First ultrasonic experience (1 Viewer)

[Wheeler Assembly]

That was MUCH easier than I expected!

 

[BearMetal]

As a first-time ultrasonic user, I would love to know your details and experience.

• Which brand of tsp you used and what the ratio of it to water was.
• The temperature of the ultrasonic and how long you cleaned each batch
• The amount of fading of each chip after they were dry and whether you had to oil them.

Just curious! Hope you love the results! I tend to steer people toward ultrasonic cleaning.

 

[Wheeler Assembly]

1. Lundmark TSP 8 cups and 2 TBS
2. 43 degrees Celsius for about a minute.
3. Not much fading yet, but I plan to oil them all tomorrow

 

[allforcharity]

1. Red Devil TSP/90 but by necessity must switch to Lundmark. 1 tbsp powder for every litre of water, usually use 3L.
2. 43C, how long depends on how dirty the chip, usually 1-2 minutes, though have gone longer. Sometimes 37C for red chips.
3. I oil all my chips after, so the degree of fade is less relevant.

 

[Tonysquander]

 

[AWenger]

• Which brand of tsp you used and what the ratio of it to water was.
• The temperature of the ultrasonic and how long you cleaned each batch
• The amount of fading of each chip after they were dry and whether you had to oil them.

Just curious! Hope you love the results! I tend to steer people toward ultrasonic cleaning.

Another tip -- make sure any TSP is completely dissolved in the water first, before adding chips.

(How I know - I cleaned a batch of solid chips once there were some small faded spots on a couple of chips in the first batch of chips - where I think those chips must have come into contact with a small undissolved TSP clump. Later batches didn't have the same fading. Note, I wasn't using the salad spinnner-type setup, I had just put the chips into the ultrasonic container, and mixed them around a couple times with a rubber spatula while the ultrasonic is going.)

 

[AWenger]

43C, how long depends on how dirty the chip, usually 1-2 minutes, though have gone longer.

^ This. It depends on the level of dirt (which may correspond to how long the chips were in play at the casino.)

- IIRC, Horseshoe Cleveland chips mostly came clean in 1-2 minutes. That casino was only open for 4 years, per the Chip Guide.
- Some older casinos have so many years of caked on dirt/gunk, that it may take a lot longer, 5 minutes or more.
- For chips with years of gunk on them, I've found a pre-soak in warm/hot water may help shorten the cleaning time in the ultrasonic.
- Sometimes the corners of the hat and cane, or in the ring on THC mold chips, won't even be completely clean after 5 minutes.
- Also, be careful with older chips that might have paper inlays (Empress Joliet, California Bell, etc.**) Extended soak times can cause water to get into the paper inlays and cause discoloration. May want to clean those by hand, instead of or after just a short stint in the ultrasonic. [**Edit - some older chips have paper inlays under a vinyl (or is it mylar?) covering; and water can sometimes seep in under the vinyl, even without any visible signs that the vinyl is separating away. Always good to do a test run if you have some spare chips.]

 

[Wheeler Assembly]

I’m pleased with the results!

 

[demonnic]

Looking nice

 

[BearMetal]

Another tip -- make sure any TSP is completely dissolved in the water first, before adding chips.

(How I know - I cleaned a batch of solid chips once there were some small faded spots on a couple of chips in the first batch of chips - where I think those chips must have come into contact with a small undissolved TSP clump. Later batches didn't have the same fading. Note, I wasn't using the salad spinnner-type setup, I had just put the chips into the ultrasonic container, and mixed them around a couple times with a rubber spatula while the ultrasonic is going.)

Yeah, I read that some people who don't use distilled water will just run it for about an hour with regular water in order to dissipate any of the air bubbles. This also has the added benefit of helping to dissolve the TSP.

 

[Wheeler Assembly]

 

[allforcharity]

I use nearly boiling water (about 50% of final amount) to dissolve the detergent powder first. Then I mix cold water in until I get the temp I want. The tap water in my area is exceptionally clean.