• PCF is an eBay Partner. If you make a purchase through one of our links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!

Ultrasonic Cleaning Method - Video Tutorial (1 Viewer)

I don't mess around with concentrated metasilicate solution. Eye protection, good gloves. Good ventilation by leaving two nearby screen doors open.
 
Anyone does this as a business lol, I can send 500 chips every 3 mo lol
 
I would do it as a business, but

a) it reinforces a racial stereotype (Chinese laundry)
b) your shipping costs back and forth would be prohibitive
 
Are the chips needing a soak in distilled water before placed in the machine or just "regular" tap water?
 
katmike said:
Are the chips needing a soak in distilled water before placed in the machine or just "regular" tap water?
Click to expand...
I'm new to the cleaning world but have cleaned over 2000 chips via ultrasonic in the last two weeks. I didn't do a presoak and had some very casino used chips that ran through the machine. I found that running the first batch of chips through in 15 second increments starting at 30 seconds and working up was the most useful way to gauge time necessary in the ultrasonic. Lightly soiled Paulson THC chips do very well at 30 seconds, while heavily soiled Paulson THC chips needed 1:30 on my end. After 1:30 in, they will be dried and thirsty.
 
katmike said:
Are the chips needing a soak in distilled water before placed in the machine or just "regular" tap water?
Click to expand...

In my experience, no pre-soaking needed. Whether you use distilled water or tap water for your detergent really depends on the quality of your water. I would think most of the time you should consider distilled water - you'll likely only need a couple of litres per batch. I'm fortunate enough to live in an area with extremely good quality water, so out of the tap is fine for me.

I usually put lightly soiled Paulsons in at one minute, max. The crappiest condition chips (which is mostly what I seem to be getting these days) I put in for two minutes. I've (accidentally) had chips in there for more than 20 minutes - no damage noted.
 
intjester said:
You can absolutely use a smaller, jewelry-sized cleaner and get good results. Mine only holds 2 cups of solution and cost $25 on Amazon.

Here's what's really important:
  1. Protect your work surfaces, eyes, and hands.
  2. Use an altrasonic cleaner. Choose a size/style/brand that's convenient for you.
  3. Add Lundmark TSP (sodium metasilicate) to the water. Tap water will most likely work fine, but you need the TSP to eat the grease and grime off of your chips.
  4. You agitate the chips during the cleaning cycle. I just strir them around with a bamboo chopstick. My 2 cup machine still cleans a barrel of 20 chips in 2 min or less,
  5. Rinse in clean water.
Your chips are now clean and wet and will need oil. The following may well work with wet chips, but I let mine dry first, and I'm now out of dirty chips to test on.

5. Transfer a rack at a time to a large diameter bowl of water with 1 tbsp of mineral oil floating on top. I like to drop the chips individually through the oil slick. Agitate the chips for 30 secs. Remove.

6. Rub the faces dry with paper towels. Stack into barrels. Rub the edges with a small amount of additional oil if needed.

Many thanks to the others who came before me. None of this information is really new or original. I'm just trying to share what worked for me after combing through these cleaning threads.

I sat on my dirty set of Empress for a very long time because they were too painful to clean manually. The answer was under $40 for the U/S, the TSP, & the mineral oil, and a couple of hours of time. No brushes or magic erasers or scrubbing of any kind.

My thought is buy the size ultrasonic cleaner that matches the volume you need - they all do pretty much the same thing. I already owned the small one, so I tried it and it worked great. This one if you're curious, but I really don't think it matters. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001DKDAVW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Click to expand...

Thanks intjester for the post. I was literally searching amazon when I came across your post. From what I gather, my wifes' jewelry cleaner will do the job? Or would suggest a dedicated machine?
 
graystown said:
Thanks intjester for the post. I was literally searching amazon when I came across your post. From what I gather, my wifes' jewelry cleaner will do the job? Or would suggest a dedicated machine?
Click to expand...

The problem is size. You won't get many chips done in a jewelry cleaner at once.

There's probably more people buying ultrasonics than really need to. If you're washing hundreds and hundreds of chips on a regular basis, then it's worth it. If you're cleaning your 500-chip collection once every year, then it's likely not.
 
Very helpfull, but I'm not that much confident in my capacity to don't break my chips ... :nailbite:
I will continue to used my toothbrush ! ;)
 
You won't break any chips in an ultrasonic cleaner with the method used here. However, sometimes a toothbrush (or other scrubber) is the better way to go.
 
Great video and thread. Is there no end to this chip collection madness? I am definitely going down the rabbit hole but enjoying the trip... maybe too late for an intervention.
 
