Ultra sonic cleaners ?
- Thread starter topcat
- Start date
Roger W
Well-known member
I did once wonder about the possibility of an ultrasonic cleaner for rope washing. I think when I looked it up, prices for u/s cleaners big enough to take a decent length of rope were prohibitively high.
The ultrasonic vibrations should shake the muck off of whatever you are cleaning and disperse it in the solvent. Hopefully it would shake the muck out of the rope fibres and not drive it further in. Your best solvent for mud shifting, I would think, is good old water.
The ultrasonic vibrations should shake the muck off of whatever you are cleaning and disperse it in the solvent. Hopefully it would shake the muck out of the rope fibres and not drive it further in. Your best solvent for mud shifting, I would think, is good old water.
Tangent_tracker
Active member
I often do stuff like crabs etc. and they are superb for torches and the bezel of an oldham lamp etc. As for ropes I would rather not, as suggested above there is no way to tell which way the bits of grit could go - the cavitation by ultrasonic action could surely push inner cores apart and allow the further ingress of bits of calcite etc...?
crickleymal
New member
Tangent_tracker said:
Why would ultrasound push dirt into the rope any more than using a scrubbing brush? I would have though a brush would be quite likely to do exactly that.
Tangent_tracker
Active member
crickleymal said:
To be honest I was thinking aloud more than anything, I really have not got a clue! I was thinking along the lines that when using a brush the rope is under tension, so you are less likely to push grit further into the rope, in an ultrasonic bath the rope will relax and the very nature of the process could further separate layers / strands of rope... I guess the same argument could be used for machine washing... WOuld be interesting to see if anyone has ever actually studied the cores of ropes under control tests...
Anyway, as I really don't know I will stick to conventional methods and use my ultrasonic cleaner for stuff that I know benefits from this type of cleaning ;-)
paul
Moderator
Regarding using pressure washers to wash ropes, someone has done basic testing. See http://www.onrope1.com/Myth8.htm
Blakethwaite
New member
I understood, perhaps incorrectly, that the problem with pressure-washing ropes was that microscopic sharp bits could get forced into and abrade the core rather than it being an issue of the core simply becoming dirty.
That said, have pressure washed mine plenty without any obvious side effects. Touch wood.
That said, have pressure washed mine plenty without any obvious side effects. Touch wood.
Bottlebank
New member
Having just fixed the washing machine earlier today I'm feeling slightly smug as the problem was caused by a button jamming the outlet and nothing to do with caving gear 
Bob Mehew
Well-known member
I remain skeptical about this 'evidence' mainly because it was done on American rope rather than European rope. The few American ropes I have handled suggest to me that the sheath is far more tightly woven, so is less likely to let 'bits' into the core. (They are made to a different standard.) It would be nice to do a simple experiment to look for dirt (silica & limestone) in the core as opposed to what I suspect is staining from organics in the cave water. Does any one have access to a scanning electron microscope (or similar beast which can determine atomic species present)?paul said:
Grizzlybear
New member
My mum washes my caving gear thats so its not rough on my skin [and sos not to mucky my dads car] I dont no what she d think about sonic shes very traditional my mum
hyweldavies
Member
Using an ultrasonic cleaner for caving ironmongery is a bit OTT really. You only need em vaguely mud free, rather than ready for the operatiing theatre after all.
I have been half tempted to buy one for cleaning (disassembled) diving gear (ie valves and the like), but caving kit - hell no!
I can only imagine what lenghts you go to on your washing up. Letting the dog lick the plates clean is more than enough
I have been half tempted to buy one for cleaning (disassembled) diving gear (ie valves and the like), but caving kit - hell no!
I can only imagine what lenghts you go to on your washing up. Letting the dog lick the plates clean is more than enough
