Rust taking over… – Photo Courtesy: Lamdogjunkie
Ultrasonic cleaners are fantastic machines that can remove any number of contaminants from metals, including oil, paint and rust. The cleaning process involves broadcasting sound waves through a particular solution in order to clean a specific material. It is said that both high and low pressure fronts are produced via the ultrasonic sound waves, and it is this that make it so good at cleaning metals.
Once you add a solution, such as a detergent, the overall process of sound waves and the reaction caused between the detergent and metal will provide you with a fantastic ability to clean even the most contaminated piece of metal.
How to Get Rid of Rust
Firstly, you will need to remove the basket from inside the ultrasonic cleaner and then fill the tank with water. You will then need to add your cleaning solution, although the type of solution you use will largely depend on the job in hand. The vast majority of ultrasonic cleaner retailers will provide various solutions to purchase alongside the machine and these solutions will vary, again depending on what you are actually trying to clean.
You should turn the ultrasonic cleaner on and let it run through its cycle for approximately 10 minutes, as this will allow the water and cleaning solution to distribute at an even level throughout the machine. You can then place the rusted metal object(s) into the machine. The most common types of metal object typically cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner will be a rusted tool or a car part that needs to be freed of clogging rust.
Prior to actually placing the metal object into the ultrasonic cleaner, it is recommended that you remove any excess debris with a cloth or a wire brush, as this will help to enhance the machine’s overall cleaning prowess. You should also check to see if there are any rubber parts or wires hanging off the metal object before placing it into the machine. These additional parts can quite easily become damaged once they come into contact with the cleaning solution, therefore you should remove these first.
Adding Metal Parts to the Machine
An Ultrasonic Cleaner – Photo Courtesy: Emmanuel Gilloz
Fully immerse the metal object into the machine and allow it to soak for approximately half an hour. You should notice that once the ultrasonic waves get to work, small bubbles will begin to form around the metal object. This shows that the process has begun to work and will cause the rust to release itself from the metal. It is also likely that the water will start to become extremely dirty, although this will depend on how many metal parts you have added to the ultrasonic cleaner and how rusty they are.
Once completed, you can remove the basket from the cleaner and then you should rinse the metal parts in clean water in order to remove any excess cleaning solution that is sticking to them. You should notice that the majority of the rust has been removed from the parts, although if certain areas had a great deal of rust, you may need to run them through the machine again. You can then dispose of the dirty water, but you must neutralize the solution first and then get rid of the water in the most environmentally-friendly way possible.
Jack Stevenson is a technician at Zenith Ultrasonics which deals in an extensive range of cleaning systems in Norwood, New Jersey. He is an earnest employee and he enjoys spending time with his family when he gets free. To know more about his work, log on to www.zenith-ultrasonics.com/.
Leave a Reply