Ultrasonic cleaner

[flowerpecker]

Hey guys,
What do you think of ultrasonic cleaner in lidl http://www.lidl-service.com/cps/rde/SID-A3CE7A21-009757C4/lsp/hs.xsl/product.html?id=11164566&rdeLocaleAttr=en&title=Ultrasonic.
Do you think practical to buy it?

[Dennis]

You don't say how much it is, but most of these pretty domestic gadgets do no better than a nail-brush and some Fairy Liquid. Ultrasonics are only worth considering if you have a fairly large volume of work to clean and then a dedicated professional model is what to get.

http://www.cooksongold.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5488&highlight=Ultrasonic

[flowerpecker]

Hi Dennis it is a silver crest worth 16.99.Based on what I read on the link u give me,I think I one for myself.Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge.

[CJ57]

The only thing I find my cheap one useful for is getting rouge out of chains or crevices after polishing, it saves ages with the toothbrush and washing up liquid. You will need to put hot water in a cheap one though or it doesn't work

[flowerpecker]

I'm getting one today.Thank u for ur help.

[caroleallen]

Those cheap ones don't last 5 minutes and don't really do the job. Better to save up for a decent one. Now that I'm using the right solution, my Elma is running really well and most of the time, there's no further cleaning up needed.

[Nick martin]

That's all mines used for too. Getting rid of polish residue, although I tend to use the toothbrush & washing up liquid first, then finish in the ultrasonic.

Nick

[luke1990]

Those cheap ones don't last 5 minutes and don't really do the job. Better to save up for a decent one. Now that I'm using the right solution, my Elma is running really well and most of the time, there's no further cleaning up needed.

What solution do you use? I have an ultrasonic already so may as well try and make the most of it.

[Nick martin]

Washing up liquid or a product such as sea clean works well. Others use ammonia with good results.

Nick

[caroleallen]

I find the ones with ammonia work much better than sea clean.

[Tabby66]

Ammonia based products are definitely the most effective.....are you using the Eurofindings one Carole??

[josef1]

Dish washer liquid works ok it helps break the surface tension of the water

[Patstone]

I bought a cheap one and it was useless, complete waste of money.

[flowerpecker]

Thank u guys purchased a silvercrest in lidl for 16.99 let's see how this go.

[caroleallen]

Good luck with it. At least you didn't waste too much money.

[flowerpecker]

Aww thanks Caroline.The only cleaner I can afford.lol.I'm getting money for Xmas planning for a nice table.Get a second hand table and asked my father in law to cut the moon shape..he he

[Dennis]

Before you decide to cut into your table, consider that this will reduce the size of your work top. Dennis.

[CJ57]

Not if you then do this which sits on your lap and let's you nearer the peg :)
7099 and yes I know I'm really messy when I'm busy but I clean it out once I've spent 20 mins looking for a stone or some other small thing which is always at the bottom of it all!

[Nick martin]

Both setups look great to me ha ha!

Nick

[enigma]

Definitely not cutting mine out.
I don't know how you guys cope, mine is 6' wide and 3' deep and I love the space!
I need drawers though….

[CJ57]

Definitely not cutting mine out.
I don't know how you guys cope, mine is 6' wide and 3' deep and I love the space!
I need drawers though….
To be honest that isn't my only space, it's just the bit I sit at, if you could see the rest you'd either be disgusted or envious as there is some lovely equipment but no b.....y room for me now hence the move to the shed. The ikea metal drawers on wheels are good Sarah and not too expensive

[CJ57]

Both setups look great to me ha ha!

Nick
Have you got yours mucky yet Nick or is it going to stay pristine forever? Mine starts off looking like Dennis's but I'm just not able to sustain it :)

[Nick martin]

Nope! It's relatively tidy at present but I've put some marks on it, and there's a lot of stuff scattered around it as I'm working right now. Love it though as well as the 'constructive mess' :)

Nick

[Moon Willow]

7100 It's quite interesting when it comes to the work bench, why is a big semi-circle cut out?
its to catch whatever falls from your sawpiercing/filing...... why bother

I use a straight edge bench at craft fair demonstrations and the one above is my home workshop with 2 pull out draws, the only reason I went
from a straight edge at home is that I couldn't see the tools in draw because the light was blocked by the bench.

When I used the straight edge bench I pin my apron under the bench peg while wearing it around my neck, this catches everything I drop.

And before anyone says anything .... that's as tidy as my bench gets.

