A handy Refillers check list guide.

[joseph1949]

To: jtoolman

Thank you for your reply.

You give good advice when you say that one should fill a set of carts beforehand so that you can place a cart inside the printer immediately without having to take the time to fill a cart.

I do not pre-fill carts for two reasons:

1. I do not print enough. I use up a rim (500 sheets) of paper every 4-8 weeks.

2. I look upon a pre-filled cart as a time bomb. Remembercarts leak or will leak!!!

If I decide to pre-fill carts, here is how I would do it:

1. Purchase a sorter for messages and mail. You should able to find one at a store that sells business supplies. The cost should be under $10.00.

2. After you fill a cart place the cart in a heavy duty freezer bag. I would use the Ziploc heavy duty type freezer bag and not the slide lock (Easy Zipper) type. I believe the Ziploc freezer bag seals better. Your call. Be sure to keep the tape over the air vent and the cap over the ink outlet. In fact, do a careful check of the tape and cap to make sure that every looks O.K. You do not want to store a cart with the tape and cap out-of-place. You will have a leakbig time

3. Place the freezer bag with the cart in one of the slots of the sorter. Be sure that the cart is positioned in the slot in the same orientation as the cart is in the print head. If you are super anal, place a couple of paper towels in the slot before you place the bag in the slot. If you have a leak, the paper towels will absorb the ink. You can never be too careful when it comes to leaks. Freezer bag? What freezer bag? Just assume there is no freezer bag.

Note: Never ever store more than one cart in a freezer bag. If you do, you will have a leak from one of the carts and ink will cover everything inside the bagbad, real bad. Now, I know what you are thinkingI can place each cart in its own individual bag and place each cart in a large freezer bag. Noooooooooooooooo!!!!!! Again, you will have a leak and ink will cover everything. Remember, I think that pre-filled carts are time bombs. The suckers will leak just out of pure spite. The idea of the sorter is to isolate each freezer bag/cart from the other freezer bag/carts.

4. I would place the sorter in a plastic container in a room that is heated (60F-80F). The plastic container will contain a leak if one happens. Paranoid?! You bet!!!!!!! Also, the container will help keep the carts in their proper print head position

Note: If you are not going to be using the carts for a considerable amount of time it may be a good idea to place the container in a refrigerator. Place the container at the back of the refrigerator where it will not be disturbed. ALWAYS KEPT EACH CART IN THE PRINT HEAD POSITION. You can place a piece of paper towel soaked with isopropyl alcohol with each cart. The alcohol will keep the mold/mildew down to acceptable limits.

5. When it comes to place a cart inside of a printer, remove the cart from the bag (if the cart was in the refrigerator wait tell the cart has reached room temperature before you place the cart inside the printer), remove the tape from the air vent and remove the cap. After the tape and cap have been removed hold the cart in your hand in the same orientation as it is in the print head. Hold this position for at least five minutes (longer is better). If there are no leaks you can place the cart inside the printer.

Note: If you do have a leak, do not get upset. The leak should stop shortly. If the leak does not stop you probably have a bad seal around your plug. Repair the seal or remove the bad plug and install a new plug (be sure to place tape over the air vent and a cap over the ink outlet before you remove the plug). With a new plug wait another five minutes or longer. If there are no leaks you can install the cart inside the printer. And wait for eight hours. This is very anal, but I believe that it is the smart thing to do

You can do a nozzle check as soon as you place the cart in the printer. I would wait as long as you can. The longer you wait the better chance the cart has had time to stabilize. Every time I have had a bad nozzle check is because I was too quick to to do a nozzle check. I have learned that when this happens just wait for a period of time (overnight?). When you perform the second nozzle check the nozzle check should be O.K. There is no need for cleanings and/or deep cleanings. Just wait!!!!!

Thank you.

 

[jtoolman]

joseph1949, if your name indicates your real name and birth year then you must be my long lost twin! I too am a Joseph and born 1949.

