Ultrasonic Cleaner for diamond stones?

[mike]

Anyone use one? I am wondering if you might recommend a make and model that works well for you. Want to get one that works AND that the diamond stones will fit inside.

Thanks!

[tcmeyer]

I’ve occasionally heard people ask about needing to clean diamond stones but I’ve never noticed any buildup that couldn’t be cleaned out with an air nozzle or a few licks of the Super Eraser. I don’t put that many hours on my stones, so maybe it’s something I have to look forward to.

Are your stones actually being plugged up with metal filings? Come to think of it, when I was a young buck, my mill files would plug up if I was working soft metals or wide surfaces. I remember one of the old guys telling me to rub chalk on my file to keep the grooves from plugging up. That’s not meant to say that you ought to try rubbing chalk on your stones, but rather that there maybe are other conditions that could cause the problem, and I’m really curious as to what is causing it to happen to you?

[Leo Barr]

The idea of using chalk on the plates sounds very interesting although I use mine spritzed with water so this would not work I would probable use a soft brass wire brush to clean off the stones if I felt they needed it so far they have not.

An ultrasonic cleaner theoretically should work although I am not sold on them been that effective I worked at a sailmakers for a while and we had a big tank to clean sails in using vibrosonics as it was called; suffice to say you had to keep away from the bath when it was running but to be honest I was not impressed I thought a scrubbing brush and soap was better plus the attention could be centred where it was needed so I would try a brass wire brush also been brass there will be no danger of leaving ferrous deposits .
I would imagine that an ultrasonic cleaner is yet another expense that is probable limited in its effectiveness it is probable good for places that cannot be reached but this is rare and I certainly would not clean the inside of some electrical component with one since the ultra sound could damage delicate things so I would say the wire brush will win I would have thought.

I guess if you already have one use it but I am not entirely sold on them I read they are good for fine jewellery so perhaps they would work.
It would be interesting to hear from others or do a bench test cleaning plates handrolically or by ultra sonics .
Reading manufactures claims sounds good but I can hardly imagine reading anything else .
I would also imagine passing a strong magnet over them will help say a magnet salvaged from a hard drive would do it.

Leo Nav

[John Haley]

I have an ultrasonic unit that I use for cleaning my rifle brass, but I’d have second thoughts about using it on diamond plates. Logic would seem to indicate that the plates might be loosened by the process. I like to hear from those who do the actual mounting.

[cbwx34]

This guy did it,,, no idea if it’s a good idea or not,,, never tried it. (Just remembered the video).

[Daniel maloon]

I agree. An ultra sonic cleaner isnt necessary. Ive always used a brush and comet on the diamond stones and its worked just fine. The super eraser is the only thing i use on the 1200/1600 ceramics. I was actually waiting for the ceramics to pop off and fall to the bottom when he did that. Harbor freight does have that cleaner as well as a 3 grit diamond stone kit that i just used to flatten my ceramics due to dishing.

[mike]

Thanks all!

I saw a few people mention it in some posts, but it seems that a toothbrush and some dish soap might work just as well.

Is something like Comet or Ajax too abrasive? Is it better to just use regular old soapy dish soap like Dawn, etc.?

[Josh]

All I do is soritz some windex or water on them and rub it in with my finger… It unloads it in a hurry and keeps everything clean. 🙂

Josh

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