Ultrasonic Cleaners

michael anderson · Post by **michael anderson** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 9:37 am

Looks like I'm getting one of these for my birthday. It's a Genesis 3 liter with 80 watts, 50 KHz and 150 watts of heating power. Can anybody offer any do's and don't of ultrasonic reel cleaning, tips on cleaning solutions, use of heat, etc? Thanks guys!

SWIM JIG · Post by **SWIM JIG** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 10:04 am

email Jim Madden, he has used one for years, he has several posts on this board, or he is in the ORCA membership book, he wrote a nice book on South Bend reels. I too am ,and have decided to getone for our reel repair business, advise me when you use it how it does and what is the brand name, price and where to purchase one. Also when you use it, please write a artical for the reel news mag, let everone know how it works, what splvent you use and the heat settings etc. respectfuly Col. Milton lorens

Steve · Post by **Steve** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 11:17 am

I've used sonic baths for reels for twenty-five years and have never used the heat setting. Baths can be used for any cleaning fluids, including soapy water, mineral spirits, vinegar, or whatever. They merely speed up the cleaning process and help reach nooks and crannies you can't reach by hand.

For grease that doesn't come off with mineral spirits, I use a non-ammoniated watch-cleaning solution from L&R Manufacturing (http://www.lrultrasonics.com/) , followed by a non-ammoniated rinse from the same company. A rinse with hot water finishes the job.

Timing depends on how dirty the metal is. Plated brass usually cleans up quickly (10-20 min.). If the plating is broken, as it often is on cheaply plated reels, e.g., Hendryx, or on reels with verdigris, some may flake off.

Be careful with plastics, ivory, etc. These solvents can dissolve some plastics used primarily on later reels. The rinse is more dangerous than the cleaning solution. And it's not a good idea to sonicate bone, ivory, or other handles that are cracked. Hard rubber requires some practice. The solvents dry the surface, so a less-than-glossy surface can come out brown and dull and will have to be restored. If the rubber surface is unworn and glossy, it usually comes out that way.

Basically, you have to experiment with less valuable reels before you subject better reels to cleaning this way.

Jack Bright · Post by **Jack Bright** » Mon Nov 10, 2003 1:04 pm

:roll: Good Luck Mike--let me know when you`re ready I only have about
20 at this time, I`ll let you know
how & when I`m shipping--Jack Bright

ak-fish · Post by **ak-fish** » Tue Nov 11, 2003 9:37 am

I know next to nothing about ultra sonic cleaners. Can someone post a little about them for the novice? How do they work? Are they better than alternatives? Where would I get one? What do they cost?

Steve · Post by **Steve** » Tue Nov 11, 2003 9:53 am

Here's a link to a site that explains how these machines work:
http://orcaonline.org/images/pixel.gif

Here's my favorite sonic bath company:
http://www.lrultrasonics.com

And an alternative:
http://orcaonline.org/images/pixel.gif?html

Prices vary, but a decent bath probably will run several hundred dollars. You can buy cheap little jewelry cleaners, but they won't have the power or size necessary for adequately cleaning reel parts.

michael anderson · Post by **michael anderson** » Tue Nov 11, 2003 10:42 pm

My wife paid $200 for mine (Genesis is the brand) on ebay. It didn't come with a basket, so I've been suspending reels from a string until I can make one. They don't work miracles, but I'm quite satisfied with mine. The only negative with mine is that the timer is limited to 5 minutes, so i generally have to do 2 or 3 cycles before I'm satisfied. Thanks to everybody for your suggestions - they've been quite helpful!

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