ultrasonic cleaners

Rex said:

I have heard about using ultrasonic cleaners to clean a chain.

Has anyone here used one?

I use one regularly. It visably gets more dirt out after just
thrashing the chain about in a bottle of clean solvent doesn't
get any more out.

Quoted message said:

What fluid do you use in it?

One which supports cavitation. There are special detergents
sold to add to water to promote cavitation in ultrasonic
cleaners. But I find that mineral turps works very well.

Cavitation is the process where minute vacuum bubbles are formed
in the liquid by localised pressure changes. These immediately
collapse violently, with the resultant shock waves loosening
dirt stuck hard to surfaces. Excessive and prolonged
cavitation will erode the metal itself.

John

John Henderson said:

Rex said:

I have heard about using ultrasonic cleaners to clean a chain.

Has anyone here used one?

I use one regularly. It visably gets more dirt out after just
thrashing the chain about in a bottle of clean solvent doesn't
get any more out.

Quoted message said:

What fluid do you use in it?

One which supports cavitation. There are special detergents
sold to add to water to promote cavitation in ultrasonic
cleaners. But I find that mineral turps works very well.

Cavitation is the process where minute vacuum bubbles are formed
in the liquid by localised pressure changes. These immediately
collapse violently, with the resultant shock waves loosening
dirt stuck hard to surfaces. Excessive and prolonged
cavitation will erode the metal itself.

John

They have one at Aldi from this Thursday for $39.99. Is it the same
thing I wonder?

heh heh said:

They have one at Aldi from this Thursday for $39.99. Is it the
same thing I wonder?

That's a very good price, as long as it's big enough to clean a
chain effectively. It's a bit hard to tell from the photo on
http://www.aldi.com.au/ but it does look promising, with a 650
ml capacity tank.

John

That is why I was asking! Just wondering if it would be worthwhile.

I use kero to clean the chain at the moment - would this work in an
ultrasonic?

"heh heh" <not@here> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

John Henderson said:

Rex said:

I have heard about using ultrasonic cleaners to clean a chain.

Has anyone here used one?

I use one regularly. It visably gets more dirt out after just
thrashing the chain about in a bottle of clean solvent doesn't
get any more out.

Quoted message said:

What fluid do you use in it?

One which supports cavitation. There are special detergents
sold to add to water to promote cavitation in ultrasonic
cleaners. But I find that mineral turps works very well.

Cavitation is the process where minute vacuum bubbles are formed
in the liquid by localised pressure changes. These immediately
collapse violently, with the resultant shock waves loosening
dirt stuck hard to surfaces. Excessive and prolonged
cavitation will erode the metal itself.

John

They have one at Aldi from this Thursday for $39.99. Is it the same thing
I wonder?

Rex said:

That is why I was asking! Just wondering if it would be
worthwhile.

The advert says this one has a basket to put the items to be
cleaned into. Use of a basket makes the device more effective,
and last longer. But it reduces the physical payload size.

Quoted message said:

I use kero to clean the chain at the moment - would this work
in an ultrasonic?

It's worth a go. You'll soon see whether it gets dirt out of a
chain when just agitating it in clean kero won't remove any
more.

Kero sometimes gets bad press as a cleaning solvent. Turps was
cheaper when I last bought it, as well.

John

"John Henderson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Rex said:

That is why I was asking! Just wondering if it would be
worthwhile.

The advert says this one has a basket to put the items to be
cleaned into. Use of a basket makes the device more effective,
and last longer. But it reduces the physical payload size.

Quoted message said:

I use kero to clean the chain at the moment - would this work
in an ultrasonic?

It's worth a go. You'll soon see whether it gets dirt out of a
chain when just agitating it in clean kero won't remove any
more.

Kero sometimes gets bad press as a cleaning solvent. Turps was
cheaper when I last bought it, as well.

John

Whats the best way to get the kero out of the chain once you've finished
cleaning it??

