[Closed] tell me about ultrasonic cleaners for cleaning bike parts

Seems a lot of effort for bike parts. I've used them in the motor racing industry and they are great.

For my mucky bike parts I just use the dishwasher and don't let the misses catch me.

😀
I'd be killed if she found out
re heat/solvent etc /power/spec, what do you think ?

Little ones are rubbish. You can get more gunk out of crannies with a toothbrush and some white spirit.

Big ones can take anodising off.

You choose.

Used them years ago for cleaning lab kit, they were mostly little 1L baths to drop small bits of kit in, not heated and just had a timer.

Added a Super Muc Off type detergent called Decon 90 which was pretty vicious stuff but cleaned things up a treat, including the odd sneaky bike chain.

Can't really say it was useful enough to buy one for home - not for £100 anyway. Could buy bike bits if I had £100 to spend 🙂

I use White spirit, paintbrush and a small tray for the really mucky/oily/greasy stuff and Babywipes for day to day cleaning of anything which isn't shifted by warm soapy water.

100 would pay for a skills course. That's a much better way to enjoy your bike than reducing it to its component parts and cleaning it.

You're welcome.

I've thought about these for pure lazyness but never got one.

I wouldn't bother.

They're for getting things REALLY clean. We used them in the lab for testing components of engines, medical devices, etc (wash part, then filter out the contamination and count the particles under a microscope).

Why would you even consider doing that for a component that's going to be immediately dunked in mud?

What may be more useful is a parts washer which has a pump, hose and nozzle for washing off crap from parts. But even that is only worthwhile if you're doing it every day (i.e. working in a garage). For a one off you'd be almost as quick and several £100 better off just using a toothbrush.

As for solvents. Just use water based degreaser.
a) it's not flammable
b) it doesn't give you a headache or other health effects
c) it doesn't pollute the water when you inevitably flush it down the drain (if you get one that you can do that with, check the lable)
d) it's just as good
e) it's cheaper

The only negatives of water based solvents:
a) stuff rusts afterwards. So in the lab we use the hydrcarbon based solvents for parts that are going back into the supply chain rather than just scrap.
b) bacteria live in the water so we have to leave it in a heated tank at 60C. But for home use you'd pour it down the sink after use so that's irrelevant.

[url= http://www.screwfix.com/p/hilka-pro-craft-bench-mounted-parts-washer/82636 ]Parts Washer[/url]

One of these a suitable alternative?

Yeah I've been pondering it myself for 2 weeks. I'm looking at my mistreated, black gunk covered cassette and wondering of it'd be easier to buy a new one rather than try to clean it.

I'm thinking parafin, lasts forever doesn't it?

Don't really see the point in a parts washer, you still need human input. If I was getting a cleaning gadget I'd want it to do the whole lot for me which is more like what the ultrasonic thing does.

I'm thinking parafin, lasts forever doesn't it?

Just use water based degreaser.
a) it's not flammable
b) it doesn't give you a headache or other health effects
c) it doesn't pollute the water when you inevitably flush it down the drain (if you get one that you can do that with, check the lable)
d) it's just as good
e) it's cheaper

If you really, absolutely, must use a hydrocarbon based solvent I'd recommend renoclean from fuchs, it seemed to give us the fewest headaches (literally, and we were handling prats in fume cupboards with gas masks on and filters changed regulalry).

And then you've still got to dispose of it. Which means taking it down to the tip once you've finished with it because you can't put hydrocarbons down the sink.

I still don't see the point though, a quick spray with degreaser and a brush get's even putoline off my cassette.

@thisisnotaspoon

[url= http://www.express-cleaning-supplies.co.uk/products/Housekeeping/Cleaning+Chemicals/Virosol+Citrus+Cleaner+Degreaser+x+5+ltr/1852405904?gclid=COTn3vu6lNICFW6-7QodmVAAmA ]Any good?[/url]

For greasy parts, paraffin in a sandwich box and give it a shoogle will do the job. And it's almost totally reusable- let the gunk settle and pour off the clean liquid.

ehrob - Member

100 would pay for a skills course

A skills course for washing bikes? Where can I get one of those?

'Shoogle' win!

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