The $8 paintbrush cleaner that fixed my 1950s trowel restoration

I was stuck trying to get decades of old plaster crust off a trowel I dug up at a estate sale in Ohio. Soaked it in vinegar for 3 days, no luck. Then a buddy who works on old masonry tools told me to try a cheap ultrasonic cleaner meant for jewelry, like $8 at a thrift store. One 20 minute cycle with warm water and dish soap broke off stuff I thought was welded on. Has anyone else used one of those for cleaning artifacts instead of the fancy lab gear?

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king.stella9d ago

Never thought a jewelry cleaner would handle masonry gunk, but now I'm a total believer after trying it on my grandpa's old plaster tools. The ultrasonic action gets into every little crack and pit way better than any soaking or scrubbing I've done before. Guess it's time to hit up a thrift store for my own, since borrowing my wife's kept giving me side-eye.