Wheels cleaner, Ultrasonic?

[Anonymous]

Hello everyone, especially the one modeling in N scale.

Just went trough our forum to find out if it was possible to be rid the problem of car wheels cleaning (rolling stocks). But I did not find anything suitable for my layout.

I jus had and I believe a great idea, to buy an Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner! I found one in New York for $49.95 and it use water only and gentle ultrasonic waves to disclose dirt and dust from jewelry. I consider all model train layout, like beautiful piece of jewelry work and we should be happy to do something so wonderful and rewarding, life is beautiful!


Andrejoncto

[cacole]

Your idea is really nothing new -- MicroMark sells an ultrasonic cleaner that is long and narrow for cleaning engines and rolling stock. Their catalog shows a boxcar being placed into the cleaner, but they don't say what scale it is. It appears to be HO. I'm not so sure I would want to place and entire piece of rolling stock into an ultrasonic cleaner for fear of removing the paint. For cleaning wheels, I would just take the wheelsets out of the trucks and clean them that way, instead of dipping the entire item into the cleaner. That ultrasonic cleaner you found for jewelry would certainly be big enough to clean the wheelsets from quite a few pieces of rolling stock in one pass.

[Anonymous]

Good evening Charles,

Thank you for your answer, as I am a self-taught person and my mother tong is French, maybe it was the lack of understanding between us. First, I did not mention that it will be used for LOCOMOTIVES CLEANINGS; instead you can read (rolling stocks). I was septic because the ultrasonic cleaner was using tap water instead of chemicals solutions.

After reading your posting, I went at MicroMark Web site; I found one small ultrasonic cleaner using chemical solution. But the cost is almost 50% more, too much money for a guy who live across the border. My first choice at $49.95 USD+ delivery cost and duty fee, you know I am not a retired Banker.

andrejonc

[Bikerdad]

Andre,

Welcome aboard. I am guessing that you are in Quebec. If so, to help reduce future confusion, include the province in your location tag, else us non-worldly Americans who make up the bulk of the board will assume that CA = California. :D

The use of ultrasonic cleaners has been discussed before on various boards. Since you're only looking at cleaning trucks, one of the small jewelry ones should be fine. If you are taking the wheels out of the trucks to clean them, make sure that you don't mix MT with non-MT wheels, as there is apparently a slightly different cone angle on the needles at the ends of the wheels between MT and others. Whether or not mismatching them on reinstall will make any real difference I don't know, but do you want to be the person to find out?? :D

[Anonymous]

Hello Bikerdad,

With a nickname like yours, it is easy see to that you must be a lover motorcycle fan plus a father. Yep, you were right about me, I live 60 miles north of Montreal in the city of Saint Sauveur. It is mostly a winter resort in the Laurentians mountains, I am originally from Montreal and my wife and I had taken the decision of retiring in this little village 18th years ago (yes at the time it was a village), so we bought a lot and had a contractor to build the house that we had dreamed about.

The first room that was completed was for my future N scale layout (of course). I am a freelancer modeler and now at 78th years old and all my friends vanishing from my life one after another, I have only this forum to see what the others peoples are doing whit theirs hobbies. As the great Jack Benny once said (I’m not getting young anymore).

Going back to the farm, you aks me if I want to be the person to find out?? My answer is why not!

From a French Canadian from Quebec, Canada.

Andre Joncas