18+ months old ink cartridges for MP830 - are they still OK!?

[OM2]

I have some original ink cartridges for an MP830 - they're more than 18 months old - maybe even 2 years old!
I don't know why, but I just kept the cartridges (I knew nothing about refilling at the time)

Would these cartridges be OK for purging?
Any problems I might encounter?

Thanks


Omar

 

[stratman]

I have some original ink cartridges for an MP830 - they're more than 18 months old - maybe even 2 years old!
I don't know why, but I just kept the cartridges (I knew nothing about refilling at the time)

Would these cartridges be OK for purging?

Yes

Any problems I might encounter

Fungal or bacterial growth may be possible, but are exceedingly rare occurrences.

If you want to use something more than water to flush your cartridges, consider one of forum member Pharmacist's concoctions.


Nifty-Stuff.com Pharmacist's cartridge flush/conditioning solution recipe:

-3 % propylene glycol (or 2 % glycerin)
-20 % isopropyl alcohol
-distilled water up to 100 %

To make this conditioning solution a cleaning solution to dissolve stubborn stains: add 5 drops of concentrated ammonia per 100 ml of this solution. This solution has been tested by several forum members already and they are very happy with it. It also enhances the absorption degree of ink into the sponge after flushing, especially with the difficult pigment based BCI-3eBK/PGI-5Bk cartridge.



Conditioning: after flushing the sponge has difficulty to absorb the ink well and tends to be become a bit hydrofobic (water repellent). By completely immerge and drenching the sponge material with this solution and then blowing as much solution as possible the sponge is revived again. The pigment BCI-3eBK/PGI-5Bk is the most difficult one and using this conditioning solution improves the absorption degree of your favourite refill pigment ink.

Cleaning: fill a cartridge with this solution (with ammonia) and execute a deep cleaning cycle to remove stubborn and tenacious clogging.



20 ml isopropanol (isopropyl alcohol)
80 ml distilled water
10 drops of propylene glycol
(optional: 5 drops of concentrated ammonia)


Ammonia Concentration: if used in cleaning cycle stick with 5 drops per 100 ml and when used to soak printheads externally increase it to 20-25 drops.

Fold a paper towell into a nice thick and even strip and drench it with the cleaning solution and put it under the printhead and let it soak for about 1 hour. After that, execute one cleaning cycle.


25-30 % ammonia: this is concentrated ammonia. If you use household concentration, increase accordingly.

Standard household ammonia in the UK is 9% w/w (weight for weight)

 

[l_d_allan]

Any problems I might encounter?

It really helps that you've included your printers with your signature. IIRC, you had a pigment-based 7600 (since sold), and now have a working MP640 and MP830 with problems.

My suggestion: put the MP830 aside and put your full attention on the MP640. Seems like a decent all-in-one. I think it might be counterproductive to be dealing with three different printers. Patience?

As I recall back not that long ago when I first tackled refilling, there was a period of time when I had bunches of info just floating around in my head, and my comprehension was pretty low. I think I had over-whelmed my ability to absorb information and was more or less disoriented, and you may be in that status. I'd be the first to acknowledge I've got lots to learn, and others on this forum know much more than I do.

 

[OM2]

thanks for the replies

all those ingredients!!
i haven't looked at the guide u refer to as yet... will do so shortly
but... where do i get the ingredients from?

my mp830 isn't alive just yet... i need to fix
as i said in my last reply: i sell on ebay and need the printers for printing on
if i go out of action because one printer is malfunctioning - that's really bad news
so... my policy from now on would be to have 2 printers that are used *all* the time (so no chance of drying out or anything)
one will be for printing invoices and the other for stamp/address labels
that was, if one should fail, i'll never be out of action

 

[stratman]

where do i get the ingredients from?

