Ultrasonic cleaning

[wayneo5169]

I know that I can’t completely do away with scrubbing by using an ultrasonic cleaner. My question has to do with the order of things. When using an ultrasonic cleaner on your rocks, do you scrub brush them before, after, or both?

[hummingbirdstones]

What are you using it for?  Jewelry or ?

ETA:  Had to fix a typo.

[tribeunited]

I have an answer to this question, sort of. I use the ultrasonic cleaner to remove marker on cut slabs that acetone has failed to remove. I'm pretty sure that anything put in an ultrasonic cleaner needs to be scrubbed both before and after. Especially if you plan on running several things before a tank change, helps keep it cleaner and last longer.

My advice is to be careful, as some stones do better than others. I've had some slabs fade a bit and need to be re-polished after. So do some research on the types of cleansers and materials first.

Hope that was somewhat helpful!

[wayneo5169]

Jun 12, 2024 18:58:06 GMT -5 hummingbirdstones said:

What are you using it for?  Jewelry or ?

ETA:  Had to fix a typo.

Rocks, mostly agates and other stones of similar MOHS hardness. And those only after stage 2.

Thanks.

[wayneo5169]

Jun 12, 2024 19:43:40 GMT -5 tribeunited said:

I have an answer to this question, sort of. I use the ultrasonic cleaner to remove marker on cut slabs that acetone has failed to remove. I'm pretty sure that anything put in an ultrasonic cleaner needs to be scrubbed both before and after. Especially if you plan on running several things before a tank change, helps keep it cleaner and last longer.

My advice is to be careful, as some stones do better than others. I've had some slabs fade a bit and need to be re-polished after. So do some research on the types of cleansers and materials first.

Hope that was somewhat helpful!

Thanks. I’ve been using tap water and borax, so the solution is pretty cheap and I have been changing it frequently. Haven’t noticed any fading, but I’ve only used it on agates and stones of similar hardness so far.

[hummingbirdstones]

Jun 12, 2024 20:39:34 GMT -5 wayneo5169 said:

Jun 12, 2024 18:58:06 GMT -5 hummingbirdstones said:

What are you using it for?  Jewelry or ?

ETA:  Had to fix a typo.

Rocks, mostly agates and other stones of similar MOHS hardness. And those only after stage 2.

Thanks.

You should be ok then.  I would just rinse them off real good and maybe give them a quick brush, but the Ultrasonic will knock the remaining grit off and out of crevices.  There is a list of rocks on the forum somewhere of which stones you shouldn't put in an ultrasonic.  You can do agates and jaspers without a problem.  You said you're changing the solution frequently, so I don't see a problem.  I don't see why you would need to scrub them again after they've been in there.  Maybe give them another rinse, but scrubbing them again just seems like overkill to me.  I don't tumble though, so I could be totally wrong.  

[waterboysh]

I use a cheap $40 ultrasonic cleaner, and usually only after polish. I'll use it between each stage after medium grit if what I'm tumbling has a lot of fractures. I just use tap water and a couple squirts of dawn dish soap and it works really well to get polish out of the cracks. You do want to remove and rinse right away so the grit doesn't just settle right back in. I don't scrub before or after, I just make sure everything is rinsed well.

I've got some pictures and a time lapse of it in use here.

[rocknuv]

I wrote a short description on how I use an ultrasonic bath here: forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/post/1321768/thread