ThrillaMozilla
Printer Master
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2011
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(Slapping forehead yet again. Problem solved.)ThrillaMozilla said:
I just had to refill again. This time I checked one of the cartridges that gave me so much problem with leakage. I checked by pressurizing it under water.
The result: pure human error. I thought the vent was sealed, but nooo....
So I have to conclude that the Freedom Method works fine, even with very simple equipment. All that's needed is something like my adapter, plus preferably an ordinary 60 mL syringe.
Here are my current precautions and recommendations for Freedom Filling.
1. Three pumps with a 60-mL syringe is sufficient to fill the cartridge most of the way.
2. If you continue filling, you can actually overfill it and get ink in the vent. If this happens, after you are done, with the vent open, draw out about 1 mL. I recommend also sucking a drop of distilled water through the vent to make sure it's clear.*
3. Do not allow air to pass back into the cartridge. It is advisable to fill the syringe with more ink than is needed, to accommodate a minor amount of foam. I usually use about 2 mL extra, but some types and brands of ink foam more than others. If you are filling more than one cartridge, you can use a lot extra.
4. If the cartridge does not hold a vacuum, you need to seal the vent better. I use Stick-Tac, underlain by tape to keep Stick-Tac out of the vent. You might also have a loose label, as in the magenta cartridge in PeterBJ's picture here.
5. After filling, I check the cartridge for drainage. If it drips any ink, I withdraw another 1 mL or so as a precaution.
6. After filling, I give the cartridge a couple of good hard raps, just in case refilling has moved the sponge out of position. (Be careful not to hit the exit port--remember, it has to seal against the print head. I use a strip of wood on the bottom for protection.) I also tap the cartridge to make sure there is no bubble between the chambers. Both problems are discussed here. I don't know how common these problems are, but they apparently occur with all refilling methods.
7. If you have a large container of ink, it is probably a good idea to pour the ink you are going to use into a small secondary container, and never to pour ink back into the large container (to avoid contamination). You can return the excess ink to the small container and reuse it.
8. As a safety measure, to keep from splattering ink when you break a connection, do it under vacuum. For example, when you remove the tool from the cartridge after filling, there will be ink on the tool. But since the syringe will normally have a slight vacuum, ink will be sucked inward. If you instead have remove the syringe under pressure, it will blow ink outward -- which of course is fine if you like colorful surroundings.
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* Some people worry about diluting the ink with a drop of distilled water, but think nothing of purging a cartridge with water, and possibly leaving a couple of milliliters behind! Don't worry about a drop or two at the top of the sponge.