Anyway, I just want to share that I have never ever had a prefilled cart set leak or miss behave in any way. Maybe I have been lucky in that regards. My prefilled Canon carts both CLI-8 and PGI-9s are stored with their clips on and can sit together wrapped with a rubber band until needed. Same with any of my Epson pre filled carts OEM or otherwise. I generally will go through a full set of carts on any of my 9 printers about once a month so long term storage is not really required for my heavy use situation. Except my PRO 3800s which obviously will last a lot longer due to the much larger cart size.

 

[joseph1949]

To: jtoolman

Thank you for your reply.

Yes, Joseph is my real name and I was born in 1949. Also, I have a twin. His name is Jim. We are fraternal twins.

Now, enough about me.

You say that you have never had a pre-filled cart to leak or misbehave. This is extraordinary!!!!!

I have two-Canon PIXMA MX870- printers. They use the CLI-221/PGI-220BK carts.

When I fill my carts about half the time they leak (outside the printer, please!!!!). I believe the carts leak because of two reasons:

1. My method of filling. I keep the ink outlet in the down position (45 degrees) while I fill the cart. When the cart no longer accepts anymore ink I plug the top opening while holding the cart in the print head position. I remove the tape over the vent opening and remove the cap over the ink outlet. As I am doing this I am holding the cart in the print head position. After I have removed the tape and cap I keep the cart in the print head position. I do this for at least five minutes. Half the time the cart leaks. The leaks will stop after a few drops. I wait another five minutes and place the cart in the printer.

Note: I believe if I keep the cart in the print head position for the entire time I would have no leaks or far fewer leaks. The 45 degree position enables the cart to accept the most ink, but with the side effect of more leaks.

2. The carts that I am using. With each new generation Canon is making it more difficult (i.e. opaque carts) to fill carts. jtoolman, I am thinking that your carts are an older generation compared to the ClI-221/PGI-220BK carts. This may be the reason why you have had no leaks

I believe in the future I will fill carts in the print head position. It will be quicker, fewer leaks, and less ink stain hands.

Thank you.

 

[jtoolman]

Yes, the Canon cartds I am refering to are for the PRO 9000 MKII ( CLI-8 ) and the PRO 9500MKII.
I do not use the original outlet clips but the modified snapon ones sold by refilling companies. They snap on and seal the outlet very securely.
Remember, I never let my carts go so low as to empty the ink reservour, So there will always be about 20% liquid ink left in the chamber. I remove and snap on a clip. One by one. I remove one and install one. Later I can just top fill the full set I removed by simply removing the fill plug where the original ball seal was on the OEM cart. I first reset the chip then I add whatever amount of ink I need to fill the chamber. Once I am done with all 8 carts ( PRO 9000MKII ) I store them away till I need them next. The PGI-9 are refilled a bit diferent. You can see how here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGBzHSQx5bU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjgQIWLw10M

This works for me perfectly and if I do get an ink mess it's usually due to my spilling ink while refilling. Once I sanp on those clips there is 100% danger of leaking. SInce I will be using them within a month I don't bother sealing the air vent. If it was longer, I would seal them.

If you tell me your birthday is in September I will really be shocked!

 

[joseph1949]

To: jtoolman

Thank you for your reply.

Alas, I regret to tell you that my birthday is in November.

I think that I will start refilling a cart when the tank reservoir is still showing some ink (10%-20%). Currently, I am waiting until there is no ink in the tank reservoir.

jtoolman, have you tried using glass burettes when dripping ink into the ink outlets? It would be a bit slower (maybe), but you could do all your carts at the same time.

Question: can you perform the Freedom Fill method on my CLI-221/PGI-220BK carts
(no top fill hole)?

Question: can you perform the drip method on my carts?

Thank you.

 

[jtoolman]

Nov is close enough my friend!
I suppose you could use a rig with multiple burettes to drip ink on multiple carts but that will get a little difficult to control and each cart will need different amounts of ink. Also the only way you know you are really full is when the weight is reaching 32-33 grams. Go too far and the exit sponge will overflow without warning as the tanks have no window ro see ink levels. The carts have no air vents, rather they have an internal ink bag or bladder.

