Ultrasonic Cleaners Question.

[Edge]

Hi,

I'm looking into purchasing an ultrasonic cleaner for the cleaning of my reg parts as well as doing some watch and jewellery cleaning on the side.

I have looked at the Elma Transsonic 310H w/heater with a capacity of about 600-700ml.

I have two questions,

1) Are there other better brands/models that are better and how long do they typically last if I take care of them.

2) What sort of liquid is used with the ultrasonic cleaner? Water? Vinegar, special sauce?


Thanks

 

[The Chairman]

within the past couple of months... how 'bout it Stone? Will the researcher come out and share???

 

[Curly]

When I took the Equipment Specialist classes, we worked in the LDS shop overhauling various pieces of equipment & used the ultrasonic on all reg & valve parts -- it was filled with vinegar. Worked like a charm. Methinks they are pretty expensive.

 

[Stone]

I bought the cheapest ultrasonic cleaner made by Branson (Branson 200 for $109 from Edmund Scientific). It does not have the capacity to fully submerge a first stage, so I do one side at a time (currently using 50/50 vinegar).

This works fine for me because I only service my own regs, and they have yet to show any signs of corrosion.

I bought the Branson because they make heavy duty ultrasonic cleaners, and I thought the quality might be better than similar sized jewelry cleaners.

Here's a link to the Edmund site with 3 cleaners listed.

Edmund Scientific

 

[roakey]

I've got an L&R that seems fine to me (I can fit the SeaElite/Halcyon/DiveRite isolator in it), though it did cost in the $400 to $500 range, though.

Not sure of the model, won't be able to check until after this weekend.

This is where I got it, however:

http://www.usiultrasonic.com/lr/

And here's the L&R page:

http://www.lrultrasonics.com/new/


Roak

 

[Edge]

I checked out both websites, first was the branson 200. I think that one is too small since you say that you can't even fully submerge a reg first stage and furthermore, I was told that ultrasonic cleaners should have heating in order to work more effectively.

The second one, the L&R is properly equipped but it is too large I think, 3 and 3/8 quarts, I think comes up to about 3.2 liters and beyond the price I'm willing to pay.

But thanks for the info on the solution used, I thinking of a 50/50 vinegar solution or a 1/3 part vinegar solution if I'm using an ultrasonic cleaner with a heater. Btw, is there a difference between artificial vinegar and real vinegar being used?

 

[Stone]

Edge,

I'm no expert on ultrasonic cleaners, so take this with a grain of salt: I wouldn't let a heating unit force me into a higher priced cleaner.

When I clean my regs, which have very little to no corrosion, I use a 50/50 mix of natural white vinegar and water which I have heated in the microwave for a minute. I only put the parts in the ultrasonic cleaner for 5 minutes, so I have no need for an ultrasonic cleaner that maintains a constant heat.

Have you read Vance Harlow's "Regulator" book?

 

[Edge]

No I haven't read the book, but I'm interested in getting a copy.

That's pretty smart to heat up the vinegar solution in a microwave and do away with the heater for the ultrasonic machine.

btw, is 5 mins enough time for the ultrasonic cleaning, I tot it was closer to 20-30mins.

But I'm still undecided, the elma transsonic 301h i am looking at has a 0.6l capacity and a heater and I can probably get one at about 238 USD.

 

[Stone]

Edge,

Here's a quote from Harlow's Reg book:

Cleaning time should be drastically reduced when an ultrasonic cleaner is used; a solution which would normally require a 15 minute soak should be given no more than 5 minutes in an ultrasonic cleaner.

Cleaning solutions that are "chrome safe" can probably be used for longer soaks, but when using 50/50 vinegar, I want to leave the reg in the solution for the shortest possible time necessary for cleaning. The reason for this is because the chrome on the outside of the reg might be nice and thick, but the chrome inside the bore can be very thin. Repeated and/or long soaks in an acid solution could remove the thin chrome.

The only "corrosion" I have dealt with (so far) isn't really corrosion; it appears to be the mineral film that's left over after fresh water has dried repeatedly in the reg (same as the build-up in a coffee maker). Five minutes in the ultrasonic cleaner with 50/50 is more than enough for slight deposits.

Vance's book can be bought from his website Airspeed Press.

 

[Edge]

I tried the link earlier on from another thread and it doesn't seem to work. But it is available on Amazon.com for 50 bucks and he seems to have a new book out called "Oxygen Hackers Companion", is this the latest edition?