Budget Ultrasonic Cleaning of Small Parts

I am cleaning some brass printers type using a small budget ultrasonic cleaning machine. I mixed up a solution of washing up liquid, baking soda and white wine vinegar, and with some brass brushing as well the machine did a good job.
This is not a sponsored film, and I am not being paid by the manufacturer or supplier in any way.
Product is: 600mL Ultrasonic Cleaner Ultra Sonic Bath with Cleaning Basket

[@rik7373]

Lol, the vinegar and the baking powder neutralise each other. Just use vinegar or just use baking powder but don’t combine them.

[@royksk]

Baking powder contains baking soda - it’s not the same thing. Just a suggestion but the basket could be loaded before putting into the cleaner, that would avoid splashes.

[@DeniseSkidmore]

Personally I'd do one batch with the acid (vinegar) and then neutralize with the base (baking soda) until it stopped fizzing. If you add both at once you get lots of bubble action but the anti-corrosion effect is canceled out. Just don't soak brass very long in vinegar, it can pit the surface (hence the need to neutralize the acid before the end of the wash.) When price shopping for an ultrasonic parts cleaner, also look at ultrasonic jewelry cleaners, they're exactly the same thing.

[@harryrogers]

Thanks..that makes very good sense.

[@453421abcdefg12345]

You will get much better results from Oxalic acid or Citric acid, they will clear even without the ultrasonic action, I use this to clean Black powder cartridges without any damage to the brass, provided it is washed well after cleaning, I wash with wash wax car liquid to prevent tarnishing. Chris B.

[@vajake1]

might I suggest that you heat your water up (not boiling, but hot) before you begin. That way the heat might help remove wax and the heat will help the letters dry off quicker. Bob, Virginia, USA

[@harryrogers]

vajake1 Hello Bob...good idea..thanks.

[@Liofa73]

In metallurgy labs we usually fill the bath half full with water, then put in a smaller plastic container filled with ethanol, the parts go in the ethanol and then we dry them with a hair dryer or something similar after they come out of the bath. Your metal specimens will be dry in a matter of seconds. Obviously with our specimens we don't use any other detergent, just ethanol, the ultrasound does all of the cleaning. As you wear glasses, you'll find that putting them in the water (sans ethanol) and giving them a clean gives amazing results.

[@harryrogers]

Liofa Thanks very helpful.

[@StageRightvideo]

By amazing coincidence I also got a small Ultrasonic cleaner recently from Maplin. Mostly I just use warm tap water or a small drop of washing up liquid, and so far I have been quite pleased with the results. Seeing the amount of dirt that came off of an apparently clean penknife was particularly pleasing, as was finding it opens much easier too. As it's fairly small though, I have been making larger containers by cutting the top off of plastic bottles. Then standing them upright and filling them with water as well as the cleaner. A little bit of energy gets lost but by using the machine for longer I still get pleasing results. So far it has easily coped with large sissors, spanners and other bits too. Using the bottom half of a 4 pint plastic milk bottle is about the largest such container that will fit my machine and then it becomes a bit more useful for various parts. Also, it makes a good job of cleaning my glasses!

[@harryrogers]

Thanks thats very helpful.

[@danielwilson5102]

Sitting here watching this wearing my belt made by Harry, fantastic quality and very comfortable too!

[@harryrogers]

Daniel Wilson Thanks Daniel!

[@jesseelong8625]

Harry Rogers do you have a website

[@coolsskin]

Nice video sir! greetings mr cool!

[@icespeckledhens]

Interesting I have never tries it. Stihl cleaned the carburettor on my chainsaw by ultrasonic, not that it made any difference because the switch was still faulty.

[@Perspectologist]

Interesting. I wonder how well this approach would work for cleaning drill bits.

[@harryrogers]

Perspectologist I know it works for carburettor jets!

[@arnolduk123]

Baking power contans sodium bicarbonate and an acid which is released when added to water. No need for the vinegar using baking power. Only pure bicarbonite soda (baking soda) requires an acidic for the chemical reaction.

