I bought a newish sonic jewelry cleaner at the thrift store this am.
I wonder if this type of chemical free jewelry cleaners that rely solely on sonic waves to loosen up whatever causes the discoloration would work. Structurally it seems suited to the extraction method- it is a plastic bed that holds the jewelry inside a solid metal container. It would be super easy to sanitize and clean up. There is nothing immersed into the liquid.
@HeadHodge, I think this addresses the contamination concern you raised, do you agree?
I was super happy to read what you said a couple years ago about the sonic extraction method in that other forum.
"Ed: It's an ultrasonic cleaner, used for extremely fine cleaning with no damage to the object. The principle is high frequency waves (~20k to 300k) sent through the solution, which causes microscopic bubbles to build up and collapse. This cavitation breaks down the dirt - or in this case the cell walls of the kava (hopefully!)
Krunkwise, it is pretty good. As it was getting late, I only drank about
4oz and surprisingly it had a substantial effect on me. The first and obvious difference was the mouth numbing factor, which was FAR greater than with my normal kneading method. After drinking, I laid down to watch a movie and had a
totally perceptible buzz in less than ten minutes. The next thing I remember (aside from some very lucid dreams) was waking up ten hours later... This is very unlike me, I usually sleep 6-7 hours at the most. In a more social environment, I have a feeling this stuff would be a real killer krunk. I just didn't stay awake long enough to find out!
Realistically, I don't have enough ultrasonic power with this unit for the task at hand. A small lab cell disruptor would concentrate more power in a smaller container; I believe this unit is about 200w. I do have a much more powerful unit at my shop, and may continue experimentation with it too. I'm also working on a more predictable means of filtering, since the sock just doesn't cut it. The residue is so water-entrained that it's almost impossible to squeeze out, so a sieve/press device along with more thorough disruption should be an improvement.