Wont any left over kero break the oil down once you've given the chain a
lube?

Cheers Dre

Dre said:

Whats the best way to get the kero out of the chain once
you've finished cleaning it??

Wont any left over kero break the oil down once you've given
the chain a lube?

I use warmth and time to get rid of turps after cleaning chains.
I hang them in the sun for a few hours.

If I'm impatient, I've been known to gently heat them on a stove
hotplate.

John

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Quoted message said:

Dre said:

Whats the best way to get the kero out of the chain once
you've finished cleaning it??

Wont any left over kero break the oil down once you've given
the chain a lube?

I use warmth and time to get rid of turps after cleaning chains.
I hang them in the sun for a few hours.

If I'm impatient, I've been known to gently heat them on a stove
hotplate.

John

Ahhh, nice, so you just wait till it dries, thats easy enough!

In that case I'll just hang it up to dry before I go to bed, then put it
back on and lube it in the morning, done...

Thanks for the tip!

Cheers Dre

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Quoted message said:

Dre said:

Whats the best way to get the kero out of the chain once
you've finished cleaning it??

Wont any left over kero break the oil down once you've given
the chain a lube?

I use warmth and time to get rid of turps after cleaning chains.
I hang them in the sun for a few hours.

If I'm impatient, I've been known to gently heat them on a stove
hotplate.

John

And I've only just noticed you mention turps, where I mention kero, is one
better than the other in your opinion??

I have a bottle of each but I'm curious whats best to use...

Cheers Dre

Dre said:

And I've only just noticed you mention turps, where I mention kero,
is one better than the other in your opinion??

I have a bottle of each but I'm curious whats best to use...

I'm told turps tastes better and is less likely to kill you. Kero cleans
better. Use the turps to thin your oil-based paints.

Theo

Dre said:

And I've only just noticed you mention turps, where I mention
kero, is one better than the other in your opinion??

I have a bottle of each but I'm curious whats best to use...

Kero is a fuel, whereas turps is a solvent. That's not to say
kero isn't also a good solvent, but it may not be as good.

I've read various claims that kero is an abrasive. Myth or not,
you can find the claim using google. While it doesn't make
much sense to me that such a mix of liquid hydrocarbons would
be abrasive in its own right, it does raise a question.

I buy turps in 4-litre bottles, and they were cheaper than the
4-litre bottles of kero.

John

Rex said:

I have heard about using ultrasonic cleaners to clean a chain.

Has anyone here used one? What fluid do you use in it?

Plus? It works.

Minus? It takes a looooong time.

I used kero, and the chain did fit in my aldi version.

To be honest, I used it a few times, then parked it. I probably didn't
do quite as good a job slooshing the chain around in a kero filled
tub, but the chain was back on my bike much faster, meaning I was
too! ;^)

To be even more honest, clean chains are overrated. ;^) <puts on
asbestos undies>

Tony F

"Theo Bekkers" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Dre said:

And I've only just noticed you mention turps, where I mention kero,
is one better than the other in your opinion??

I have a bottle of each but I'm curious whats best to use...

I'm told turps tastes better and is less likely to kill you. Kero cleans
better. Use the turps to thin your oil-based paints.

Theo

Okay, thanks for the info, kero it is!

Cheers Dre

"John Henderson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Dre said:

And I've only just noticed you mention turps, where I mention
kero, is one better than the other in your opinion??

I have a bottle of each but I'm curious whats best to use...

Kero is a fuel, whereas turps is a solvent. That's not to say
kero isn't also a good solvent, but it may not be as good.

I've read various claims that kero is an abrasive. Myth or not,
you can find the claim using google. While it doesn't make
much sense to me that such a mix of liquid hydrocarbons would
be abrasive in its own right, it does raise a question.

I buy turps in 4-litre bottles, and they were cheaper than the
4-litre bottles of kero.

John

Fair enough, thanks for the tip, I'll stick to me kero then!

Cheers Dre