I have a 5ltr, 100W heated tank bought off eBay a few years ago - I did a short write up in "the other place" as http://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/showt...hp?t=68929 - pre-heating the tank to 50C make everything that much faster...
The key points are:
You need a non-foaming detergent - I use Tikopur 33 in about 3 to 5% solution as its kind to most electronic kit and doesn't strip silver plating from switches etc. too easily. The right solvents/detergents are important - too aggressive, too hot or too long in the tank, and you can go past cleaning and into stripping any plating etc. Run the tank for 10 minutes or so before putting the items into it to clear out dissolved air bubbles and to bring the tank up to temperature. Also, use clean liquid - don't reuse after a dirty wash as particulate matter in the liquid dramatically reduces the efficacy of the tank. Don't forget to passify all items in distilled water after cleaning.
The main reason for using Tikopur R33 is that its a general purpose cleaner with only a mildly alkaline PH - about 9.9 - and is good with almost everything I've tried, from jewellery to bits of mountain bikes to chassis of old radios etc.
Note that many domestic detergents are VERY alkaline and can do real harm to electronic equipment. Be sure of what you're using.
With silver plated items, I generally use "Goddards" or similar non-abrasive cleaner to get the final finish - e.g. with valve sockets, a bit of Goddards on an "inter-dental brush" (extremely useful items in the workshop) does the job a treat. Also, use the correct lubes on switches etc. as all will have been removed during the clean.
Loads of different tanks are available - I chose 5L as its the biggest volume that was in my budget - think about what you want to clean - if its just jewellery etc., get a tiny one, else set a budget and go for that.
Don't ever clean opals (or any stone with inclusions, e.g. some emeralds) or fragile items in an ultrasonic tank - you can destroy them... the cleaning process is quite aggressive, albeit at an um scale, so be careful with valuable items
I'm currently investigating using a "dry acid salt", sodium bisulphate (NaHSO4) in the tank, especially with brass as it brings it up like new. If there is interest, I'll write that up.
Examples of Eimac SK600 sockets (for power tetrodes) and panel before & after cleaning and my DAC90A after stripping before rebuild - it was absolutely disgusting before cleaning...
The key points are:
You need a non-foaming detergent - I use Tikopur 33 in about 3 to 5% solution as its kind to most electronic kit and doesn't strip silver plating from switches etc. too easily. The right solvents/detergents are important - too aggressive, too hot or too long in the tank, and you can go past cleaning and into stripping any plating etc. Run the tank for 10 minutes or so before putting the items into it to clear out dissolved air bubbles and to bring the tank up to temperature. Also, use clean liquid - don't reuse after a dirty wash as particulate matter in the liquid dramatically reduces the efficacy of the tank. Don't forget to passify all items in distilled water after cleaning.
The main reason for using Tikopur R33 is that its a general purpose cleaner with only a mildly alkaline PH - about 9.9 - and is good with almost everything I've tried, from jewellery to bits of mountain bikes to chassis of old radios etc.
Note that many domestic detergents are VERY alkaline and can do real harm to electronic equipment. Be sure of what you're using.
With silver plated items, I generally use "Goddards" or similar non-abrasive cleaner to get the final finish - e.g. with valve sockets, a bit of Goddards on an "inter-dental brush" (extremely useful items in the workshop) does the job a treat. Also, use the correct lubes on switches etc. as all will have been removed during the clean.
Loads of different tanks are available - I chose 5L as its the biggest volume that was in my budget - think about what you want to clean - if its just jewellery etc., get a tiny one, else set a budget and go for that.
Don't ever clean opals (or any stone with inclusions, e.g. some emeralds) or fragile items in an ultrasonic tank - you can destroy them... the cleaning process is quite aggressive, albeit at an um scale, so be careful with valuable items
I'm currently investigating using a "dry acid salt", sodium bisulphate (NaHSO4) in the tank, especially with brass as it brings it up like new. If there is interest, I'll write that up.
Examples of Eimac SK600 sockets (for power tetrodes) and panel before & after cleaning and my DAC90A after stripping before rebuild - it was absolutely disgusting before cleaning...
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