Depends on what country you live in. In the States, isopropyl alcohol can be bought from most any drug store or grocery store. Ammonia can be either bought as concentrate or in the form of original Windex with Ammonia-D. Avoid scented/perfumed versions of anything if possible to decrease risk it could cause a problem itself. Distilled water can be found at most grocery stores and some drug stores. Glycerin can be bought at some drug stores such as CVS. Glycerin may be purchased online at CVS and probably other places as well.

If you live outside the States, some other members can clue you into what ammonia product(s) to purchase, as I do not recall the brand name.

Flushing with warm tap water probably is all some need to do. If you have "hard" water with a high content of minerals, or just want to play safe, inject distilled water as a final rinse to remove minerals from the tap water.

If you fear a fungal or bacterial issue, or see particulate matter floating in the ink inside the cartridge, then you might try some of Pharmacist's cleaning solution mixtures. The glycerin is a conditioning agent for the sponge which promotes ink absorption - it is useful if the sponge has been flushed and left to dry "bone dry", which may slow the rate of ink uptake by the sponge when you refill it and may impair steady flow of ink when printing.

 

[OM2]

hmmm thanks for the reply

so what's the general advice: give warm water a go
if problems turn to windex and distill water?
and if that fails, try the pharmacists guides?

let me know if i got that right

thanks

 

[Redbrickman]

I'm not that keen on running hard water through the cart from the refill hole and out via the outlet.
I may be just over cautious, but it seems to me if the calcites in the water are trapped in the sponge then they will not flush out, except maybe with distilled water in the reverse direction.

After seeing the hard water deposits immediately on the chrome tap fittings in my bathroom I am not keen to have the same in the cart.

I use a squeeze bottle (large type they use for ketchup etc,) to purge through the refill hole with distilled water. It does not take too much water, even with dried up carts.

I then squeeze air from the bottle through the refill to get out most of the water, and allow the cart to dry naturally in a warm place.

But I'm no expert in this matter, just playing extra safe

 

[OM2]

hmmm... i've seen a guide or 2 on the internet
i'm sure they showed running under a tap in a sink
it would be good to see video, failing that, some pictures of what u describe

 

[stratman]

OM2:

Tap water is fine if it isn't considered hard water. As I said, you could use only distilled water if you want. You could even use all isopropyl alcohol and ammonia, but that's a bit more expensive for not a lot more gain if water is sufficient. It's up to you and your comfort level.

Keep in mind that you won't be flushing often. Some have never flushed their dye ink cartridges. Others flush after 5 or 10 refills as preventative measure. I only flush dye ink cartridges if I have a problem with ink output or receive a cartridge of unknown age and storage condition. I've never had a cartridge that had bacterial or fungal overgrowth or particulates in the ink, but I would flush or dump the cartridge in those instances.

Redbrickman:

A ketchup bottle sounds like another ingenious tool for refillers. Some of those condiment plastic squeeze bottle would have a spout that works well with the ink exit ports on the cartridge. I enjoy the inventiveness of those refilling. Nice!

 

[OM2]

ok... i looked at some videos on youtube again

this is the first one i saw originally:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtqutxm_oiM
this guys shows him using about 100 gallons of water
(ok, exaggerating)
he also uses a vacuum cleaner in reverse!
where do i get one of those from?

and surely i can't be expected to use that much distill water!!

second video, i think looks a little better:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqnZU1u45aQ
nice contraption - and this one clearly uses less water
but still: do i need a pump mechanism like that!!?

ALSO: both the above methods require having a hole at the top
erm... do i have to make the hole? the german method i have used - is that ok? is the hole i have there sufficient?
i imagine the hole has to be big? so... do u need to plug with something? (i got some plugs from octoink - i imagine this is what they're for?)

ketchup bottle mentioned above sounds great
but are them some pictures or better still some video anywhere?

ketchup bottle: how do u clean out the insides thoroughly enough?
i suppose a hint of ketchup on your printing might be ok for some
but surely it's not doing good for your cartridge?

all replies would be appreciated

thanks