ultrasonic cleaners good or bad ?

[sef1962]

just got an ultrasonic cleaner will it remove patina or just dirt off medals,badges etc. thanks Mark

Edited March 12, 2010 by sef1962

[Les]

just got an ultrasonic cleaner will it remove patina or just dirt off medals,badges etc. thanks Mark

They work very well if the item is all metal with no cloth, leather or other parts that would be damaged by being soaked with the chemicals used. Ammonia is one of the primary compounds used. The process will remove every ounce of patina on the item, in addition to removing dirt, etc.

Edited March 12, 2010 by Les

[Mervyn Mitton]

Les - I didn't know they used a liquid. My Omega is always cleaned ultra sonically and it comes up beautifully.

[Les]

Les - I didn't know they used a liquid. My Omega is always cleaned ultra sonically and it comes up beautifully.

Mervyn,

Warm and wet; "cavitation" is how it's done. Here's a Wikipedia article on the subject if you're interested:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrasonic_cleaning

The article describes the process also being used for weapons cleaning, etc. There are small ones commonly available for cleaning jewelry, dentures, small parts, etc. There are larger ones available about the size of a breadbox that are used for cleaning handguns without having to break them down first.