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Hey guys me and a friend are currently debating about getting an ultrasonic cleaner to strip some models but the problem is we have no idea what we are looking for, so I was wondering if you guys knew if any reliable fairly cheap cleaners in the uk?

I would be interested too.

I Googled for them and there seem to be some quite small and cheap ones from Maplins, eBay and Amazon. If you only want to do soldier figures, a 0.75 litre capacity machine is plenty large enough but might not fit some of the larger vehicle models. However you can get a small one under £30 which looks good value for money.

The choice of cleaning fluid is no doubt crucial.

Ultrasonis cleaners are generally used for jewellery, which has a combination of body grease, oxidation and "dirt". Model soldiers of course are covered with various types of paint and primer which perhaps needs different chemicals to get it off.

If these paint stripping chemicals are bad for the cleaner machine then obviously it will be a problem. For example, some paint strippers will damage plastic, and many cleaning machines have plastic baskets.

These are just some initial thoughts. I look forwards to more experienced users giving their advice.

Heheh, coincidentally, I was discussing these in another thread.

I am not entirely sure how difficult or easy ordering from this American company would be for you, but I bought this one to clean my airbrush:

http://www.harborfreight.com/ultrasonic-cleaner-3305.html

Stuff I like:

The removable basket.
The price.
It works well!

Stuff I don't like:

The unchangeable and short cleaning cycle.
For you, the small size will be a concern.

People who needed larger and more flexible timer settings got this one:

http://www.harborfreight.com/25-liter-ultrasonic-cleaner-95563.html

Quality from Harbor Freight can be more miss than hit at times, but my little ultrasonic has been going strong. I cannot personally vouch for the quality of this larger one, but both of these can be had for 20% off with the ever-current coupons on the store's site.

For cleaning paint off models, though, I've never bothered with a sonic cleaner. I use Purple Power ( someone will hopefully chime in with the name of the European equivalent cleaner) and one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-1839685-Reveal-Power-Scrubber/dp/B00BEUDWJQ/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

That's not Gary Busey's electric toothbrush- that's the Reveal Power Scrubber. It's brush spins significantly fast, and I have never seen a paint job it couldn't strip as long as the model spent some time soaking in Purple Power.

Power Scrubber Pro Tip: use in the shower or outside if you don't want your sink area looking like a Jackson Pollack piece after stripping a few models.

I got the 1.3L version of the one above, same pros and cons ( max 8 minute cycle being the worst). I have loaded that baby up with isopropyl alcohol and had it happily stripping models for days now with no damage to the machine.

It is not a miracle machine as I had hoped, it still needs to soak and still needs a lot of cycles.

I am also going to sacrifice an older ultrasonic and load it with brake fluid. I will find my miracle model stripping machine yet.