Recommend Ultrasonic Cleaner Solution

[SlugLife]

What do you use for your ultrasonic cleaning solution?

1. For cleaning Regulator Parts. Could be metal or plastic, and could have salt-corrosion, calcium, and oil/grease. Could have delicate coating (chrome over brass)
2. Inexpensive Solution(s) for cleaning many batches of very dirty items (often sunglasses) found on the bottom of a lake, heavily covered in corrosion, calcium, and mussels. Usually no salt or grease.
3. Very Rusty and Greasy metal parts (similar to automotive parts) which can take some abuse.

As a bonus question, what kinds of things do you use your ultrasonic cleaner for?

 

[rsingler]

Said quickly, before you incur the wrath of the less restrained members on SB ,
"use the Search function first".
This is a long standing board, with hundreds of thousands of visitors. It is likely that your question has been asked before. These threads are just from this sub-forum alone:

Potions...

Perferred locally available cleaning solution for ultrasonic?

Ultrasonic Cleaning Times

Ultrasonic cleaning for dummies

Cleaning titanium parts

cleaning old first stages

How to "O2 clean" regs?

Cleaning solution?

homemade solution for ultrasonic cleaning

Or... you could just send @couv a message.

 

[Couv]

Or... you could just send @couv a message.

I learned everything I know from Sob Ringler.
Here is one more link with more current points of view:
Verdigris - give me your best concoction!

 

[Centrals]

I will answer the "bonus question" only.
Ultrasonic bath: Metal parts of 1st and 2nd stage.
Inexpensive solution : clean fresh water only in my ultrasonic bath.
For chrom over brass: Depend on the dirtiness of the metal part, never more than 15 mins in diluted vinegar in a container.
For plastic: I just use ordinary detergent and old tooth brush.
Grease have to be remove first by paper towel and neat detergent. My reasoning not to use silicone grease.

Rinse the equipment thoroughly after diving and this will eliminate the build up of junk considerably.
Prevention is better than cure. There is no cure once corrosion set in.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I have two ultrasonics set up. One with 50/50 white vinegar and water and the other with a simple green solution.
The simple green one is usually only used on really gross parts with a lot of grease on them. It gets used first since the vinegar and water will do very little with grease.
For most service I degrease first, then into the vinegar and water for corrosion, then another soapy wash with simple green or Dawn dishwashing liquid as the soap. I used to use Blue Gold but at 20 bucks a quart the last time I got some, it gets expensive.
Then good fresh water rinse. My tap water is good here. I know since I get a sample tested every 4-6 months when my work sends in their water samples for the powder coating line.
Do not put plastic parts in the ultrasonic.

 

[SlugLife]

It seems the basic summary is:

• Simple Green Crystal - Or a good dish soap, or degreaser
• Acid - Phosphoric Acid, Citric Acid, Vinegar, or CLR
• Propylene Glycol - As Penetrator

I ended up buying Simple Green Crystal (1 gallon), Citric Acid (5lbs) & CLR (56oz), Propylene Glycol (32oz) for a total around $40.

Metal Parts: Degrease, Acid for short intervals, neutralize, then simple-green.

For the Propylene Glycol, do I use that with the Simple Green, or the Acid, or both?

 

[Couv]

For the Propylene Glycol, do I use that with the Simple Green, or the Acid, or both?

Good question. I don't see why you couldn't use it when just de-greasing. But usually I just use Simple Green Crystal (or Dawn liquid dish soap) and water for the hot soak/de-greasing bath.

For the acid bath or in the ultrasonic bath I use water/acid/soap/glycol-just in different concentrations.

 

[SlugLife]

Good question. I don't see why you couldn't use it when just de-greasing. But usually I just use Simple Green Crystal (or Dawn liquid dish soap) and water for the hot soak/de-greasing bath.

For the acid bath or in the ultrasonic bath I use water/acid/soap/glycol-just in different concentrations.

About how much of the glycol would I use in the acid-bath? My cleaner is a 3L version, if that helps.

 

[Couv]

...less than one glub. :-D

Seriously, for 3L a couple of oz of liquid soap and 1oz of glycol should be enough.

But if you would like to experiment and post your findings that would also be good thing. ;-)

 

[broncobowsher]

For the greasy automotive parts, I originally got mine to clean carburetors, 6L size.
I was cleaning motorcycle chain a few weeks back. Non O-ring style. Put the chain in a gallon can of WD40. Set the gallon can in the cleaner. Filled the cleaner with water to the normal level. The gallon jug of WD40 was in a water bath. Neat part about the sound waves is they go right through the thin walls of the gallon jug. With it running you could see the WD40 rolling about as it cleaned the chain. After a 30 minute wash it was the cleanest I had seen that chain in nearly 10 years of use and prior cleanings.

Thought I found a new way of doing it. Later found out others had been doing something almost the same. Part in a zip lock bag with solution of choice. Zip lock bag in the water bath of the cleaner.

The good part about doing it this way is you don't get the ultrasonic cleaner dirtied up or contaminated with different chemicals. The extra wall the sound waves have to go through takes away a little power. But when starting with something really nasty, it doesn't really matter. Even if just using it as a pre-cleaner for messy parts it will keep the actual cleaner from getting too messy.