Tan my 1st batch. Used 122 degrees and tan 2X for total of 20 min. Used Dawn and a dash of Ammonia. Parts were put into a Seperate tray
Pic 1 is after
PIc 2 is before
I’ll try Awesome soap next

I purchased this off Amazon a few years ago. It's from China and works great

Click to view attachment

I bought one of those. Plastic basket melted the first time l used it. Plastic lid crazed and cracked, the broke into pieces. The tub is plastic too. It cracked and leaked all over my counter. Total junk.

Then l bought this one. All stainless. Works great!

https://m.vevor.com/ultrasonic-cleaner-c_11...-p_010234521936

I have something similar off amazon (but avoided digital controls) and it's been great.

Almost every review that I've seen on that HF cleaner hasn't been very good. And it's not particularly cheap. For about 50% more there are lots of viable choices on Amazon with good reviews.

I have an HF cleaner just taking up space now. The control panel is very vulnerable to moisture and eventually will fail if something else doesn't fail first.

Ok, looks good. They offer nine sizes; what size did you get and did it turn out suitable for small parts ?

And, what solvent do you use ?

Same brand as mine, it looks like.

I use the purple Simple Green stuff. Works well. Curious if there's something better. I'd recommend getting a bigger size than you think you need. I believe mine is a 15L. Could have used the big rectangular one to fit more/larger parts.

We are renting one like this for our barn shop and just bought one of the parts washers that looks like an oversized dishwasher. Fits a trans or engine case. Saves hours and hours of hand cleaning.

Hmmmm,I take it a 3L units is too small ? I’ll probably be doing things on the order or nut, bolts, small fittings….

3L is fine for small parts. The Harbor freight is junk.
I found 20l one on offer up for $150. It was a $4000 unit.

Jim,

Here is the trick to these... I cleaned Firearms for years, and now I do car parts in that crappy HF one you initially showed. Have used it for years, works great. especially for nuts / bolts etc...


Put clear water into the ultrasonic cleaner reservoir. Then, use a container filled with your solvent with the parts in it, and dunk that into the tank. The ultrasonic sound waves do their magic through the container you put in there, but you only dirty the smaller amount of solvent that is in the container, not the entire several liters in the cleaner. It works great and gives you control over product use.

Thanks Rob, great tip !

Does the purple simple green play nice with stock zinc coatings,, etc or will it strip it?


.

Don't know about stripping the zinc or if this applies to the purple stuff, but regular Simple Green is known to cause hydrogen embrittlement on hardened steel so be careful using it on grade 12.9 for sure, and probably 10.9 to be safe.

Dawn liquid soap works magical in the ultrasonic. Removes grease and soften hands while you do dishes...er clean parts...

Most manufacturers of ultrasonic cleaners refer to their solutions as "soap"...

I have the HF one, but I think I paid half that a few years ago. No way it's worth $85. So far only use it for cleaning injectors and it does that satisfactory.

It may or may not matter, but I put the carb cleaner in an old metal paint can cap (so I use less) and poor water around it (heat) and put a few rubber plugs to brace the cap so it vibrated better (less floaty).

Purple stuff is slightly acidic so don't use it full strength and keep it off your skin & eyes.

I own exactly the same type of cleaner. Actually two versions , one with 5l , the other onefeaturing 20l .

Works like a charm, when using the right cleaning agents …

br

Benno

That's it. I'm going to try dish soap next time. Simple Green is expensive.

Mine is the 3L

Dawn did not work well for me. Green simple green works great. Doesn't bother the zinc plating. I strain it out into large coffee can, and use it till it does not work anymore. The 3 liter works well for my locks.

I bought the HF unit about 10 years ago and I'm still using it. Mine has a SS tub and I fill it with hot tap water so the heater doesn't have to work too hard. I use Simple Green because my Son uses it in a large professional unit at the shop .

This was a dirty, crusty case that went into the ultrasonic for 30 minutes. No labor to get it clean. Just scrubbing bubbles.

I use this stuff from the orange box store with good results. Also the Dollar Store Totally Awesome cleaner and degreasers are economical and effective.

Zep Industrial Purple will fairly quickly cause chemical burns if it comes in contact with your skin (AMHIK). If you don't need to use an industrial strength degreaser I'd recommend avoiding using those types of cleaners. Make sure to read the labels and wear protective gear when handling.

Thanks for all the input ! I learned a ton. I’m opting for the 3L ultrasonic cleaner and Awesome soap.

You made a good decision!

I have the EBAY version with heat and Ultra Sonic controls. Generally works well. I purchased one big enough to fit 911 cam tower (all my 914's are 6 powered). It works pretty good for doing the first and final cleaning. If the liquid is dirty it just kind of homogenizes the grease and coats everything. Final cleaning is with new fluid. I use Dawn dish soap and various other cleaners (ZEP, Simple green/purple etc). I have not found the magic solution yet. I had to replace the cord on mine as it kind of melted where it plugged into the machine. Parts still require a good brush scrub in between and de-greaser (brake cleaner) cleaning after but helps speed the cleaning process.

john

What size tank are you using ? And thanks on the soap recommendation.

Got my Vevor Digital Ultrasonic Cleaner today; Amazon shipped it. Two day delivery
Nice unit

What size tank are you using ? And thanks on the soap recommendation.

Mine is a Part number PS-80A, listed as 3L. got it off Ebay.

john

Tan 1st test run today ( see post 1)
So so results

With metal parts run max temp (170F) on mine.

Also 20 min cycle time is nothing. I often run multiple 30 minute cycles leaving parts soak overnight if needed.

I've also run mine with Evaporust for really rusty parts.

The caliper pins and bolts clean up very easy if you put a large wire wheel on a bench grinder. Wear safety glasses -at least, a face shield and a mask is even better. Then send them out to be plated.

That’s what I needed to know, thanks.

With metal parts run max temp (170F) on mine.

Also 20 min cycle time is nothing. I often run multiple 30 minute cycles leaving parts soak overnight if needed.

I've also run mine with Evaporust for really rusty parts.
[/quote]

Evaporust is one of the products that has has far exceeded my expectations. I have not used in combination with Ultrasonic. Generally do one then the other. Will have to try.
There is a post from someone where they created a system with pumps and tarps to flood the longitudinals with Evaporust, awesome idea.

john

And a dessert topping, too!

+1 on the evaporust … it is magic

? Go straight Evaporust; no diluting….

Jim tell me your doing that in the garage and not the kitchen?

Jim tell me your doing that in the garage and not the kitchen?

I only did my test run in the kitchen. It ws only soap and water; promise to move operations to the garage….

Yup. After you're done pour back into the bottle for future reuse.

Evaporust gets progressively darker, and darker but keeps working. At some point the effectiveness sort of tapers off. Hard to say exactly when that occurs since it's dependent on how rusty the parts are going in, how many parts, etc. But, when it drops off, you can tell pretty easily.

Good tip ! Thanks