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Ultrasonic Cleaning


BOOGIT

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I use a small machine to clean my pens before I start any repairs.

I also use in it the cleaning stage before selling pens . What size machine is best for these tasks? Mine is clearly a cheapie and I wonder if it really is any use at all.

Any info is much appreciated.

Keith

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I have one of the Hornady ones that is sold for cleaning cartridge cases and gun parts, it holds 2 litres of cleaning solution, and has seemed to be about perfect for my uses. Big enough to stick any possible pen part into, not so big that changing out the solution is a problem. I use it for cleaning darn near everything. Pens, pocket knives, firearm and small engine parts... pretty much anything that will fit into the basket can be cleaned very efficiently!

 

Obviously, after you clean out a cruddy, scum-covered carburator bowl from your weed-whacker, make sure you clean the tank out thoroughly before dropping your pens in, please! :lol:

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I use a Branson 200 with stainless steel tank and 15 oz capacity. This company makes industrial sized machines also. Very reliable - have years on mine. They sell for less than $200

"how do I know what I think until I write it down?"

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Do ultrasonic cleaners "scratch" the outside of the pens? How do you place the pens in there as to not damage the outside? Wouldn't the pen vibrating around on the bottom of the pan cause damage?

Montblanc Pen PolishFountain Pen Flush

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The stainless steel tank is not directly contacted by the contents, there is a plastic basket that holds them suspended away from the metal. You want to avoid contact with the tank, because it can damp the ultrasonic vibration from properly transferring to the solution. The basket in mine is made of what feels like a polyethylene plastic, and has not caused any scratching to anything that I've put in it, as far as I can detect. At each solution change, I always wash the basket very thoroughly with soap and water, to ensure that no residue or grit is clinging to it from the last use.

 

This is my ultrasonic, in the ready-to-use state. Note that the lid builds up a fair bit of condensate. Pro tip: Make sure to take the lid off sort of slide-wise before you tilt it, so that goes BACK in the tank, instead of all over your bench. This is especially noticeable when you're using the heated setting for cleaning non-pen stuff, as in this case.

 

http://i1158.photobucket.com/albums/p603/Komitadjie/IMG_20140820_214454_zps247fbeb6.jpg

 

The actual usable tank is fairly good sized, those are two De Atramentis ink bottles in there (empties from Goulet), in this case I'm using it to clean 'em out and blow the labels off so I can transfer my ESSRI into them from the original plastic bottle. As you can see, there's a fair bit of space in the basket! It could hold four bottles like this with reasonable ease, and the solution is JUST over the highest point of the glass. I could add another quarter inch or so of solution to get to "max" on the fill scale, but I usually leave it about halfway between max and min fill.

 

http://i1158.photobucket.com/albums/p603/Komitadjie/IMG_20140820_214510_zpsd8b24891.jpg

 

And here's the basket out of the tank, just to show it a bit better. I personally think this is about the perfect sized cleaner. There's enough solution so that it doesn't immediately load up with crud, and enough space to hold pretty much anything you'd care to clean. At the same time, it's not so large that it takes up your entire desk, or hold so much solution that changing it out is difficult. I typically just unplug the cord, take it to the utility sink, and dump it out. Then I rinse and refill it right there, walk it back, and plug it back in.

 

http://i1158.photobucket.com/albums/p603/Komitadjie/IMG_20140820_214537_zps0f5c27de.jpg

Edited by Komitadjie
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