# What degreaser do you put in your ultrasonic cleaner?



## Fastskiguy (Jan 15, 2004)

Sorry if this has been asked before but I'm thinking simple green or some bio degreaser so it can go down the drain. Maybe some alcohol after as a "rinse cycle". Mostly I'm talking chains here. Thanks guys 

Joe


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## wschruba (Apr 13, 2012)

The Crest ultrasonic cleaner I have the pleasure of using requires you to use their own stuff, or you essentially screw the pooch (your warranty) on a multiple thousand dollar piece of equipment.

If at all possible, consult the manufacturer of your cleaner to see what they recommend...in short, don't put stuff in that they don't expressly tell you is okay. You can dip the chain in alcohol after cleaning, if you wish. Blowing the parts off with compressed air after a thorough water rinse works pretty well, and quickly, too. Lubing shortly after removes almost any chance of rusting.

As far as disposal, the rep I talked to recommended throwing the used solution in a bucket/pan/whatever, letting the fluid evaporate, and then chucking the sediment in the trash.


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## thomllama (Oct 3, 2007)

I don't have one (yet) but a friend does and I've used it a couple times and we've found 1/3 orange cleaner, 1/3 rubbing alcohol and 1/3 water (actually probably a little higher orange cleaner.. ) works great for a base start then just water one or 2 times till it runs clear... 

thou we are using a a "denture/CD/Jewelry" cleaner that's like 25 bucks not a massive thousand dollar unit.

we also put the chain out to dry in the sun for most of the day, and beside it one of those disposable lunch container units with oil in it to heat up.. then put the chain in the container of warmed oil and threw it in the ultrasonic cleaner to vibrate the oil into the chain.. did it help? honestly no clue... but the chain ran really smooth after


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## jasonb751 (Apr 8, 2013)

I may be a newb to biking, but definitely not to ultrasonic cleaners, I am a certified regulator technician for most scuba manufacturers. I have tried just about everything in the world, and the best stuff by far is blue and gold. Use it and you won't be disappointed one bit.


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## thomllama (Oct 3, 2007)

jasonb751 said:


> best stuff by far is blue and gold. Use it and you won't be disappointed one bit.


never heard of the stuff? where? what ? expensive? like more info .. sounds interesting...


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## jasonb751 (Apr 8, 2013)

thomllama said:


> never heard of the stuff? where? what ? expensive? like more info .. sounds interesting...


http://www.bluegoldcleaner.com/cleaner.aspx

We get it at a scuba distributor, it is a bit pricy at around $70 per gallon, but lasts a long time. On the website there is a number you can call and they can put you in touch with a distributor locally.


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## jasonb751 (Apr 8, 2013)

Oh, and for ultrasonic you dilute it 5% so a gallon goes a long way.


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## Joules (Oct 12, 2005)

In my little $25 jewelry cleaner that I use for chains and cassettes and the like, dish soap works pretty well, then I buzz it for 10 minutes or so in just water as a rinse.

Probably not the absolute cleanest you could possibly get a chain, but I get 2-3000 miles from a chain doing that every 500 or so, with duMonde tech lube.


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## Fastskiguy (Jan 15, 2004)

Blue gold looks like the way to go, I'm using a 35$ jewelry cleaner too. I'd follow the instructions but I can't read them....not even sure what language it is LOL. Thanks guys


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## jasonb751 (Apr 8, 2013)

How do you guys like the $35 cleaners? I have a 10 gallon Sonicor, and I would like to get a smaller one that is quieter than mine for small parts.


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## Fastskiguy (Jan 15, 2004)

I don't think it's nearly as powerful as an industrial unit but it's just right for a chain and ac powered. Results last night with Simple Green were only "meh, OK" but with a better degreaser I think we'll get better results. Next in my grand plan is a crock pot for wax 

Amazon.com: SPT UC-0609 Ultrasonic Cleaner: Home & Kitchen


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## Slash5 (Nov 27, 2011)

I'm using one of the cheap cleaners and use Spray 9 cleaner/degreaser, low foaming, biodegradable with corrosion inhibitors meant for power washers. Works great, probably a lifetime supply since I use a couple of cap fulls each time.


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## bad mechanic (Jun 21, 2006)

I've found that Simple Green works very, very well. It's also cheap and easy to dispose of.

I've also learned it works a lot better when you use the basket instead of throwing stuff directly into the tub.


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## neex (Mar 30, 2005)

I know this is a grave dig but I wanted to add something as I just tried using an ultrasonic cleaner for bike parts for the first time. Some folks are worried about water infiltration (including myself). What I did is after the cleaning cycles (only Dawn dish soap/water) I took a ziplock bag and filled it with iso alcohol... I left a corner open for venting... I put the bag in a water bath in the machine and let it run for 5 min with temp on high... I did this with a jockey wheel and 2 chains... not only did it pull more dirt out but it was dry pretty quick after being removed. I then soaked the chain in some thin oil in the same bag (pneumatic tool oil as it was just to ensure no rusting and I had it on hand). It seems to have worked very well so I thought I would share.


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## Ridefat1981 (Mar 17, 2014)

I use dish soap. Dawn is the best


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## RSW42 (Aug 22, 2006)

Wow...never thought about an ultrasonic cleaner...

