zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

A correctly used ultrasonic cleaning method involves no abrasives at all. To suggest the use of abrasives is to completely misunderstand the ultrasonic cleaning process. Objects are cleaned by the action of cavitation which produces areas of negative pressure or vacuum adjacent to the object. These "micro-vacuums" remove the dirt. The solution might include emulsifiers or solvents to hold the dirt but certainly do not need abrasives. The vibratory nature of the sound wave could cause an abrasive to work but this is not the intent. An ultrasonic device is not a microtumbler. The fluids best used in an ultrasonic cleaner are those which most easily cavitate. Almost anything can be cleaned in such a cleaner, including metal watch bands, if the correct fluid is used. In fact, I don't know of a more thorough or better method. He who tells you otherwise is simply ignorant of the process.