The freedom method will work on just about any Canon cart if I am not mistaken. I relys on Vaccum so you must seal the air vent and make an ink exit port attachment for your syringe. There are more Freedom Method expert members in this forum and I do not consider myself to be one of them so hopefully they can enlighten you much better than I could ever do.

The drip method will likely only work on bag type carts such as the PGI-9s used on the PRO 9500 MKII printers.

 

[bobjoek]

Joseph,

You stated that you are using the 220/221 carts. I am using the German refill method with the same cartridges and so far have had no leakage issues with any of my carts. The 220/221 carts also have the advantage of a clear section so that you can easily see the ink levels. The German refill method so far has been very reliable and is easy, once you get the hang of it. With this method you are not opening the tank side of the cart for refilling, so the potential for a leak is greatly diminished.

Bob

 

[joseph1949]

To: bobjoek

Thank you for your reply.

Everything you said is true.

So, why I am using the Top Fill method? The short answer is that way back when I was a newbie and I didnt know better.

The next time I fill a virgin cart I will try the German method. All my current carts have a top fill hole. Using the German method on carts with top fill holes is problematical. This is true because with a top hole you will always have a chance of a leak from the top hole. If you start with a virgin cart with no top fill hole there is no chance of a leak from the top holeno hole, no leak!

I have a number of problems:

1. My PIXMA MX870 printer has a clearance problem. The top of the cart comes very close to the case of the printer. Canon did this to make it difficult to fill a cart if you are using the Top fill method.

2. I drilled a 5/32 hole for the soft rubber plugs that plugged the top fill hole. The plugs were a problem because the cap on the plug was too high. With the movement of the print head the plug would be pulled from the cart. Remember the clearance problem? So I started using hot glue as plug material. The 5/32 hole was a problem because it is more difficult to fill a large hole with hot glue then a small hole (i.e. a hole just big enough to accept the needle).

3. If you use hot glue as a plug you will need to make sure that when the hot glue cools you will have a cap that is less than 1/16 high. This is not easy to do. Applying hot glue is more of an art than a science. If the cap is too high you can press the glue down with your finger. To do this timing is everything. If you are too quick the glue will stick to your finger. If you wait too long you will not be able to press down the glue. If you have a small hole you should not have these problems (well, fewer problems). Remember, my holes are 5/32.

4. Getting a good seal with hot glue, if you have a large hole, is problematical. A small hole is less problematical if you are using hot glue. You can use low profile silicone plugs. For the plugs to work on my printer they will have to have a very low profilebig time.

5. My basic method on filling a cart. When I fill a cart I keep the ink outlet in the down position. The main reason I do this is to get as much ink in the cart as possible. The result is that I overfill the cart. I have leaks about half the time with this method. A good clue that you have overfilled the cart is that when pull the tape off the air vent you see ink on top of the air vent. In the future, I will keep carts in the print head position (level) when I fill them. See below for my reply to jtoolman for more information on my filling carts in the print head position.

Why didnt I start with hot glue and a small fill hole at the start? Well, like I said, I was a newbie. I didnt know any better. This is also the reason that I didnt start with the German method.

If you are a newbie with a printer that has a clearance problem, this is what you should do:

1. Use the German method to fill carts.

2. If you must use the Top fill method, be sure to use a small fill hole with hot glue as the plug material or a very low profile silicone plug.

Note: It is true that you will have no leaks or fewer leaks if you use the German method vs. the Top fill method. This does not mean that you will have no problems if you use the German method. When you read some of the posts of people who have a problem using the German method you will learn that it is very hard to figure out and solve the problem. To solve the problem it may come down to put the problem cart down and pick up a different cart.

It is good for everybody to learn how to use both methodsGerman and Top fill.

Thank you.

To: jtoolman

Thank you for your reply.

