Could someone enlighten me to the usefulness of an ultrasonic
cleaner? I’m failing to see where it should fit into my pipeline
because I get very good results from pickle, pumice, sandpaper and
tumbler. Is it just for quickly removing grease and dirt from the
finished piece? If so, I can manage that with a soft cloth and a
mild detergent. Yet I see many people raving about ultrasonics. What
am I missing?
For one, removal of residue of polishing media in very hard to clean
places. Not as fast as a steamer, but a pretty decent substitute,
esp. for a small, in-home studio. And especially before soldering
again.
Removal of earthy dirt from deep crevices in natural rough/tumbled
stones. Not all stones can handle the ultrasonic’s vibration and
heat, so be careful to know the stone.
Removal of lanquishing dirt in jewelry worn every day.
Know I’m missing a few things.
We didn’t have one for a long time, but can’t imagine being w/out it
now. I’m very glad we spent the $$$.
Kay Taylor
The advantages are manifold, but it really depends on what you are
doing.
Before you solder the piece must be clean. If you’re making from
scratch your material is probably already clean enough. If you are
repairing or making additional solders after polishing you must clean
completely. Buffing compound can get jammed into tiny recesses, life
gunk builds up behind stones. Heat a dirty diamond and see what
happens. It turns stubbornly black. Sometimes you can clean it by
heating in a heavy coating of Handi-Flux and pickling…sometimes.
An ultrasonic will clean without scratching your laboriously
achieved final finish.
Its also a time saver, dunk the piece and go work on something else
while it cleans.
Need to demount a glued pearl? Zap it in a sealed container with
acetone, in the ultrasonic.
Leverage gauge sticky? same trick but with mineral spirits.
BUT. They cost money. Even a small one is a few hundred bucks. Make
the investment when you can’t do without it.
I started out in this business making turquoise jewelry in
Albuquerque. We used a bucket of soapy water and old toothbrushes to
clean jewelry after polishing. Not only did it work fine, it is, in
my experience, the best way to clean it. I still clean that sort of
jewelry the same way. The value of a n ultrasonic is when you have
more towards what is called fine jewelry: gemstones set into metal,
lots of details, little tiny holes drilled under stones, etc. Those
places cannot be reached by conventional methods, and the ultrasonic,
and it’s companion steam, are about the ONLY way to do the job. If
you are working in a larger format, expecially silver, and scrubbing
does the job, then you probably don’t really need ultrasonic, though
it’s always useful.
Ultrasonic cleaners are a MUST HAVE item of equipment in a modern
jewelry operation. In cleaning complex pieces, dirt, grime, and
grease are removed from surfaces that are otherwise inaccessible to
cleaning with a mild detergent. I have an article on ultrasonic
cleaning on my blogsite which will answer any questions you might
have. graduategemologist.blogspot.com
Yet I see many people raving about ultrasonics. What am I missing?
Without an ultrasonic how do you test your pave’ work? 
Ray
a HEATED ultra sonic will clean much more thoroughly because it has
very small vibrations(it feels like your getting shocked when you put
your hand in it)that cleans places you cannot with other ways.put
your jewelry in the pickle then the ultra sonic then steam or dry
with a clean soft cloth.
Without an ultrasonic how do you test your pave' work? ;-)
Long before I had my own ultrasonic cleaning machine, I used a 10
power loupe and look for the four beads holding the diamond. I look
for each of the beads and observe if the actual bead is OVER the
girdle, not beside this stone in question. It’s a very simple test
and no expensive machine is really needed… You just gotta make darn
sure the burnished bead is sitting ON the Crown Facets and not
touching the Girdle…
Gerry!
Warning - don’t put hands or fingers in the ultrasonic! The blood in
the veins and arteries of inserted body parts gets aerated and forms
tiny clots which can circulate and lodge in dangerous places such as
the brain. If this is a myth please debunk it. I believe it is true
because ultrasonics work by causing tiny bubbles to expand and
contract, and by so doing lifting the dirt off. We have all heard
what bubbles in the blood can do - the bends, clots caused by air in
injections.
That said, they are marvellous cleaners - sometimes too good, they
will clean out the green resin in “enhanced” emeralds, the "blue"
from turquoise, and if given enough time the black off oxidised
silver. They are great for quickly dislodging thick layers of flux.