[@ShiroKage009]

White Wine vinegar? Why not use distilled vinegar?

[@123tobiiboii123]

Isn't baking soda used for neutralising acid? So does that and vinegar do anything? I've only ever heard of cleaning using baking powder when you mix it with a tiny bit of water to scrub with, it works as a light abrasive to clean

[@harryrogers]

Tera yes it does seem counter intuitive...perhaps its not ph neutral ....it certainly seems to work.

[@jaryH3]

​@@harryrogers @tera Well quite often adding more of cleaning agent or using them together is not doing any better job. Try just with plain water I guess you will get same result as when adding both -- the vinegar (acid) and soda, depending on their ratios. If you add just vinegar to water (no soda), you may get some better results. Soda is used as abrasive material, but it dissolves in water. In the amount you have in the cleaner it will certainly dissolve completely -- no abrasive effect will happen. It is used as water softener. That can help with cleaning. I think the vinegar just neutralizes the soda and thus you are wasting both these ingredients. Unfortunately I am no chemist to understand and explain this better.

[@cliveramsbotty6077]

Quite interesting, always wondered about these. An abrasive tumbler would do a great job on those I have a small one that cleans up old metal parts a treat but you do need to run it for a few hours to get a good result

[@harryrogers]

clive ramsbotty Thanks

[@motherpops]

Try a little citric acid with the baking powder and using ordinary white vinegar. The citric acid really loosens Greece etc . Try putting into your kettle and see how it descale it, that should convince you.

[@mfs5493]

Is that "grease"?

[@DaveTaste]

Leave Greece alone.

[@johnstanton8499]

M and S vinegar very posh :)

[@AlagomSwede]

With these cheap cleaners I would advice to be careful about overheating them; there is a reason they only stay on for about 10 minutes. I used one for about and hour with little in the form of breaks while cleaning watch parts in different solutions (in separate containers lowered into the water. Never use anything but water in the machine itself). After a while it started smelling something foul and the sound changed. Turns out I had fried the ultrasonic transducer. Now I know to give it some time to rest between each cycle.

[@harryrogers]

Thanks very much

[@angusdavidson15]

Could you please put a link of where you bought it in the description?

[@eddiek0507]

Amazon & Ebay sell them..

[@gazdamatas]

Roger did you ever try with 1/3 vinegar, 1/3 baking soda and 1/3 salt? The 'shiney' result will blow you away! :) Maybe even better that Ultrasonic etc...

[@harryrogers]

Danko Matasić Thanks...thats very interesting.

[@johnhartley3596]

Do they use the "mind your Ps and Qs" saying in England?

[@harryrogers]

John Hartley yes often jokingly!

[@ClearReception]

John Hartley you just reminded me that I have to dot my i's and cross my t's.

[@f-22r]

Bicarbonate of soda, sodium bicarbonate and baking soda are all the same. Baking powder is a bit weaker than baking soda.

[@renishii6834]

somehow this video made me hungry

[@paulscofield8506]

What’s the fluid capacity please

[@DaveTaste]

About 650ml I think

[@thomasmcluckie2014]

baking powder and baking soda are not the same thing

[@harryrogers]

Thomas Mcluckie Thanks for correcting me Regards Harry

[@DeniseSkidmore]

Baking powder contains baking soda, so it will work, just not as well as straight soda.

[@NolanTyrrell]

Yes the point of baking powder is to create gas in cookery. Bicarbonate of soda/sodium bicarbonate/baking soda is alkaline. When an acid like citric or acetic/vinegar is added it neutralise the alkali's dissolving properties. an acid is likely to dissolve grease on its own, an alkali is likely to react with the grease. So either should work but together they do nothing. @@DeniseSkidmore

[@johnhartley3596]

Mind your Ps and Qs

[@harryrogers]

John Hartley yes John and my d's and bs