I was thinking that using the glass burettes would be a problem. If each cart has its own rate of absorption you would have to baby sit each cart so as not to have a spill. You could use one burette and adjust it so it would drip at a very slow rate. You still would have to baby sit the cart if you wanted to be sure of no spillsin the long run a very slow way to fill a cart(s).

I may try the Freedom fill method in the future. I am thinking that it would be difficult to get a good seal on the air vent. A piece of tape would not suffice. You could use a c-clamp to make the tape seal betterthis may or may not work. You probably would have to use a material that would fill the channels in the air vent. You could place silicone caulking (the type that tries super clear) over the air vent. The silicone would fill the channels. After the silicone has had time to dry you would peel off the silicone mold. The channels would not be filled with silicone if everything went right. You may want to use a release agent (use Canon lubricant FLOIL KG107A Canon part number QY9-0057-000?) so the silicone would not stay in the channels. The next time you fill a cart using the Freedom fill method you would place the mold on top of the air ventmaking sure the ridges in the mold match up with the channelsand use the c-clamp to press down on the mold. Yes, I know that all this is iffy. One will have to experiment to see what works.

I have filled two carts in the print head position (i.e. the ink outlet is in the level position; like it is in the print head). One carts ink reservoir was empty. The other carts reservoir had about 15% of ink left. As expected I had no leaks or drips. I will use the print head position from now on.

I still have the problem with the low clearance on my printer. I may use my Dremel tool to cut the case. This is not for the faint of heart. You will have to know where to cut the case and be able to catch the cut material before it falls into the bowels of the printer more on this later.

Thank you.

 

[jtoolman]

Rjettek sells a Vacuum Refilling gadget for Canon cart, which basically mimics the Freedom method exactly. The problem, it is about $150
I can likely make one in my home machine shop and I just might.

http://www.rjettek.com/Inkjet-Reman...EasyFill-M1-Inkjet-Cartridge-Refill-Tool.html

VIDEOS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohab3CWAWI0&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2_d7X-QV98&feature=player_embedded

Roght now Itoo am top filling my CLI-8 carts but if I do build one of these rigs I will fill using vaccum only.

ANother option is to top fill after carefully removing the factory sealing ball and replacing with one from Rjettek.
This company supplies just about ALL the USA based commercial refilling businesses here so they have all the goodies needed.

 

[joseph1949]

To: jtoolman

Thank you for your reply.

It would be great if you could build the $150 deviceof course, for less than $150.

I have a question. In the past, when I used a third party cart (i.e. OEM Canon cart with Caboodle ink) I have noticed that the Canons seal ball was inside the ink reservoir. I have to assume that when Caboodle put their ink into the OEM Canon cart the ball was pushed inside the reservoir. Caboodle replaced Canons plastic ball with a metal ball.

I have tried to remove Canons ball with a screw type device made for this operation. I got the device from an InkTec kit. The device worked, but it was a real pain. I didnt even attempt to remove the metal ball from the Caboodle ink cart. Because of the hassle with the screw type device and the metal ball from Caboodle I decided to drill a fill hole next to the OEM hole in my carts.

Question: With either the $150 rjettek device or your homemade device, would the ball be pushed into the reservoir each time you fill the cart?
Now I am assuming in this scenario you would replace the existing ball with another ball. Is this correct?

I am thinking that if the ball is pushed into the reservoir each time eventually the reservoir would fill-up and thus you would get little ink into reservoir. In the end, you would not be able to push the ball into the reservoirno room for the last ball. I guess you could cover the hole with hot glue or a silicone plug or whatever when this occurred.

Question: jtoolman, could you give me the part number or numbers for rjettek balls or plugs that would take the place of the factory sealing ball. I went to the site and it was hard to tell what ball or plug could substitute for the factory sealing ball. Dont forget that I use CLI-221/PGI-220BK Canon carts.

Question: What material would you make the device out of? A hard wood, plastic, aluminum, etc. From the video it looks like you would have to make adapter plates for the various carts. The people on this site could send you the carts (that you did not have) so you could make the necessary plates.

Thank you.