Ultrasonic cleaning for dummies

[grf88]

quick question: when using the US bath this way do you just have it filled with water and have the chemicals i(vinegar, simple green, etc) in the cups/water bottle, with that sitting in the water bath with the parts in them?

Also, if the above is correct, can a ziplock bag be effectively used for the same purpose?

-Z

With the diluted vinegar I have it in a glass jar, the same with the baking soda solution. For the detergent I put it directly in the US and discard it after use. Make sure the glass jar is sitting in the basket and not touching the US itself. I had never thought of a Ziplock but I don't see why it wouldn't work.

 

[tbone1004]

quick question: when using the US bath this way do you just have it filled with water and have the chemicals i(vinegar, simple green, etc) in the cups/water bottle, with that sitting in the water bath with the parts in them?

Also, if the above is correct, can a ziplock bag be effectively used for the same purpose?

-Z

bath still has to be filled with water to the min line when everything is in there or the mechanism will break.
Ziplock could be used but you'd want to do some tests with them and you would definitely need to us freezer bags. The temp in the baths will exceed the glass transition temp of cheaper bags and the seams will fail.
Those plastic paint buckets are super cheap though...
https://www.amazon.com/Custom-Shop-...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

 

[stepfen]

Any tips for removing old grease?? The internal threads of a valve I cleaned recently were "contaminated" and I was not sure if it was just silicone, christo- or tribo- lube. The hole was too small for my toothbrush to get in, while ultrasound and/or washing up liquid and/or vinegar didn't help at all.
The best I could do was to use toothpicks and paper tissue to remove as much of it as possible.
Any other tips???

 

[tbone1004]

Any tips for removing old grease?? The internal threads of a valve I cleaned recently were "contaminated" and I was not sure if it was just silicone, christo- or tribo- lube. The hole was too small for my toothbrush to get in, while ultrasound and/or washing up liquid and/or vinegar didn't help at all.
The best I could do was to use toothpicks and paper tissue to remove as much of it as possible.
Any other tips???

paper towel in there and twist. After that get the water for the ultrasonic as hot as possible and give it a bath. You can also pour kettle hot/boiling water in there immediately before hand which will help to lower the viscosity of the grease *which is probably silicone btw if it is being stubborn about coming out*, and then go straight into the ultrasonic. @herman and @Luis H may have some better ideas on how to get stubborn silicone out

 

[Luis H]

I always use white tooth paste and a tooth brush where it can reach. I also have a set of different size nylon brushes (similar to bottle brushes) that I bought from a gun shop. Just make sure that the center twisted metal shaft doesn't touch any sealing surfaces.

The white toothpaste cuts all the grease and cleans just about everything other than the corrosion (verdigris) and it is not toxic to humans. It does a very nice job as a very light polishing compound and I have never seen any harmful effect on the chrome.

The brushes help cleaning the most intricate portions of the threads, etc.

It is a bit or work, but not too bad.

 

[stepfen]

Tooth paste sounds like a good idea. Thanks

 

[tbone1004]

needs to be something like Arm & Hammer in the US that has baking soda added for grit. You can also just make a baking soda paste by adding a few drops of water to baking soda

 

[Luis H]

I always wonder about looking for the really gritty tooth paste that dental hygienist use, but to be honest, I have always just used the white tooth paste we can all buy at any drug store (Colgate white or any of the others) and it worked. Maybe some of the more aggressive type tooth paste would have saved me some time with some of the real nasty vintage regulator rebuilds I have done, but when I look back, I think an electric tooth brush might have also made sense. Although, when I started using this method, a few decades back, electric tooth brushes were not as popular.

 

[Umuntu]

Dear all

Ive been a tinkerer for a while, but have now decided to take the plunge on servicing my own regs.

One thing I can't quite get straight in my head is a simple step by step procedure for ultrasonic O2 cleaning my regs. One of my issues has been cleaning solutions as some of these are known by different names in the UK.

I know I've probably got some of this wrong, but would be grateful for any pointers. Just for info, I've bought a 3L 100w, 40Hz ultrasonic bath. Obviously not industrial grade, but hopefully good enough for home use.

1) hand wash metal parts in mild dish soap solution (couldn't find this in the UK, but found out it's what we call washing up liquid). Use nylon brush (toothbrush) for threads and internal spaces

2) fill US with White Vinegar (is this neat or diluted?) to waterline, place parts in basket and run US for 5 minutes.

3) rinse parts and empty fluid

4) fill US with neat BIOX and run US for further 5 minutes. Keep used BIOX for reuse if not to soiled?

5) carefully rinse parts (I live in a very hard water area so was thinking of using distilled water).

6) thoroughly dry using LPI air gun attachment.

I know I've probably got some things wrong so please feel free to add, delete, amend as you see fit. Also any useful tips are gratefully received.

Many thanks. G

My 2 bar ...

1. I have been known to toss all the disassembled metal parts of horrible looking eBay regulators with Tesco/Sainsbury's washing up liquid and a kettle of water in the family slow cooker for a few hours. Does a great job removing old grease and salt. Use a heat resistant jar to keep it away from the ceramic pot if you have a missus.

I also use toothbrushes and brass brushes are sometimes necessary to clean the threads and stubborn verdigris/corrosion.

2. HOT 50/50 white vinegar and water solution. I reuse the 50/50 solution, storing it in reused large pickle/olive jars sealed with the lid. Re-heat in microwave. (Maybe I'm a bit cheapskate.) The solution goes a bit green with the copper/brass but its fine to reuse. I only do my own regs.

3. After rinsing I use "Bicarbonate of Soda" (same as Baking Soda) to neutralize. Good luck finding that in the supermarkets now during lockdown.

4. I just use a HOT washing up detergent solution. Can't be bothered with BIOX etc. It will be fine to 40% Nitrox. Step 1 should have eliminated all grease.

5. ditto ...

6. I leave on a rack to dry, unless I'm in a hurry.

The white toothpaste cuts all the grease and cleans just about everything other than the corrosion (verdigris) and it is not toxic to humans.

I'm a BIG fan of not using products that I would not either eat or use on eating utensils. No bleaches etc.

 

[Scuba Lawyer]

For years I have been using a combo of 80% water and 20% CLR in my ultrasonic cleaner. Most reg parts clean up great in about 3 minutes. Never had a problem with the chrome, but I always remove the parts and wash in fresh water after the ultrasonic bath. My 2psi.