Do you, just like me, get immense satisfaction from cleaning up an old rear derailleur that's full of grease and makes it look practically brand new afterwards?
It does take some time to completely get rid of the chain grease that has sometimes been attached to it for years with a combination of a hard brush, old toothbrush, steel wool and the appropriate cleaning product. This is sometimes very difficult to practically impossible, especially in the corners and interior of the object. This is usually accompanied by dirty hands and a sink or washbasin that is difficult to clean.
Recently I have found the solution. On the advice of my older brother, who likes to tinker with old mopeds and clean greasy engine parts in an ultrasonic cleaner, I decided to give this a try myself. I was quite skeptical in the beginning but after a 1st try I was really impressed and especially my girlfriend no longer complains that the kitchen is full of grease.
In barely half an hour, a greasy front derailleur came out pristine, not a gram of chain grease was left on it. So impressive, in fact, that I immediately decided to buy an ultrasonic cleaner myself. After some research I ended up at Bol.com at the ultrasonic cleaners of Mountain Wolf. You can choose from a cleaning bath of 3 litres, 10 litres, 22 liters or 30 litres.
A 3 liter bath is sufficient for brake levers, front and rear derailleurs, pedals, shifters, etc., but if you want to clean a crankset with gears, you need a minimum cleaning bath of 10 liters.
Mountain Wolf recommends to use the ultrasonic cleaner with the cleaning product Tickopur R33 which is a cleaning concentrate so you only need 2l for 50l solution, but you can just as well use a regular detergent such as Dreft or use it with vintage bicycle enthusiasts Dasty.
How does the ultrasonic cleaner work?
The principle of the ultrasonic cleaner is simple: sound waves are sent through the cleaning liquid, creating tens of thousands of tiny air bubbles that pop open. These implosions create an abrasive effect on the object, causing them to loosen the dirt. This effect is best at a higher temperature and with the ultrasonic cleaner you can set it yourself to a maximum of 80°C.
The device itself consists of a stainless steel tank with a basket in which you have to place the objects to be cleaned. You can easily set both the temperature and the time and the dirty cleaning water can easily flow into the sink afterwards via a brass drain with tap.
You can find Mountain Wolf's ultrasonic cleaners at the following link at bol.com > ultrasonic cleaners of Mountain Wolf
Below are some more pictures of before and after cleaning a rear derailleur
