Ultrasonic Cleaners

[joshgambit]

Anyone used them to clean vintage razors? I picked one up at Harbor Freight yesterday for $24.00. I cleaned several razors, and the water didn't have any junk in it, but it seemed like it was kind of grey when I dumped it.

Not sure if it worked or not.

 

[Mark1966]

Yes lots of people do. A little bit of dishwashing liquid helps

 

[Graybeard57]

I have. Sorry, I cannot recall the brand name, but the one I have, which cost about $35, does a decent job on Gillette vintage razors. Ran mine through twice, with a few drops of Dawn dishwashing soap. What wasn't removed was loosened, so a light scrubbing under hot water finished the job.

 

[vocalistbob]

I have also used one - it's great for light dirt, but old, hard residue requires a bit of scrubbing.

 

[mikemorton]

I'm not sure if this will hurt vintage razors (I'm no metallurgist), but dishwashing liquid usually contains salt, so I never use it for anything other than the dishes.

I usually use denture cleaning tablets in my ultrasonic (great with brass cases for any reloaders reading this!).

I live in the UK, and a good proprietary ultrasonic cleaning solution is James Sea Clean, which works really well, but is far less economical than the denture tabs.

 

[BBrad]

Dawn Ultra dishwashing detergent, made by Proctor and Gamble and available in North America, has been used extensively to clean razors and other delicate items with no harm whatsoever. As a detergent, it breaks the bond between dirt and the object being washed, then holds the crud in suspension for a clean rinse-off. While I am not sure of its salt content, I have never known it to be too corrosive for razors.

I also have a small jewelery-type ultrasonic cleaner. I apply Dawn directly to the razor and set it in the bottom of the cleaner basket. (Always use the basket.) I cover the razor with almost-boiling water and run the ultrasonic through as many cycles as it needs to get the job done. The water afterward is usually quite cruddy!!

While a little ultrasonic jewelry cleaning is good, using industrial-grade ultrasonics on plated items will result in a loss of plating.

 

[morganjg]

Yes lots of people do. A little bit of dishwashing liquid helps

+1. I put some hot water and dish soap in mine and let it run the longest course mine has to offer, about 5 minutes. Works wonders for gunky razors.

 

[Teddyboy]

IMHO, they do not do that much. Nothing is going to replace good old elbow grease and Maas and Flitz and the rest.