well everybody seems to be into home brew for just about everything
in the shop…yesterday I ran out of cleaning solution for my
ultrasonic cleaner…does anyone have a good formula for this… I
looked on the container I have and it has no ingredients…I have
tried ammonia and don’t like the smell…any ideas
Rick Sindeband
Skystone and Silver
1pt water few drops of green dish detergent teaspoon ammonia.
All it has to do is lubricate and wet the [articles so that they go
into supension. I think that even simple green soap solution would
work well. I use this for vibratory finishing with both steel shot
and ceramic media.
Ton Konrath
For starters try a good dishwashing detergent, Dawn , Joy are two
examples of many. Try about 1 or 2 tablespoons per 3 qts of water as
a start adjust up if you need stronger. If you need a little more
kick add a little rubbing alcohol, about 1 cup to 3 qts of water.
Ammonia works good with the soap and water but as you said the smell
gets stout, if you have to go the ammonia route use it in a well
ventalated area. This should clean most objects the next step up
would be like Simple Green or some others, then you get into the
industral strength meta-silicate based cleaners. Wear rubber gloves
with these as they will strip the oils from your skin. Stay away from
gasoline, acatone, etc. BIG fire and explosion hazard. I hope this
helps.
Dale Deviney
Lone Star Technical Services
in the shop...yesterday I ran out of cleaning solution for my ultrasonic cleaner.....does anyone have a good formula for this...
Hi Rick; A lot of people use Simple Green, a bio-friendly cleaning
solution. I got the best results with Spic and Span liquid cleaner,
about one cup to a gallon. Tri-sodium phosphate, which most hardware
stores carry in their paint department (used for cleaning walls
before painting), works well, but isn’t very good to put in the water
system. I believe it’s safe to put the spent solution on the rose
bushes. We’re not talking so much here that it will get down in the
water table before the local fauna utilizes it. Ammonia isn’t a good
choice anyway. Besides the smell, it will affect sterling and it’s
pretty toxic in a closed environment. Dish detergent will work.
When I started in a trade shop decades ago, we used to keep a small
stainless steel sauce pan of water with a couple tablespoons of the
old powdered Spic and Span on a low simmer. It would take caked on
crud off of mountings very quickly, faster than the ultrasonic. (You
trade jewelers . . .ever go home and find you are still smelling
burning perfume the rest of the day?).
David L. Huffman
When I run out I use Mr. Clean - no ammonia, no bleach so not
damaging to metals or most stones.
Nancy
Nancy Bernardine-Widmer
Bernardine Fine Art Jewelry
End of forwarded message
I have been using an Citrus Solvent diluted with water in my
ultrasonic for years now. You can buy a gallon of concentrated
solution for about $16 in most hardware stores. And it smells good!
HTH
Kate Wolf
Zep Chemical Co. makes a floor stripper called Zeparade Stripper
which is the best ultrasonic cleaner I’ve encountered. It’s quick,
doesn’t leave streaks, and is biodegradable. It has a very long life
in the tank and is relatively inexpensive for the job it does. They
have many offices throughout the southeast, I use the Atlanta
location.
Well I’m not sure it will help since you don’t like the smell of
ammonia but we use a mixture of ivory liquid, ammonia and water in
approximately a 2:10:20 proportion (although we never actually
measure the amounts out). Ammonia will not harm any gem materials.
Daniel R. Spirer, GG
Spirer Somes Jewelers
1794 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02140
617-491-6000
@spirersomes
www.spirersomes.com
If you want a good cleaning soap for your ultrasonic try cleanol
from Jackson Lea Co. It is a heavy soap industrial strength. Works
well!