Ultrasonic Cleaners

EArkham

EArkham

Necromancer
Anyone tried using an ultrasonic cleaner (such as this one from Micromark) to strip plastic or clean brushes? How powerful is one of these things?

Would be worth its weight in gold if it stripped plastic... Not particularly happy with my results using Easy-Off or brake fluid.

Kep
 
noneedforaname

noneedforaname

New member
Not sure how well it would work, but make sure you keep pegnant women and recent dental work away from it. Im sure i was given some other health safety advice when i used to use one but i cant remember it ???
 
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supervike

Super Moderator
I\'ve seen them in that catalog before....the prices they ask for them are insane! I wonder if a cleaner designed for rings and jewelry would be enough to work?
 
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Ritual

New member
Seeing as most of us painters have more naked lead than we will likely ever paint I can\'t really see any reason to put out that much money for something to recycle old minis. If I can\'t use acetone to strip a mini I don\'t bother. I paint something else instead...
 
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vincegamer

Active member
I just paint over old plastics.
Unless they look like they were dipped in the paint and left to harden, there\'s usually as much detail as ever on the old plastics.
 
EArkham

EArkham

Necromancer
Well... I was also thinking of it in terms of cleaning brushes. The Master\'s brush cleaner is awesome in most respects, but it\'s still pretty easy to flay a fine brush when cleaning.

If the sonic cleaner also stripped plastic well, it\'d be an excellent purchase since I have so much old plastic -- not just old plastic marines which are expensive to buy unpainted now days, but also old Japanese mecha they don\'t make anymore. Plus my old Armorcast resin stuff.

The micromark cleaner was just an example so folks knew what I was talking about; I\'m sure there are cheaper ones out there. :)

Kep
 
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supervike

Super Moderator
I just wonder what it would do to the glue (or whatever holds) the bristles onto the brush.

It sounds like these items are commonplace amongst \'repair shops\' (watch, jewelry, cellphones) maybe you could find someone to test it out, before taking the expense on.
 
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supervike

Super Moderator
Originally posted by Shawn R. L.
Never used one myself but the guys in the model club I\'m a member of speak glowingly of the things.
Click to expand...

Meaning they like it, or meaning the model club is too close to the Nuclear Waste Dump?
 
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Dammekkos2

New member
I would go for one. The amount of stuff I have that needs to be stripped makes it worth the price, if it works.

They\'re selling \"cleaning baskets\" that look suspiciously similar to tea strainers.
 
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Mosch

Active member
I have one and use it to clean my glasses, my mother uses it for jewelry. I have cleaned miniatures in soapy water in it before but I am hesitant to strip them in it... I\'m afraid the acetone I use would attack the plastic inset that hold the mini. I never thought about cleaning brushes with it though. I will sacrifice a brush for science now and tell you how it went!
 
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Mosch

Active member
First of all, I used a 3/0 Da Vinci Ussuri sable brush. It did not really fit well into the cleaning basket thingy, but in the end I got it in without problems (remove basket, insert brush, put basket back, but hold it kinda angled so it fits). I only used water as a cleaning agent.

1st run: Still holds point. No apparent cleaning effect, but bristles feel strange to the touch, almost silky.

2nd run: Some stray hairs, but still able to keep a point when wet. No apparent cleaning effect, still feels kinda silky.

3rd run: Bad point. No apparent cleaning effect. Still a silky feel. Utterly sick of the sound.

4th run: Forming a point is possible but not really worth it. No apparent cleaning effect. Bristles still feel silky.

I conclude that it was a bad idea.
 
EArkham

EArkham

Necromancer
Ah, awesome.... thanks for the results. :)

Hrm. So that was with just plain water and nothing in it. Seems the first run didn\'t do damage to the brush, so I wonder if adding brush soap or some other cleaning agent might work? Though if repeated uses end up fraying the brush, it may not be worth it.

Kep
 
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Mosch

Active member
Well... I can\'t add my brush cleaner because it attacks the laquered brush handle (found that out the hard way, but in hindsight it makes sense). Acetone, not going to try it, it WILL destroy the brush and maybe even the plastic inset in the machine. I have some brush soap but no idea where it is at the moment :D
I\'ll give it another try when I find it.
 
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MDL

New member
ultrasonic cleaners

I use one for cleaning up various equipment (airbrushes), have used it to strip paint off minis (usually soaking in 1:1 water:superclean, and it can work rather well. I wouldn\'t use it for brushes. It will likely dissolve the glue holding the bristles, as well as loosen the handle and strip the paint from the handle as well.

Good for stripping minis though; at least softens stuff up. Then I hit it with a toothbrush, toothpicks and other small devices to get the paint of the crevaces
 
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Bengoodall

New member
What about giving plastics a dip in what ever cleaning solution you swear by, then blasting the guts out of them with a big air brush on a fine setting, kind of like a water blaster?
 
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