Ultrasonic cleaner: Tank within a Tank?

[awemawson]

I want to clean bits of a paint spray gun using solvent, but I don't want to fill my (rather large) ultrasonic cleaner tank with the solvent - it's currently 3/4 full of a soapy type cleaner)

I remember reading of someone who floated (or maybe suspended) a somewhat smaller bowl or tank in the main body and found it effective, but I can't remember all the details, especially what secondary tank material was used - plastic - metal - what would be happy conveying the ultrasonic vibrations into the smaller tank?

. . . anyone done this and what were the results like?

 

[Greeves246]

I've used glass jars with small carb parts exactly as you say. has to be glass not plastic so as to transmit and not to absorb the vibrations. works for me.

 

[Shox Dr]

I use plastic bags suspended in the tank, for small items

 

[colnerov]

Hi, I use a cheap stainless tea strainer in the bigger basket for small screws and fixings.

Colin

 

[bricol]

In this case, a jar of solvent suspended close to the bottom of the tank would work pretty well - closer to the transducers.

Outside of the jar will be pretty clean too

 

[Mr Fro]

I'm a scientist. I use sonicators every day to solublise otherwise insoluble compounds. It's very common to have the compound/solute in a 4ml glass vial standing in a 100ml glass beaker standing in a 500ml to 10 litre sonicator.

So long as you use a container that won't absorb the waves then it'll work fine.

 

[mdr]

...I remember reading of someone who floated (or maybe suspended) a somewhat smaller bowl or tank in the main body and found it effective, but I can't remember all the details...

I think there may be a few videos on that trick. I remember watching this one...

 

[Shox Dr]

I'm a scientist. I use sonicators every day to solublise otherwise insoluble compounds. It's very common to have the compound/solute in a 4ml glass vial standing in a 100ml glass beaker standing in a 500ml to 10 litre sonicator.

So long as you use a container that won't absorb the waves then it'll work fine.

That was my understanding, however recently I read somewhere that a basket with less holes was not as efficient at cleaning as one with more or made from mesh.

 

[Mr Fro]

That was my understanding, however recently I read somewhere that a basket with less holes was not as efficient at cleaning as one with more or made from mesh.

We have a big one with a wire mesh basket - it's not used much as the smaller ones work just fine and nobody has anything particularly large to sonicate.

Come to think of it, it's only really me that uses it for bike parts that don't fit in my one at home.

 

[bricol]

That was my understanding, however recently I read somewhere that a basket with less holes was not as efficient at cleaning as one with more or made from mesh.

Problem is, a basket with holes in will let all his gun cleaning solvent run out into the detergent he already has in the tank . . .

A basket with the wrong size/spacing of holes will be just as good at blocking the action as something nice and vibration absorbing.

Glass transmits it nicely.

Try it - take a glass bottle of fizzy drink - open it, let the excess fizziness escape. Place it in an ultrasonic tank thats full of water. Turn the ultrasonics on . . .

Take something nice and thick plastic - fill with the cola - try again . . .


Spent quite a number of years designing the things from the mechanical side in three different countries. And really wish I still had access to big industrial ones