[josef1]

I use the edges of the cut outs to brace my arm when setting

[enigma]

I thought it was to catch the stones that Im always dropping then scrambling round on the floor on my hands and knees looking for accompanied by my dogs? :rofl:
When I did the stone setting course I did love that I could find them again in the skin, very useful.
Everything else can stay on the floor until it gets swept at some irregular interval :D

Im in France Caroline so Ikeas not an option sadly.
My husband will make them when he gets round to it although first I have to get round to designing exactly how I want them, this could take some time…….

[flowerpecker]

That's a pretty cool idea Dennis.Where did you buy that one if you don't mine?

[Dennis]

That's a pretty cool idea Dennis.Where did you buy that one if you don't mind?

The worktop is just a kitchen work surface from Magnet, supported by kitchen cupboards.

The bench peg is home made from an oak name plate bought in a market and fixed with a G-clamp-just on its last legs and since renewed.

The drawer is one section from a stacking vegetable rack, bolted to aluminium angle pieces and supported by more, to act as runners. Nothing ever falls through the back. Dennis.

[flowerpecker]

I actually got the tray..lol but how and where i can buy the runner?

[CJ57]

I thought it was to catch the stones that Im always dropping then scrambling round on the floor on my hands and knees looking for accompanied by my dogs? :rofl:
When I did the stone setting course I did love that I could find them again in the skin, very useful.
Everything else can stay on the floor until it gets swept at some irregular interval :D

Im in France Caroline so Ikeas not an option sadly.
My husband will make them when he gets round to it although first I have to get round to designing exactly how I want them, this could take some time…….

It's supposed to catch all your lemel/ filings so that you can recycle :) easier tipping it in to the pot than sweeping the floor
I must admit I thought ikea were everywhere as my cousin in Poland seems to have an ikea apartment! Is this any good
http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_GB/about_ikea/facts_and_figures/ikea_group_stores/france.html just in case you don't get round to designing :)

[enigma]

Gosh I had no idea we had Ikea in France! thanks for that :)
The nearest one is 4 hours away though, we are in the middle of nowhere lol.
France also has a unique internet service, its called we take your money and we may, if you are lucky, deliver your item in 3 months time after saying its in stock, or we may not bother at all and just keep your money ( thats happened twice so far).

As far as catching filings goes, I wouldn't have thought its worth the hassle for most of us? you would have to be filing a lot of gold, and really 18ct plus to make it worth bothering?
I always keep any sawn bits but those are easy enough to catch.

[CJ57]

I have 3 Cookson pots of lemel and scrap plus polisher hooverings that I should really get sent off, all silver, a few bit of gold you would be amazed. Our technician at college had that as his bonus, we only worked in silver and he emptied the skins every day, he made a tidy sum.
That seems to be the way with ikea here too unless you live in the city, they are all about 2 hours away in Scotland. Handy to know just in case you happen to be in the area in the future. I do have to brace myself to go at the best of times!

[enigma]

Really? Im amazed it adds up that much! how do you sort it from the other bits of rubbish?

[CJ57]

Really? Im amazed it adds up that much! how do you sort it from the other bits of rubbish?
You just gather it all up with the emery dust, I take out the broken saw blades! I hadn't thought about polisher dust but you are polishing off metal especially is there is soddin firestain so I hoover that out of the filters and the hoods. Mine I gathered over years but every time you snip off a bit of wire or file down a soldered joint. I don't cast so I keep all my scrap for the pot

[ps_bond]

Saw blades go in the low-grade waste bag (they've got tiny amounts of metal caught in the teeth), along with scrag ends of emery paper, dead burrs, hoover bag contents and polishing waste. The other thing that goes in that bag is baby wipes - I clean down the sweeps tray and my hands at the end of the day with them.

Oh, sludge from the ultrasonic too. Did mine the other day - settled the liquid for 24 hours, poured off most of the clearer liquid and left it to evaporate. Wiped out with paper towels; stuck one of the towels under the scope and could see little glints of metal in the grey.

[caroleallen]

It's well worth doing. I got £350 the other day from scrap silver.

[enigma]

I use all mine for casting :)

[CJ57]

Never thought of emery paper and blades but logically when you look at it, it's silver. I have a soft brush that I brush all the dust from my bench into the skin, it's amazing what lies around the peg

[Dennis]

I actually got the tray..lol but how and where i can buy the runner?

It's just strips of angle aluminium from B&Q.