Clas Ohlson ink experience :(

[InkQuisitive]

MG5250. They come up on eBay in working order or with stated "problems" such as ink absorber full for low prices. My plan to try and overcome the "damage contagion" was to ensure donor machine works by resetting absorber level, cleaning blocked heads, etc, then remove / clean / store head.

Maybe also strip other potential failure parts and junk casing, etc. I did that with a dishwasher a decade or so ago, and have used about half the parts so far!

 

[PeterBJ]

If you buy a printer that has been locked due to the ink absorber being full, I suggest to unlock the printer to do a test print to determine the state of the print head. If the printer is OK I suggest to clean the absorbers and keep the printer as a spare. The Service manual has instructions for disassembly for absorber change.

How to use service mode and the service tool is found in the service manual. This post has a working link and a download instruction for the service manual for MG5220 which is the same printer as the MG5250 just for sale in North America instead of Europe. You also need a service tool. This post has links to version 3400, which is the version I recommend. If you are unsure about service mode and service tools, please ask before doing something wrong.

 

[InkQuisitive]

Thanks . I've already played with the service tool (causing no harm - yet) and have the manual, hence general confidence in the approach.

 

[The Hat]

They come up on eBay in working order or with stated "problems" such as ink absorber full

I wouldn’t like to unwrap a printer that’s had the ink pads full notice, it’s guaranteed to have the waste ink all over the inside of the machine. Ouch..
They just don’t travel very well, by Courier or Post..

 

[InkQuisitive]

I wouldn’t like to unwrap a printer that’s had the ink pads full notice, it’s guaranteed to have the waste ink all over the inside of the machine. Ouch..
They just don’t travel very well, by Courier or Post..

Hmm - useful to know! I'd expect collection to keep the cost low enough for this crazy scheme. Old cardboard box and clothes for carriage me thinks if absorber is the sale reason. And I'll disassemble / jetwash it in the garden first . Then jet wash me to clean up .

 

[PeterBJ]

I have washed absorbers for Canon Pixmas 4000 and 5200. It is a very messy job but possible using lots of warm, not hot water and of course a good quality rubber/PVC gloves.

Another good source of old but working or repairable Canon printers is flea markets and thrift stores. Around a month ago my brother-in-law saw a Canon MG5150 at a thrift store and bought it for me for DKK 20 which equals around 2 £ or less than 3 $ or €. After replacing/refilling some cartridges and cleaning the print head and purge unit the printer now works as new. I salvaged a Canon MG5550 which just needed some new cartridges and a little cleaning. With cheap compatible cartridges it now works 100% OK. See this. I might buy some more of these cartridges from a Danish supplier to do a proper test, until now they work perfectly. Buying compatible cartridges is a gamble, some are good some are junk that could ruin a printer. Price and quality do not always match.