After years of success, the German Refill Method didn't work!

[mikling]

Well the the German method leaves a syringe hanging around afterwards with ink on the needle as well. It would make sense to always lay out an old tee shirt or towel before doing anything... mistakes happen. If you didn't try to refill to the max, then the tunnel would not have ink and the plug contamination is minimal and only at the tip, so the plug comes out pretty clean. The other trick is to tilt the cartridge a bit, since doing so will allow a greater fill without reaching the hole. as compared to keeping it level. Sponge side is higher, this also reduces the time the chance of overfill as well. Now if you filled up into the tunnel then that follows the greed theory and you got ink into the tunnel. You pay the price the next round of fill and thereafter. The other point is that the plugs I use cinches and seals at the bottom end of the tunnel and not the top. If you use the ones that seal at the top, then logically ink would seep into the tunnel and stop where the seal is which is at the upper part of the tunnel and you've got ink all over the plug to the point of seal.
About losing the plugs... well there's nothing you can do except maybe be methodical about what is carried out and where things are placed.
It's like my other half and myself as comparative cooks in the kitchen,when she's done, the place is a mess , when I am done it is not and cleanup is quick.

With the newer printers, this aspect might be moot because there might be limited choices in the method chosen.

 

[stratman]

Well the the German method leaves a syringe hanging around afterwards with ink on the needle as well.

Au contraire, mon frre. The use of squeeze bottles negates the issue of syringe cleanup. The needle can be left alone with the water-based dye inks, or, as I do, wipe the needle off with a bit of paper towel. I also "burp" the bottle to clear ink in the needle into the wadded-up paper towel at the end. No muss, no fuss. Clean as a whistle. When I first used syringes I would flush them after the refill. Didn't take long to see the utility of the squeeze bottles.

With the newer printers, this aspect might be moot because there might be limited choices in the method chosen.

Fortunately not yet and why it is suggested to swap chips onto the 220/221 cartridges with the window in order to see ink fill levels. Happily the Durchstich method, squeeze bottles, and clean hands can still prevail.

 

[PeterBJ]

The opaque PGI-x25/CLI-x26 can also be successfully refilled using the German method. See this report: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=52062#p52062

The only extra accessory needed is a small digital scale.

 

[macbroom]

Well the the German method leaves a syringe hanging around afterwards with ink on the needle as well.

Au contraire, mon frre. The use of squeeze bottles negates the issue of syringe cleanup. The needle can be left alone with the water-based dye inks, or, as I do, wipe the needle off with a bit of paper towel. I also "burp" the bottle to clear ink in the needle into the wadded-up paper towel at the end. No muss, no fuss. Clean as a whistle. When I first used syringes I would flush them after the refill. Didn't take long to see the utility of the squeeze bottles.

With the newer printers, this aspect might be moot because there might be limited choices in the method chosen.

Fortunately not yet and why it is suggested to swap chips onto the 220/221 cartridges with the window in order to see ink fill levels. Happily the Durchstich method, squeeze bottles, and clean hands can still prevail.

That's the thing. Refilling for the average user needs to be easy, if they have to buy empty 220/221 carts then that is just another step that might discourage them. For the new printers they have several options:

1....Buy 220/221 carts and swap chips.....costly and availability may be a problem.
2....Refill the black OEM carts....can't see ink levels and other issues such as plug clearances
3....Refill clear compatibles...unreliable due to quality control and single sponge.
4....Refill clear compatibles with plugs...reported poor quality of EBay carts, some good, some not.

In my 20 years of refilling I have found that two issues have caused all of my problems.

1.....Dried out or old sponges causing flow problems...The success of the German method where a hole in the sponge might fix alot of problems with flow even on a dried up cart.
2.....Failure of the seal on the ink tank side of the cart when using plugs this has been due to air leakage under the label between my drilled hole and the not perfect ball seal.

It seems as Canon is actively trying to protect their cash cow...cheap printers...expensive ink carts...what's next?

