Ultrasonic cleaners

[Old English White]

Just thought I'd ask: I've been thinking about a good way to clean old, small fiddly car parts. I have considered "clock cleaner' and many other materials I've heard about but not put into action and I'm considering the purchase of a smallish ultrasonic cleaning bath. Does anyone have any experience of owning or using one? Is it successful? What material do you use in it? Should I consider something completely different?
Is any particular make better than another?

Any experience would be gratefully received and I'm sure I'm not the only one who has such tasks

[rolesyboy]

I've used them periodically and they give decent results especially for carbs. Surprising how much crap falls away especially from th enooks and crannies you'd otherwise struggle to reach/agitate
You can buy special solution but fairly liquid was seemingly every bit as effective for me.
It is probably worth getting a decent sized one as by the time the mesh frame is inside you lose space and its frustrating if you cant even get a carb in there.
Amazon and ebay do loads

[winabbey]

It is probably worth getting a decent sized one as by the time the mesh frame is inside you lose space and its frustrating if you cant even get a carb in there.

Regarding a separate discussion about cleaning an oil cooler, does the item have to be completely submerged in the tank and the lid on? If not could the cooler be cleaned by doing half at a time? This would dictate what size to buy.

[minibitz]

I have a massive one, ooh err....part of a contra deal for rebuilding and tuning a carbie for a guy that imports ultrasonic cleaners.

Not quite sure what I was expecting but pretty glad I didn't pay a massive amount to buy one. Whilst I do use the unit for specific tasks there are far quicker and more effective ways to clean many items. I tried cleaning pretty much anything that will fit initially to see how things come up but now mostly use it exclusively for carb parts and the like.

These units will remove dirt and a small amount of oil/grease but are most effective when items are thoroughly degreased first. Once this is done they do make a pretty good job of rattling left over dirt out of nooks, crannies and hard to get to spots.

If you are expecting corrosion, oxidisation or any such blemishes to be removed it won't happen. What you do get is a squeaky clean surface.....providing you've done the degrease mention prior.

I've tried a variety of cleaners, soapy water, dish soap and vinegar for a mild acid bath etc. Currently I'm using Simple Green diluted down.

[Fanfaniracing]

Mine is just as big that s complete ASeries Head fits in.

Enough space to accomplish most cleaning jobs on am Mini

[MiNiKiN]

It very much depends on how much you are willing to spend. I bought a 6l US-cleaner from Vevor for little money (85€-ish) and with US-cleaners "you get what aou pay for" applies. I can fit a dismantled H4 just about in, but with the cheaper cleaners you notice that they have less ultrasonic transmitters in them, compared to the much more expensive professional items. Anyways I suggest to take at least a 10l size cleaner.

I recently watched a YT-video where they compared a pro- versus a cheapo model, and the results differed vastly.

If money would be no issue I would opt for a laser welder / cleaner combo (sadly they are still out of reach at ~10k)

[Stewartp]

I have a reasonably large ultrasonic cleaner, but if cleaning smaller items I float a plastic container, full of cleaning fluid, in a bath of water. Small screws etc go in a tea mesh infuser, like that used for tea before tea bags ruined cups of tea.
this saves using large amounts of cleaning fluid for small jobs.