Ultrasonic cleaning bath

[Led-Time]

Does anyone use or have used one of these things - Ultrasonic cleaning bath - are they any good as I need to deep clean a few of my watches, usually I leave the parts overnight soaking in washing-up liquid to remove the dirt, its OK but something better and faster would be nice.

Any thoughts...

[Higgie]

I have one, these things are excellent.... Well worth the money.

[Led-Time]

Thanks for the reply Higgie...

Do you need to use any special cleaners/solvents in them and roughly how long does it take to clean quite dirty watch parts like bracelets etc.

[Higgie]

I use washing up liquid in a high concentration, this is a good degreaser. You can also use Caustic Soda ( Drain cleaner ) for Stainless steel straps. ( watch out for your hands!! ) Never tried special solutions.
It takes about 4 minutes.

[Led-Time]

Around 4 minutes that sounds just perfect, I'll have to invest in one then. Caustic soda, I remember using that stuff years ago to clean out the expansion chamber exhaust on my two stroke motorcycle it took all the paint off its that powerful...

Thanks for your help Higgie, cheers...

[Pulsarlover]

I have an Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner from Sharper Image Design. It says, "Safely cleans using only water and a few drops of ammonia." The 'tank' holds 3/4 cup of water. My daughter, who uses it to clean our jewelry, uses no water, no ammonia-just Windex (she has seen the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding). It has a tray for cleaning watchbands (while still attached to the watch) and small pieces of jewelry. It says, "Nonabrasive ultrasonic power (42,000 waves/second) easily dislodges dirt and grease from crevices that ordinary cleaning methods cannot reach." And, "Professional-style ultrasonic cleaning restores...the bright luster of fine metals." The Pulsar Jewelers' Manual has a picture of the one they used.

[Led-Time]

Higgie & Pulsarlover any chance you could post a picture of your ultrasonic cleaners for me to see...

[Higgie]

This is the smallest version i could find, perfect for small parts and watches. The bucket is made of stainless steel, the basket is PVC i think, so everything is "chemical proof".
Please note the watch is not included

[Led-Time]

Very nice and the watch doesn't look bad either...

Thanks...

[Planet-LED]

I have a very similar machine. I have bought solution in the past, but it seems to be little more than colored ammonia. More recently, I've just been using water and about a tea spoon full of ammonia. I've found it to clean just as well.

[Led-Time]

I had a look around and settled on this one - Ultarsonic cleaner

Thanks for everyones help...