Ultrasonic cleaner

[chef1366]

I got my hands on an Electrowave ultrasonic cleaner.
I will now use it to clean carbs.
California Berrymans sucks.

[JTGS850GL]

Yep, the new "eco friendly" Barrymans definitely sucks. Wont clean the dust off a carb let alone really get in and do the job on those really dirty ones. Luckily in GA I can still get the original Barrymans professional formula. I guess it's the price to pay for living in paradise. I've cleaning my carbs using both the Barrymans dip and then a good sonic cleaning afterwards.

What size sonic cleaner did you pick up? Do you know that frequency and wattage of the transducers? What do you plan on using as your cleaning solution?

[chef1366]

I just took it out of the box.
I can get that info for you when I go back to the shop.
It looks like it will hold two carb bodies and all the internals.

[chef1366]

I bought this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221596612155?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[nastyjones]

Hi Bill,

The difference between carb dipping and using an ultrasonic cleaner will stun you. I've been using mine to clean customers carbs for a few years now. Results are amazing. There's really no secret to the solution. I use a commercial degreaser from a factory supply store. The degreaser should contain a SURFACTANT. This bears repeating. USE A TOP QUALITY COMMERCIAL DEGREASER FROM A REPUTABLE COMPANY. These are concentrated so they last forever. For those of you who say "I just use Pine Sol" or one of those cleaners your wife uses to clean her floor, you aren't getting the results you could and you just might stain your carbs a dark colour that can't be removed. I bought a 5 gallon pail that I have been using for over a year. Then I add some dish soap, a little vinegar, then fill the ultrasonic cleaner to the top with water.
My ultrasonic machine was made in the U.S.A. If you buy one of those cheap Chinese units you won't see the results I do with my professional model.

There.......I have just spilled all my secrets.

[JTGS850GL]

Nice to see people "sharing the wealth" so to speak.

I do agree that a quality commercial sonic cleaning solution designed for parts cleaning is the best. Lots of "home brew" concoctions out there that will discolor your carbs and do a poor job at cleaning. The only readily available, over the counter, product that I've found that meets the bill for sonic cleaning metal parts is a product called Simple Green Pro HD. It's not the green Simple Green that everyone is use to seeing, but a specific product that is only sold at Home Depot. It's purple in color and even says it's safe on all metals and for use in sonic cleaners. I'm just throwing this out there for those that can't or wont get the real deal.

Also agree that the cleaner you use must be a good quality machine. Having one that's under powered or the wrong frequency can yield less then ideal results. I hear a lot of people going out and buying one of the Harbor Freight jobs designed for jewelry. They definitely don't work as well as one designed for larger parts cleaning. Any parts cleaner should be at a minimum 60 to 100 watts per gallon at either 28Khz or 40Khz. The more detailed the cleaning needs to be the higher the frequency should be and the more power needed. 40Khz is a nice sweet spot. Lots of equipment out there that use it.

When my Branson 5510 died I ended up building my own sonic cleaner due to cash constraints. The cleaner has an 8L capacity with 120W @40Khz times two transducers. It's not heated though and I wish it was. That's another nice feature I miss.

Have fun with the new toy Bill.

[RedLiner1100]

Thanks for the recommendations on ultrasonic machines. I've always wanted to get one.

[Nick1000]

Another "Thanks" to Chef for his expertise and advice on my carbs...great to have this knowledge available...thanks Chef and TGSR.

[SVSooke]

Looked up Electrowave and they look like serous units.I have one of those HF type units,it works but yeah I should have got a better one

[mikerophone]

The only readily available, over the counter, product that I've found that meets the bill for sonic cleaning metal parts is a product called Simple Green Pro HD. It's not the green Simple Green that everyone is use to seeing, but a specific product that is only sold at Home Depot. It's purple in color and even says it's safe on all metals and for use in sonic cleaners.

I was able to order what I was told the good Berrymans on Amazon, forget the magic ingredient right now. Funny little side note on the Simple Green HD, I don't have a garage, but have an outdoor table next to my shed in the back yard that I had the jug sitting on all summer and it lost its purple color. Hope it hasn't lost its purple power! Guess the dye they use is not UV colorfast.