Going to try my first shot at this
This weeekend wish me luck


Forgot to ask, if I have a 3L do I just cut all the ingredients by half
 
davin said:
So 1 tablespoon with 8 cups of distilled water


Even in a 3L unit
Click to expand...

Well, fill it up with tap 2L of regular tap water just to see how the waterline compares to the top of the unit. You don't want to be splashing around too much when using the spinner. You can always use 1.5 tbsp in 6 cups distilled water if you think 8 cups fills too full.
 
SO after my first time ever doing this i can honestly say ill never wash chips by hand EVER

I have a Vevor 3L unit
I used 1 heaping TBSP of TSP with 6 cups of distilled water..

i ran 100 grey chips first at 37C for 1 minute and they came out awesome
i then ran 200 green chips at 37C for 1 min
then last 200 red chips at 35C for 40-50 sec

they came out like brand new. fricken awesome
 
davin said:
SO after my first time ever doing this i can honestly say ill never wash chips by hand EVER

I have a Vevor 3L unit
I used 1 heaping TBSP of TSP with 6 cups of distilled water..

i ran 100 grey chips first at 37C for 1 minute and they came out awesome
i then ran 200 green chips at 37C for 1 min
then last 200 red chips at 35C for 40-50 sec

they came out like brand new. fricken awesome
Click to expand...

Love the enthusiasm man :) I just ordered one - I'm actually looking forward to laundering my chips!
 
my god why didn't i get this machine a while ago......


my question for the veterans, after doing batches of chips some water gets taken out in strainer or follows with the chips or on towel after taking out of wash... my question is do u folks add more distilled water if so how much or do u add more tsp? i did 500 chips, 20 at a time since my units smaller and spinner is smaller
 
Had to set up outside, @4Mia said I couldn’t do inside

21FB9C76-213F-42C3-8F7E-CC752F77AE14.jpeg


Before and after of 5’s in bath for 40 sec. 35C

D38E7977-338A-4D12-9572-B08571734D7F.jpeg


After 500 chips

00FE2616-9639-4BCB-B09C-DA5B2792F1BD.jpeg
 
I've wondered that as well... how often do you change the water in the ultrasonic? Or do you just keep adding water/cleaner as you go?
 
Moxie Mike said:
I've wondered that as well... how often do you change the water in the ultrasonic? Or do you just keep adding water/cleaner as you go?
Click to expand...
i used same water for 500 chips and never added anything , i was just curious for next time around.....

also i think this would be a breeze if i had @4Mia washing while i rinse rinse rinse then lay out on towel
that process would fly like hot cakes
 
allforcharity said:
Well, fill it up with tap 2L of regular tap water just to see how the waterline compares to the top of the unit. You don't want to be splashing around too much when using the spinner. You can always use 1.5 tbsp in 6 cups distilled water if you think 8 cups fills too full.
Click to expand...
also to the vet how long do u let the chips air dry
 
I cap at about 1200-1500 chips at a time in a 4L bath. Any more and I split into another batch for another day. Yes, if you have help with the rinse and padding dry and another pair of hands to lay out on towels or bedsheets then this would be screaming fast. Otherwise, working totally by myself, and cleaning the worst of the worst condition chips, I can do about 500-600 in an hour, 40 at a time.
You don't need much time to air dry at all. A few hours is okay. If I plan to oil I do make sure the chips are dry, though - I often wait until the next day.
 
Do you guys change the post cleaning rinse off water often? I'm wondering how much of the chemical residue sticks in the chip grooves as the post cleaning soak water gets older.
 
ssdesigner said:
Do you guys change the post cleaning rinse off water often? I'm wondering how much of the chemical residue sticks in the chip grooves as the post cleaning soak water gets older.
Click to expand...

If you're cleaning a lot of chips (1000+) in a single session it might not be a bad idea to change your rinse water halfway through... although I've never seen anyone have a specific issue related to it.
 
Moxie Mike said:
If you're cleaning a lot of chips (1000+) in a single session it might not be a bad idea to change your rinse water halfway through... although I've never seen anyone have a specific issue related to it.
Click to expand...

I was also curious if the rinse quality effected the mineral oil process at all. I've never cleaned my Paulson's so I'm in the "gathering info" phase.
 
ssdesigner said:
I was also curious if the rinse quality effected the mineral oil process at all. I've never cleaned my Paulson's so I'm in the "gathering info" phase.
Click to expand...

No it shouldn't.

In general, the chips come out of the ultrasonic very clean. I try to shake the water our of the basket back into the US before I rinse... but if you notice the rinse water starting to get a little cloudy, go ahead and change it. But as a generalization it should be fine either way.
 

Create an account or login to comment

You must be a member in order to leave a comment

Create account

Create an account and join our community. It's easy!

Register

Log in

Already have an account? Log in here.

Back
Top Bottom