The Hodaka Club Forum

I know there was some discussion about cleaning small parts using a reloading style brass cleaner and/or ultra sonic cleaner for small parts, nuts bolts, carb parts etc. I think I remember that using the sonic wet cleaner turned aluminum dark or black?

Any way I'm about to have a lot of smaller parts, nuts, bolts, washers, throttle bodies, etc and I'm wondering how those cleaners worked. I'm not talking so much about degreasing but polishing. Maybe with a larger one running something as big as a front fender mount for a road toad to remove a small amount of rust and polish.

Thanks
LBM

I use a sonic cleaner at work for carbs and some small parts for several years now. We have found that if the water is kept clean and ONLY dish soap or the special cleaner that the manufacture sells is used, our carbs/parts come out nice and "silver". If someone adds some degreaser type cleaner to the water or we let it get dirty the carbs will come out dull and grey. They will still be clean but not so nice looking. (this is not an issue for most of our customers). Once dull and grey any amount of sonic cleaning will not restore the nicer finish. I believe only soda blasting or similar would.
And the sonic cleaner does little to remove or clean rust in my experience. Its great for crud, gas deposits and that sort of thing but doesn't touch carbon or corrosion.
Just my experience,
Ken

Thanks - good info.
LBM

I've been cleaning nuts, bolt heads, rusty bolt threads and similar parts with corrosion or rust with a simple brass wire brush attached to my cordless drill. Carb parts I clean with carb cleaner & compressed air. ; D Victor