 

[stratman]

The opaque PGI-x25/CLI-x26 can also be successfully refilled using the German method. See this report: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=52062#p52062

The only extra accessory needed is a small digital scale.

Yes, but you must use syringes and not squeeze bottles. As such, the advantage of the squeeze bottle is lost.

 

[stratman]

That's the thing. Refilling for the average user needs to be easy, if they have to buy empty 220/221 carts then that is just another step that might discourage them.

And you think refilling a totally opaque cartridge is easier than swapping chips? The added complexity and time for every refill using the x25/x26 cartridges is ridiculous when you can one-time only swap chips onto readily available x20/x21 cartridges and then refill whatever way you want to.

You are over-complicating the matter, macbroom.

In my 20 years of refilling I have found that two issues have caused all of my problems.

1.....Dried out or old sponges causing flow problems...The success of the German method where a hole in the sponge might fix alot of problems with flow even on a dried up cart.
2.....Failure of the seal on the ink tank side of the cart when using plugs this has been due to air leakage under the label between my drilled hole and the not perfect ball seal.

1) The Durchstich hole offers no advantage to flow during printing. A non-compliant sponge will eventually need flushing.

2) This is why people sought out alternative methods for sealing a top hole and experimented with new refill methods in general. Top hole, Durchstich, Freedom, drip, vacuum -- All the various accepted methods are successful but some people experience more issues than others which I believe is related to materials and the skill in application of the method -- mostly the skill of the hobbyist if they are using appropriate materials.

This isn't rocket science but it does require a modicum of diligence and dexterity. If people cannot properly perform the simple tasks involved, for whatever reason, then OEM or aftermarket cartridges are widely available.

 

[Nifty]

A quick update: I noticed the last time I refilled one of my older carts that I could see the ink flowing back up the needle, around it, and through the space between the needle and the sponge. It's as though I've lost a good seal between the needle and the sponge so now ink is migrating back.

I have no idea why it would go that way vs. dripping into the cart? I was experimenting with trying to create negative pressure in the tank side before putting the ink in. It seemed to help a little, but not much.

I'm also wondering if my needle sizes, types (sharp / blunt) make a difference.

 

[stratman]

I was experimenting with trying to create negative pressure in the tank side before putting the ink in.

What were you doing? Describe the situation in more detail. Were you doing this before you noticed the ink flow issue?

I'm also wondering if my needle sizes, types (sharp / blunt) make a difference.

What are the details of the above?

 

[Nifty]

Sorry, should have been more clear! The experimenting with negative pressure was my attempt to try to keep the ink from migrating back toward the exit port. I was pushing the needle into the chamber with the bottle squeezed and sucking air out of the ink reservoir / tank. It seemed to help a little, but not much.

Regarding needle sizes and types: I have a mix match of diameters, sharpness, etc. and wasn't really paying attention so next time I'll have to see if there is correlation between the types and the carts having problems. Another variable is simply the age of the carts and number of times I've refilled them (stuck the needle through the same spot over and over).

 

[stratman]

Not sure what's happening with your ink flow, but it could happen if you have negative pressure behind the needle, negative pressure from teh needle/squeeze bottle, too much pressure working against the flow of fluid in front of the needle, or the sponge is fairly "dry" and absorbing ink rapidly. Maybe you squeezed the cartridge a little bit too tight at that time.

I take it the needle tip was somewhere under the sponge when this happened? Were you trying to suck ink back into the needle/squeeze bottle when this happened?

Needle gauge 18 - 21 are typically recommended. Anything smaller (>21) would require a stronger grip and/or more time to inject. Blunt or sharp should make no difference, though excess damage to the sponge from whatever needle used, or implement used in converting the cartridge to the Durchstich method, would create a larger channel and potential problems. The age of the carts and the number of times refilled also should not be a problem in and of itself for successful refilling and function. Jimbo123 has refilled some cartridges upwards of 4 dozen times. Some of my cartridges are 5 years old and perform properly. However, environment, storage conditions, contamination, ink(s) used, deftness of refilling technique, etc can negatively impact the condition of the cartridges.