Draining a Canon cartridge

This issue of over drying your carts is not a real problem at all and it won’t ruin you carts either, but you can sometime believe you have a big problem with the sponge, because the dry sponge can be extremely slow to thoroughly absorb the new ink.

The cart will still deliver the right amount of ink even dough it doesn’t look like it will..

How about a compressor with the paper towel as a filter and collector for emptying... just an idea I had, an hoover hose if you could adapt it to the tanks outlet..... come on, gi mi 1 out of 10 for trying.

I wouldn't be tempted to drying them too quick with too much heat, we don't want deform the sponge or harden it, I'd say longer to dry the better.

Dave

I reckon your over thinking the whole idea of this sponge drying thing, because it’s not that hard to do, @Ghwellsjr’s method in the very first post of this thread is probably the best effective way ever of drying a cartridge sponge (10 out of 10) without fear of causing damage.

But you got to remember that these sponges are fairly robust things and don’t damage to easily anyway, unless you literally cook them, with chemicals or heat.

Another method described by @pearlhouse was to wrap the cartridge in a paper towel and place it inside a sock and swing it around for a minute, that works too only faster, but nowhere near as effective on the Ghwellsjr method..

The Hat said:

You’re not the only one that goes to http://www.precisioncolors.com/index.html

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Was actually going to ask for a recommendation for quality ink for refills, thanks to you and Thombar for the pointer.http://www.printerknowledge.com/members/thombar.11430/

Since PC already has you put a 5/32" hole in the cartridge so the plug fits perfectly, you can put a 5/32" hole in an orange cover and suck out the sponge. As an added bonus, you can put the silicone plug in and clear out the vent above the sponge, pulling air the whole way through.

I do this for the only Canon printer I have, a Pixma Pro-100, which would be CLI-42 cartridges.

Pentode said:

How about a compressor with the paper towel as a filter and collector for emptying... just an idea I had, an hoover hose if you could adapt it to the tanks outlet..... come on, gi mi 1 out of 10 for trying.
Dave

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After pulling as much distilled water, other liquid, or ink out with a syringe, I found I could use my medium KOH hepa jet II lens blower to blow air through the fill hole and out of the discharge port. By blocking the discharge port, I can clear the vent of water as well. The blower has a one-way valve in it so it works pretty well. I then pack the cartridges using the paper towel method as mentioned here in this thread.

Once the ink is out of the cartridge is it better to refill or leave them empty. I soon have my start up cartridges as spares and was wondering what to do with them

If you’re not ready to use them, just put the orange clips back onto the bottom of the cartridge with a rubber band, and they will stay fresh and in good condition till you’re ready to start your first refill with them.

A little bit of advice that’s worth millions: Don’t be tempted to use the cartridges beyond the low ink notice, because that makes them a bit doggy when refilled and re-used later.

The cartridge is made up of two separate compartments, one side holds the ink (Reservoir side) and the other side holds the sponges, it is recommended to keep the sponge side saturated with ink always and only use the ink from the reservoir side.

This only applies when you intend to refill the cartridges later, alternatively you can use the cartridges safely to empty, and replace with a brand-new OEM cartridge...

The Hat said:

If you’re not ready to use them, just put the orange clips back onto the bottom of the cartridge with a rubber band, and they will stay fresh and in good condition till you’re ready to start your first refill with them.

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Agree. Unless the cartridge is going to be used in the near future then leave it unfilled.

Last week, I finally had to use another cartridge (Magenta) that I had flushed but not refilled years ago. It was stored in a plastic zip lock bag unfilled with the orange cap on and secured by a rubber band. It refilled perfectly, taking a couple minutes to sufficiently spread into the upper sponge. Works a treat.