Does ultrasonic cleaning get any simpler than this ?

[Neverenoughwatches]

Hey all watch peeps. I wanted to try one of those cheap ultrasonic  glasses and tooth brush cleaners, i wonder if they would clean watch parts .  Some US users create so many barriers between the parts to be cleaned and the sonic waves. Fairly standard practice is to put the parts into small mesh baskets then into a basket holder of some description then into a glass jar to go into the water bath. Thats a total of 3 barriers as a minimum most have 2 barriers.  What if you use just one barrier ? A thin metal barrier, metal transfers energy better than anything else doesn't it ? A thin metal barrier like a wax tea light case. Lets see what happens. 

1 hour ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Hey all watch peeps. I wanted to try one of those cheap ultrasonic  glasses and tooth brush cleaners, i wonder if they would clean watch parts .  Some US users create so many barriers between the parts to be cleaned and the sonic waves. Fairly standard practice is to put the parts into small mesh baskets then into a basket holder of some description then into a glass jar to go into the water bath. Thats a total of 3 barriers as a minimum most have 2 barriers.  What if you use just one barrier ? A thin metal barrier, metal transfers energy better than anything else doesn't it ? A thin metal barrier like a wax tea light case. Lets see what happens. 

First test was carried out with naptha,  the small bath removed some dirt but only minimal, what ive noticed is the sonic frequency is different compared to the more standard unit that most folk buy. The waves are much fatter, not as concetrated. I then transferred the container to the bigger machine, obviously thats going to remove more stuck on particles which it did. What ive also discovered is the sonic waves penetrate the container more aggressively when i submerged more of it instead of letting it just float on the surface.  More aggressively to the point that it looked like steam was rising from the rim. Next test will be with a proprietary cleaner Elma waterless pro. 

1 hour ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Hey all watch peeps. I wanted to try one of those cheap ultrasonic  glasses and tooth brush cleaners, i wonder if they would clean watch parts .  Some US users create so many barriers between the parts to be cleaned and the sonic waves. Fairly standard practice is to put the parts into small mesh baskets then into a basket holder of some description then into a glass jar to go into the water bath. Thats a total of 3 barriers as a minimum most have 2 barriers.  What if you use just one barrier ? A thin metal barrier, metal transfers energy better than anything else doesn't it ? A thin metal barrier like a wax tea light case. Lets see what happens. 

First test was carried out with naptha,  the small bath removed some dirt but only minimal, what ive noticed is the sonic frequency is different compared to the more standard unit that most folk buy. The waves are much fatter, not as concetrated. I then transferred the container to the bigger machine, obviously thats going to remove more stuck on particles which it did. What ive also discovered is the sonic waves penetrate the container more aggressively when i submerged more of it instead of letting it just float on the surface.  More aggressively to the point that it looked like steam was rising from the rim. Next test will be with a proprietary cleaner Elma waterless pro. 

A couple of conclusions come from the first tests with naptha,  1. Cheap ultrasonic cleaners for cleaning glasses from china are not up to the job of cleaning watch parts, maybe not up to  anyjob. I left a really grubby bracelet in it for 40 minutes,  very little dirt was removed. I was hoping i could degrease balances, levers and jewels right next to my workbench with it , it will still get that chance. The box it came in is particularly interesting, pictures on the side of the box of the things you can put in the bath. Your complete wristwatch, maybe all products from China should come with a disclaimer, something like  # caution we may tell you to do stupid things with this device #.  And 2. containers floating on the surface of US cleaners such as contact lens cases etc are not getting the full benefit of the sonic waves, containers and parts need to be submerged to some degree under the surface level of the water to land in the path that the transducers emit them.

Edited December 21, 2023 by Neverenoughwatches