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Ultrasonic reel cleaning
Post 02 Dec 2020, 13:09 • #1 
Master Guide
Joined: 01/14/06
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Location: US-CA
I acquired an ultrasonic cleaner. It is just a cheap one made for jewelry I think. Anyone use one for reel cleaning with success? What would you use for and additive in the water, dish soap?
I'm guessing that my vision of dropping the reel in and pulling it out a few minutes later shining is not realistic. Just curious if it would let you avoid some of the breakdown of the reel.


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Post 02 Dec 2020, 13:35 • #2 
Administrator
Joined: 01/10/06
Posts: 7811
Location: Holly Springs, NC
I've used these quite a bit and just bought a small home unit. I'll fill this thread with more information as I can.

Safety: do not put your fingers in the solutions while the unit is working. This can irretrievably damage skin and nerve cells without any sense of discomfort - even while wearing gloves. Use tweezers, baskets, and the on/off switch.

Note: do not use an ultrasonic cleaner on painted objects. I've popped the paint off surfaces faster than I could reach the off switch.

Make sure your unit is functional. This is important because broken units 'sound' just fine - they make a satisfying buzzing noise. Testing is easy. Fill the tank to the Max Line with lukewarm water (first photo). Fold a piece of aluminum foil and suspend it in the water (second photo). Sonicate for 2-3 minutes. This should leave the foil with holes and particles in the tank (third photo - this hungry unit is in fine shape). If the foil looks shiny and untouched, the unit isn't working. Send it back to the seller. Don't skip the test. Many sonicators arrive broken from the factory. Many more are broken by operating without enough water in the tank (if you bought a used unit).


Tom



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Post 02 Dec 2020, 15:07 • #3 
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Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19078
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
I use one for bicycle chains, but if you clean reel parts, they should only be the hard metal things you can remove like springs and pawls.


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Post 02 Dec 2020, 20:22 • #4 
Master Guide
Joined: 01/14/06
Posts: 720
Location: US-CA
Glad I asked... The foil came out with holes like shown so I would say its working and that aluminum is not a good metal to put in it. How about plastics brass gears and chrome plated items. Was thinking it might clean out spool handles between handle and post but now will not be putting the spool in it.


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Post 02 Dec 2020, 20:51 • #5 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19078
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
the thing is, if your beaker is harder than the item you're cleaning, it will scratch it.


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Post 02 Dec 2020, 21:05 • #6 
Master Guide
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Location: US-CA
So I watched some videos after a search and it seems people are cleaning every part in a reel with these. Did not see any damage of parts on any of the videos. Plastic, aluminum, plastic, steel, and wood. The guy doing the bearings with the shield still on is looking for trouble most likely though.
The cleaner I have has a plastic basket to put stuff in. No beaker.
Guess its user beware.


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Post 03 Dec 2020, 11:32 • #7 
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Location: Holly Springs, NC
Russell, The aluminum foil blows out because it is so thin. Normal parts are fine. Basically, the sonicator speeds up how quickly cleaning solutions take effect. If you wouldn't let a part sit in a solvent for an hour, then don't use that solvent in a sonicator. For instance, I won't put painted or plastic parts in acetone.

Here are photos of cleaning an old baitcasting reel. I used the sonicator to solvent clean many of the parts.

The reel pre-cleaning and then disassembled. While a sonicator can remove dirt from assemblies, the cleaning works best the more the reel is taken down. Everything was first scrubbed with Dawn liquid and a toothbrush followed by a hot water rinse. The handle and pillars were sonicated in vinegar/water, then rinsed.


The handle knobs were still sticky after the vinegar/water. The knobs are riveted onto the handle, so cleaning as an assembly was the only option. The handle was placed in a small jar with 1/2 oz of mineral spirits. The jar was suspended in the ultrasound bath. The first photo was after about 5 seconds. The second photo after about 3 minutes. Flip the handle and repeat. The mineral spirits cleaned the goo from under the knobs. Much better...


While the mineral spirits look nasty, they can still clean. All the screws and end caps were sonicated in the mineral spirits to remove old oils and grease. The first image shows a screw before and after cleaning. Note, the clean screw shows missing plating. If the plating is loose, it will fall off. The second photo shows some parts in a larger jar of acetone. The acetone removes any dirt that the mineral spirits or Dawn liquid leave behind. The third and fourth photos show the parts after cleaning and the detritus. As usual, lots of dirty Q-tips and used pipe cleaners. While the solvents in the jars look nasty, they are still fine to use. When they get too dirty to see through, I will run them through a coffee filter to remove the particles.


The reassembled and lubricated reel. The spool had a balsa wood arbor to reduce the line capacity. A previous owner had drilled additional holes in the spool, presumably to balance the spool (visible in the photo of the cleaned parts).


Additional recommendations:
  • Don't place anything on the bottom of the sonicator. Sonicators are designed to have the water bath cool the ultrasound transducer. Items on the bottom will interfere with the cooling and blow out the transducer.
  • I like to put parts in a plastic container, such as a yogurt cup or butter tub for cleaning with vinegar/water or Evaporust. I put parts in a glass jar (with a lid!) for cleaning with organic solvents. Suspend the container with a basket or by holding with tweezers.
  • Don't fill the cleaner bath with flammable solvents (did you really need me to tell you this?).
  • Fill the cleaner bath with warm/hot water. Warm solvents work better.
  • Don't sonicate painted parts. Don't sonicate plastics in strong solvents, such as acetone or lacquer thinner.


Tom


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Post 04 Dec 2020, 14:22 • #8 
Master Guide
Joined: 01/14/06
Posts: 720
Location: US-CA
Thanks for the detailed reply Tom. I'll have to give it ago with a reel I'm not too worried about.

Russell


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