are/have recently been,
it'd be mandatory. Of course, for people like JP, _not_ reading the label
can be fatal. :-(

--
Ivan Reid, Electronic & Computer Engineering, ___ CMS Collaboration,
Brunel University. Ivan.Reid@[brunel.ac.uk|cern.ch] Room 40-1-B12, CERN
GSX600F, RG250WD "You Porsche. Me pass!" DoD #484 JKLO#003, 005
WP7# 3000 LC Unit #2368 (tinlc) UKMC#00009 BOTAFOT#16 UKRMMA#7 (Hon)
KotPT -- "for stupidity above and beyond the call of duty".