Get the most powerful you can afford (my non-technical definition:
the more the liquid jumps about, the more powerful it is), and the
biggest size tank you can afford within reason (they can be 5
gollons or more for industrial applications). They are useful for so
many other cleaning jobs: dunk your spectacles for a few seconds and
they come out looking new; handpiece, carburettor… OK that’s
enough, they are perfect for jewellery!
it feels like your getting shocked when you put your hand in it)
Please don’t make a habit of putting you hands in the ultrasonic!
Back in the 1930s when ultrasonic cleaners where being developed the
manufacturers thought what a great idea for a bathtub. Well,
after hundreds where sold and used, a high percentage of those who
used them developed leukemia and bone marrow cancers. It seems the
ultrasonic waves will travel through your skin to the bone marrow,
which disrupts the marrow’s natural function triggering cancer. The
bathtubs where taken off the market. Ultrasonic cleaners are still
safe to use as long as you don’t put any part of your body (with
bones) into them.
Nanz Aalund
Associate Editor / Art Jewelry magazine
21027 Crossroads Circle / Waukesha WI 53187-1612
262.796.8776 ext.228
Warning - don't put hands or fingers in the ultrasonic! The blood in the veins and arteries of inserted body parts gets aerated and forms tiny clots which can circulate and lodge in dangerous places such as the brain. If this is a myth please debunk it.
It is no myth, at least in your intent. Ultrasonic cleaners cause a
very real phenomenon called cavitation. In living tissue, it is
specifically called non-inertial cavitation. While I don’t believe it
can cause clots or cause bubbles to lodge anywhere, the formation and
subsequent contraction of the tiny voids (they’re not actually
bubbles) definitely causes energy in the form of heat and a wave of
pressure that is quite detrimental to surrounding tissues. Even short
term exposure to ultrasonic waves can cause a lot of discomfort as a
curious coworker of mine found out. Long term exposure would be
devastating. The energy caused by the formation and collapse of these
voids is called “boiling,” and the resultant heat, if the tissue is
held in long enough, will do just that.
because ultrasonics work by causing tiny bubbles to expand and contract, and by so doing lifting the dirt off. We have all heard what bubbles in the blood can do - the bends, clots caused by air in injections
The bends, also known as decompression sickness, is most often
contracted by divers who descend far enough and long enough to cause
nitrogen to dissolve into their tissues due to the increased pressure
at depth. If they ascend too quickly, the change in pressure is
similar to opening a soft drink bottle. The nitrogen transfers
rapidly from the tissues to the bloodstream. So rapidly that it can
form bubbles of nitrogen and the very painful, sometimes fatal
condition known as the bends. But I never heard of clotting caused by
the bends.
A diver can avoid the bends by keeping track of air supply and
leaving plenty of time for safety stops on the way up to allow their
nitrogen-soaked tissues to exsolve. However, there’s no way to
prevent non-inertial cavitation when plunging one’s hand into an
ultrasonic, so please don’t.
James S. Duncan, G.G.
James in SoFL
Ultrasonic cleaners are still safe to use as long as you don't put any part of your body (with bones) into them.
Thanks Nanz! I was having one of those days… and I know what you
really meant by your post.
But something about the way your wrote this kept me laughing most of
the day - imagining people sticking the other parts of their bodies
(those without bones:) into ultrasonic tanks! What can I say, it was
a DULL day… didn’t take much to amuse me.
Brian
I haven’t been around for quite a while.
I went to work for a local company that has gone into a major phase
of expansion. The company has gone from a very busy 2,000 foot
operation into opening a second jewelry store with a 16,000 foot
operation. I am learning a new definition of humility. Some of the
guys working here do micro pave and I am using some more new tools.
Enough of that.
Warning - don't put hands or fingers in the ultrasonic! The blood in the veins and arteries of inserted body parts gets aerated and forms tiny clots which can circulate and lodge in dangerous places such as the brain. If this is a myth please debunk it. I believe it is true because ultrasonics work by causing tiny bubbles to expand and contract, and by so doing lifting the dirt off. We have all heard what bubbles in the blood can do - the bends, clots caused by air in injections.
