Christmas comes early!!!

[stevecrout]

I've been looking at and lusting after various types of parts cleaners of late and the one that keeps coming up is a good ultrasonic cleaner.  I think the theory behind the cleaning action is fairly well known but there's so many of them out there it was hard to tell the difference between them Sort of like cell phone plans - they all have something different.

So I decided to look for one that would take on some of the larger jobs I might want to toss in like clutch plates, full size carbs and maybe even a head or two.  This meant looking for something about 20 litres or so that was about 20" x 12" x 7" deep.

Next was the number of transducers - 6, the 'power' they run at (480 watts and 40KHz )and the likelihood they will crap out after a few hours. The unit I bought was a VEVOR 22Litre with analog controls. $226 with some sort of an instant discount directly from VEVOR.  it was about $50 less than the same digital unit and I would trust the the manual stuff to last longer.

A drain facility and free shipping were the next two that clinched the deal.  (Amazon has the digital model on for $384 plus shipping) So $226 seems like a winner so far.  The unit has a heater and timer that seem to function OK but I haven't had a chance to use it yet. 
I have a 1981 Yamaha XS850 Special that has been sitting in a shop of the last 20 years or so and I figure the carbs and a few other parts will need a good cleaning so I'll have something to try it out on.

In case there's still room on your Christmas wish list here's the URL.

https://www.vevor.ca/ultrasonic-cleaner-c_11064

[stevecrout]

Tested the unit today using ZEP Industrial vinegar as the cleaning agent and it did OK I think.  I could have used a bit more of a detergent action on the heavy grease on one piece but all in all it worked ok. 

Some before and after photos:


Gas cap from my 69 BSA tank - the best outcome of all the stuff I put in.

an old coffee filter that was kind of grunged and stained

a can opener that had been in the drawer for a while, a little hard to see the difference but it actually is better

The unit flushes using gravity, through one of many extra oil filters I have hanging around and cleans up nicely.

Heat provides a lot of assistance when degreasing but you can also see the bubble patterns form on the bits and the amount of silt left behind is a good indication it works well. 

Remember our old pal Archimedes when you're filling and placing stuff in the tank.  Probably best to put the parts in first then fill with the cleaner so you don't go over the top. Finally, next time I'll add the parts, fill the tank and then turn on the heat for 15 minutes to allow the solution to heat up then turn on the transducers.