How chains get done in my shop (have good results):

1. 'Marinade' in Simple Green
2. In an old baking sheet, lay out and use brush on sides and down in rollers
3. Back in Simple Green rinse
4. Lay out on bench and blow out rollers with compressed air
5. Works great


But I bet an ultrasonic cleaner gets them near sterile, eh?


I'm intrigued...


S


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## mtnbiker4life (Sep 19, 2005)

RSW42 said:


> Wow...never thought about an ultrasonic cleaner...
> 
> How chains get done in my shop (have good results):
> 
> ...


I've been using a Branson Ultrasonic cleaner for about 8 years now on my chains, cassettes and Chris King hub parts. I use a 50-50 Simple Green and Water mixture and the results are amazing. If anybody is looking into an ultrasonic cleaner make sure you get a heater option.

.


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## Joules (Oct 12, 2005)

RSW42 said:


> Wow...never thought about an ultrasonic cleaner...
> 
> How chains get done in my shop (have good results):
> 
> ...


To me that amount of labor for a chain is a non-starter, it would be cheaper to just toss the chain and replace it every time I had to do that (if I consider my time to have value, which I do). Maybe if I had some trained monkeys to do stuff like that...

The ultrasonic cleaner probably doesn't get the chain much cleaner than your technique, but there's basically no labor, I just toss the chain in, hit a button, come back in 30 minutes, hang the chain to dry, done.


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## MTBeing (Jan 11, 2012)

mtnbiker4life said:


> I've been using a Branson Ultrasonic cleaner for about 8 years now on my chains, cassettes and Chris King hub parts. I use a 50-50 Simple Green and Water mixture and the results are amazing. If anybody is looking into an ultrasonic cleaner make sure you get a heater option.
> 
> .


I used to be a distributor for Branson cleaners and they are superior to the less-expensive commercial grade cleaners. Branson uses industrial-grade transducers which last longer and work better. And yes, get the heater.


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## jkretsch (Jul 14, 2009)

Coming into this thread several year's late but ... I've been using an Ultrasonic cleaner to clean my bike parts for a year or so and have tried several different cleaning solutions at varying concentrations trying to find the "perfect" mix that clean chains, cassettes, etc without etching the alloy surface. Finally I have come upon a solution made specifically for aluminum alloy called Branson MC-3 and this stuff really works!! I've tried on several parts including a really dirty chain and cassette and I'm very impressed. Even the alloy lockring came out clean with no etching. This is an industrial solution this is not easy to find in small quantities but it's currently available on eBay in 1 quart bottles for $25 which is enough to make almost 4 gallons of cleaning solution.


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## Fastskiguy (Jan 15, 2004)

Well since this thread has been revived....I'll update what I'm doing on my chains, it's pretty much following the moulten speed wax protocol using a jar and mineral spirits. I've decided my little 25$ ultrasonic cleaner doesn't really do the trick but simply agitating the chain in the jar works well....it's just super time consuming. A couple of rinses in alcohol and I'm good to go into the wax bath.

https://moltenspeedwax.com/pages/clean-your-chain

I like the mineral spirits because they're cheap and if you let it sit the solid oils and dirt will fall to the bottom of the jar and you can decant the clear stuff off the top and use it over and over. It's almost like....nothing to dispose of.

Anyway, just throwing it out there, there are lots of good ideas here


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## wvtrailbiker (Jan 24, 2008)

50/50 mix of simple green and water. Cheap and easy to dispose of. Stay away from the various cheap purple degreasers sold at auto stores they can eat the finish of components pretty quick.


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## jkretsch (Jul 14, 2009)

Yea, I was trying Purple Power previously and had to be really careful with the dilution. Initially I had it too strong and it etched some of my parts. The great thing about the Branson MC-3 is that it's formulated specifically for aluminum alloy and I've had no problems at all with etching when mixed at the recommended strength (10% MC-3 to water) and the parts cleanup nicer than anything else I've tried.


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## Fastskiguy (Jan 15, 2004)

How do you dispose of that stuff?


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## gregnash (Jul 17, 2010)

Currently been using a 6L heated ultra-sonic that I got off ebay. Dilution is about 25/75 Purple Simple Green and water, then throw in the mixture and heat to about 50C for a good 15 mins. That usually brings everything out nice and clean and shiny. Once done I rinse under hot water and dry. Has worked great for everything from the wife's jewelry to cleaning my trucks carb to bike parts.


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## Fastskiguy (Jan 15, 2004)

What did that heated ultrasonic cleaner run you? It sounds so nice for getting things super clean.


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## stillkeen (Mar 22, 2005)

Fastskiguy said:


> What did that heated ultrasonic cleaner run you? It sounds so nice for getting things super clean.


I'm interested in this too. I see 6L Branson ones for a lot of money (they'd make financial sense for a business, but not some guy who cleans his chain and cassette twice a year), and then knock off's on ebay or my much smaller/weaker Harbor Freight one.


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## BlueCheesehead (Jul 17, 2010)

I use mineral spirits in my Branson B-12. It fits chains and road bike cassettes.


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