If you check the archives about ultrasonics, you will find various
claims but no substantiation. Lots of people "know someone who knew
someone that saw someone cripple themselves, blind themselves, give
themselves diseases like cancer, the bends and arthritis with these
machines. However, the closest that one will come to finding long or
short term damage from an ultrasonic cleaner of the type commonly
used by jewelers, is probably the pain one notices if one washes his
hands in the cleaner. There is the mention of “defatting one’s
hands”, but I think that this is what happens when one uses soap to
wash. Do a search on the net and you will find only warnings much as
your own with no evidence to back it up.
Bruce D. Holmgrain
JA Certified Master Bench Jeweler
If you check the archives about ultrasonics, you will find various claims but no substantiation. Lots of people "know someone who knew someone that saw someone cripple themselves, blind themselves, give themselves diseases like cancer, the bends and arthritis with these machines. However, the closest that one will come to finding long or short term damage from an ultrasonic cleaner of the type commonly used by jewelers, is probably the pain one notices if one washes his hands in the cleaner.
I agree. Years ago my husband worked at a company where his hands
were in the ultrasonic every day, for a good amount of time. He
always came home complaining of his hands hurting. Now he does have
arthritis in both hands but there is no proof that it was caused by
the ultrasonic. However he didn’t explode, get the bends or blood
clots from it. Just pain. Not sure if this helps but thought you
might like to know that he is still here and doing ok. (He even helps
me set up at most of my shows.)
Cande Toner
The blood in the veins and arteries of inserted body parts gets aerated and forms tiny clots which can circulate and lodge in dangerous places such as the brain.If this is a myth please debunk it.
As far as my doctor wife knows, this is a myth. However, the
disruptions to the bone thoery does sound feasible through extended
exposure. All in all, probably not a good idea to go sticking your
hands in. As far as uses go, ever had to re-tip a ring full of skin
cells and old perfume? Yuk. From pickle to ultrasonic to steamer
before you solder and you don’t get that burned dead stuff smell. A
useful time saver as you can just leave stuff to get clean whilt you
do something else. A friend of mine has a small at home studio and
she uses her dad’s old denture cleaner, same principle just not as
big or expensive. She says it’s worked fine for years.
Sam T
Reference the discussion of if it is dangerous to put your fingers
in a Ultrasound tank…
The real answer is “it depends”
The answer depends on the relative power output of the ultrasonic
transducer, the distance you are from it, the viscosity of the
liquid (Note I am not assuming water only), The temperature and the
duration.
Think Radioactivity (In this case gamma Radiation) same idea… Air
Line pilots are regularly exposed to elevated and easily measured
levels, is it dangerous, we don’t think so. A person working at a
factory using a Gamma irradiator will be condemned to death in
moments by the radiation levels. In both cases same radiation, but
the variables are different.
coming back to Ultrasonic cleaners, to be honest I doubt if consumer
type equipment would be dangerous, even the Jeweler type bench top
is probably of such low power that the risk is negligible. The larger
industrial high power units that for example a casting operation
might invest in to de-invest castings in large batches, dangerous.
I would say ask the manufacturer and / or verify the documentation
you received with the unit, but in today’s heavily layered up north
American environment, you can be sure that the warnings will be more
to protect a Manufacturer from a person who develops arthritis in
their 60’s claiming that the ultrasound caused it and preventing the
resulting lawsuit, rather than what the real risk is. (For a laugh
the most ridiculous warning label I have read about was a “Dangerous
if swallowed” on a fishing lure with a large 3 tine barbed hook).
Kay
One time, out of curiosity, there was a fly buzzing around the shop.
So instead of just swatting it, I caught it. I turned on the
ultrasonic, and put the fly into it. The very INSTANT that the fly
hit the surface, it died. That was enough for me. What happened
internally is much less important to know than that it’s probably not
a good idea to reach into a running ultrasonic…
ultrasonic, and put the fly into it. The very INSTANT that the fly hit the surface, it died. That was enough for me. What happened
We’ve got to send this to Mythbusters! They’ll settle it for us once
and for all!
Elaine
Elaine Luther
Metalsmith, Certified PMC Instructor
http://www.CreativeTextureTools.com ™
Hard to Find Tools for Metal Clay