ZippyThePinhead

I ordered one of those Harbor Freight 2.5 liter ultrasonic cleaners. Searching the forums turns up some threads in which folks mention using diluted Simple Green and other types of solutions. But I did not see anything which mentioned using something like Finish Line degreaser.

Is it overkill, or would it be good?

Too, it seems that in every ultrasonic cleaner thread, naysayers (who might have never used one) abound. What do you use in your ultrasonic cleaner?

rithem

If I had one i would use simple green diluted 4:1 maybe only on parts w/o bearing though or with bearing removed, like jockey wheels for instance.

rhenning

Finish Line is good stuff but isn't necessary when using an ultrasonic cleaner. Use simple green and you will be fine. Roger

Kimmo

Hey look, it's Zippy the Pinhead!

Maybe keep some mineral spirits on hand for the stubborn stuff? See how it goes with the Simple Green, I guess.

What's one of those parts cleaners worth BTW?

dsbrantjr

One issue with water-based cleaning solutions is that every trace of the water and cleaner (rinse thouroughly) must be removed from the crevices in the chain or it will cause rust and prevent chain lube from penetrating properly. I either soak the chain in a couple of changes of denatured alcohol NOT rubbing alcohol (your ultrasonic would be good for this) to dissolve the water into the alcohol which will evaporate more easily or put the chain into a 250F oven for half an hour to bake out the water. Then promptly lubricate the chain to keep it from rusting; the lube will flow well if you hit the chain while it is still warm.

Rather than put the solution directly into the ultrasonic I put an inch or two of water into it and put the solutions into Pyrex beakers or coffee cans and place them into the water. The ultrasonic vibrations will couple into the solutions via the water.

ZippyThePinhead

I appreciate the advice. The idea of making the cleaner into a bath with a second vessel seems to be a good one. I am planning to use this on chains, among other things. I'm curious to see if their lifespan can be extended. But obviously it can be used for more than bike parts.

@Kimmo: the Harbor Freight cleaner cost me around $70 including tax and shipping (with a coupon code).

Regarding chains, I have been using this Dumonde light lube and liking it. It has to be applied on naked metal, so for the first application I just soaked the chain in the Finish Line degreaser for 30 minutes or so. I was thinking to go after water in the nooks of the chain using another soak in the Finish Line (after cleaning it in the ultrasonic cleaner). That Dumonde lube keeps the drivetrain quiet and clean, as advertised. I'm pleased with it so far.

Kimmo

Neato. Might have to grab one of those sometime soon.

Stealthammer

When I first started using an ultrasound cleaner I tried a dozen or so good quality off-the-shelf dishwashing liquids ($5-$7/24oz) mixed in a 5-7% solution, athen I tried a commercial automatic dishwashing liquid ($10-$25/45oz) and Tide laundry detergent ($10-$20/72 or 150oz), both in a 5-10% solution as well. I had very good results with all of them, but especially with the liquid Tide.

Then I tried Simple Green (about $10-18/gal) in a 10% solution and I was quite impressed with it as well, but when I tried Sharptek Solution 1831 ($ 40-$50/gal) in a 7% solution I was completely satisfied that this was in fact the best solution. Now I use Simple Green for day-to-day tool and small parts cleaning, and I use Solution 1831 HD or Tide when I really need a seriously effective solution to clean really heavy grim like diesel truck parts.

BTW: I also use Solution 1831 HD or Tide in my pressure washer to clean the shop floor, and both work really well.

davidad

I use Simple Green and water in a 1 to 1 mix. After I rinse the chain in a plastic jar with water then dry it in the sun or in the oven. I lube with a mix of 4 parts mineral spirits to 1 part chain saw bar oil. I just changed out an 8sp chain with 16,000 thousand miles on it.

Jed19

I do have that ultrasonic cleaner you just ordered. In my opinion, it is overkill using it to clean bicycle chains. It is good for cleaning other bicycle parts, sunglasses, waterproof watches etc. For bicycle chains, the Sheldon Brown method of sticking the chain in a leakproof container with some mineral spirits and agitating works well. And it is fast, as I can clean my chain in about five minutes. Also, the ultrasonic cleaner is gonna strip much more lube from the innards of your chain, and that in my view is counteproductive.

Oh, HFreight also sells a little bottle of ultrasonic cleaner crystals for about $5 or so.