Nice to see people "sharing the wealth" so to speak.

Also agree that the cleaner you use must be a good quality machine. Having one that's under powered or the wrong frequency can yield less then ideal results. I hear a lot of people going out and buying one of the Harbor Freight jobs designed for jewelry. They definitely don't work as well as one designed for larger parts cleaning.

Agreed. But I bought the larger HF cleaner and really like it...after a carb clean exterior spray, a dip in the Berrymans overnight and an hour in the Simple Green HD they come out quite nicely. The ultrasonic is the way to go, WAY better than dipping alone for sure. I'm amazed at how much more gunk I see in the ultrasonic cleaner when they look pretty good after coming out of the Berrymans.

I also put the brass parts in a small glass jar with carb cleaner in it and throw that in the HF unit. Just have to be careful as its flammable so I don't put it directly in the HF unit. I put a glove or lid over the glass jar since the bubbles will atomize the cleaner and I can smell it evaporating and they say it's the fumes that are explosive and dangerous. I'll be doing another set this week and will post the before and afters. Just ordered my o rings from Robert - he shipped them the same day! What service and prices he has!

Also, I preheat my HD solution - the HF unit has a heater but it doesn't get as hot as I like it. You could go to the thrift store and get an aquarium heater and toss that in your tank...

[Nessism]

The GS BS Mikuni's are aluminum, and subject to turning dark when exposed to acid or left in Berryman's dip too long. An ultrasonic cleaner sounds like the way to go. And good call on using real ultrasonic cleaner. Simple Green is corrosive to aluminum for example, so you need to be careful how you clean stuff otherwise damage can result.

[JTGS850GL]

Simple Green is corrosive to aluminum for example, so you need to be careful how you clean stuff otherwise damage can result.

Agreed that the original Simple Green should not be used. Just for clarification, the SG Pro HD is a completely different product that is designed to be metal safe. Never had it turn anything a darker color.

Standard Simple Green ingredients:
Water, Ethoxylated Alcohol, Sodium Citrate, Tetrasodium N,N-bis(carboxymethyl)-L-glutamate, Sodium carbonate, Citric Acid, Colorant, Fragrance.

Simple Green Pro HD ingredients:
Water (Aqua), Triethanolamine, Ethoxylated Alcohol, Propylene Glycol Butyl Ether, Tetrapotassium Pyrophosphate, Potassium Silicate, Colorant.

[78550GS]

Nice to see people "sharing the wealth" so to speak.

I do agree that a quality commercial sonic cleaning solution designed for parts cleaning is the best. Lots of "home brew" concoctions out there that will discolor your carbs and do a poor job at cleaning. The only readily available, over the counter, product that I've found that meets the bill for sonic cleaning metal parts is a product called Simple Green Pro HD. It's not the green Simple Green that everyone is use to seeing, but a specific product that is only sold at Home Depot. It's purple in color and even says it's safe on all metals and for use in sonic cleaners. I'm just throwing this out there for those that can't or wont get the real deal.

Also agree that the cleaner you use must be a good quality machine. Having one that's under powered or the wrong frequency can yield less then ideal results. I hear a lot of people going out and buying one of the Harbor Freight jobs designed for jewelry. They definitely don't work as well as one designed for larger parts cleaning. Any parts cleaner should be at a minimum 60 to 100 watts per gallon at either 28Khz or 40Khz. The more detailed the cleaning needs to be the higher the frequency should be and the more power needed. 40Khz is a nice sweet spot. Lots of equipment out there that use it.

When my Branson 5510 died I ended up building my own sonic cleaner due to cash constraints. The cleaner has an 8L capacity with 120W @40Khz times two transducers. It's not heated though and I wish it was. That's another nice feature I miss.

Have fun with the new toy Bill.

Did you document the process of building your own? I, too, am looking to build my own US cleaner. If the build is not documented, would you be so kind as to send me a materials list?

[SVSooke]

Here's the link http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...ied&highlight=

[JTGS850GL]

Here's a link to the build. I've since upgraded the generator to a 300W unit and upped the transducers to 120W each but the general concepts are the same. It worked just fine in the original form but I tend to be a little excessive.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?216754-Crap!-Sonic-cleaner-died&highlight=Sonic