Canon CLI refilling experiences?

[Defcon2k]

No offense taken! Sorry if my words seemed to indicate that. I think it's good that you guys here put much thought into this method and share your ideas about possible problems. I think it's important to talk about things, and I do want to provide answers as far as I am able to. Unfortunately I'm no expert on canon carts and can mostly only say "Practical experience so far shows that it seems to work fine, but I have no idea why".

It will be interesting to see how your idea about the original vent hole will turn out. I think it might be difficult to guide the needle through the sponge, but I never tried that.

 

[headphonesman]

After the excellent debate on the merits of fill hole sealing in this method I thought HPnetserver and Defcon2k
had solved my problem regarding my present syringe being to short to reach from the side of the cart at the bottom and to use it at top at the labrynth/maze vent.

I duly took a CLI 8 cart out and confirmed that the distance is a bit shorter , enough to allow the method to work. However, looking at the labrynth/ maze channel I wondered why Canon had made it so intricate (and long ). Exposing the vent for needle use will shorten the length of the channel, it may have an effect , it may not. If I am successful in refill by this method I think I would return the vent , (temporarily) , to its proper condition with a portion of Sellotape, until the next re-fill time.

I would value your comments on whether you think my concerns are justified ?

 

[Defcon2k]

I have two possible explanations for this long channel:
Perhaps it should stop ink from leaking out when the user takes the cart out and turns/squeezes/shakes it, or perhaps it should keep the humidity in the cart to prevent the cart from drying out. But imho it's no problem to leave the hole open. Many non-oem carts don't even have this labyrinth, but only a simple hole there.

 

[ghwellsjr]

The latter of your two explanations is correct, Defcon2k. In an OEM cartridge, the top of the upper sponge is usually totally dry so there is no danger of ink leaking out under any circumstance.

I believe it is a good idea to cover any refill hole that is made with a piece of tape. It's so easy to do, why not just do it, even if you believe the benefit is minor?

And I believe that it is important to leave the long serpentine path intact. Remember that one of the major mechanisms of ink drying out is the daily cyclical fluctuation in the ambient air pressure. This forces air in and out of the cartridge. Without a long path on the vent hole, that dry air will actually enter the sponge area and reduce the humidity and therefore the water content of the ink.

 

[fotofreek]

I've used bci-6 virgin MIS carts that come with a label unattached. I spoke to their tech person and he said that it wasn't necessary to cover the air vent and/or part of the maze. I've used them this way in a rotation of several carts now for over two years. I've also used Arrow carts that I purged and refilled with MIS inks. The labels came off and I left the air vent open. They work fine also. i have two sets of Hobbicolors carts that hve also worked well. (I never used the Hobbicolor inks as I was happy with MIS inks and didn't feel like experimenting.) I do cover the airvent on all refilled carts when I store them. I would guess that, even though the new OEM carts are improved, the basic physical principals still apply.

By the way, the Arrow carts are the ones that our moderator had some feed problems with. After the maze covers came off I realized that they appeared to be from two different manufacturers as there were two different maze designs. The vent holes were also two different sizes! The larger vent holes were the size of the diameter of a push-pin, so I used a push-pin to enlarge the smaller ones. They worked fine and are still in my cart rotation. Nonetheless, the carts I trust the most are still the OEM carts that I refill. They purge cleaner than the rest and function well.

 

[MannyNoela]

Neil Slade's original writings about refilling described his technique for refilling "on the fly." I did that for more than a year. ..... With the Howard squeeze bottles this takes less than two minutes.

Hi,

I am in the process of re-filling my carts, and thinking of ordering needles and bottles from Howards. Which specific needles and bottles and needles did you buy?

rgds, Manny

 

[fotofreek]

two oz bottles. They normally come with very short needles. I requested longer needles in the original order and they sent them at no additional charge.