Cleaning CLI's and PGI-5BK cartridges

[Ash]

I've been refilling my Cannon cartridges (ip4500) using the German refill method and Hobbicolor inks and had no problem so far

I'm sure this has been asked beforebut what is the best way to flush out old cartridges? I have some from EBay and don't really want to use them without flushing.

 

[jru]

Hi Ash,

The idea of the method I use is to connect one end of a hose to my kitchen sink faucet andthe other end to the "exit port" (large circular hole on bottom of cart that feeds ink to printhead when it is inserted in the cart carriage), and to run hot water with some pressure into the exit port of the cart and let it flow out of the air vent maze hole (which is on the sponge top side of the cart) -- until the water runs clear.

This may entail purchasing some parts from your hardware store to screw onto your kitchen faucet (after unscrewing the existing end).
And it may entail 2 different size hose pieces joined together.

The hose that fits snugly over the exit port on the bottom of the cart that I use is approx. 9 mm inner diameter and 12 mm outer diameter.
This hose piece I fit over a smaller hose piece (joined with one of those small screw clamps like they use on auto hoses) that is around 6 mm inner diameter and 9 mm outer diameter. This smaller hose pushes onto a piece of hardware that screws onto my faucet. (I used a screw on part left over from an old water filter).

Once clean, the carts are left to dry for several days in a sunny window (although I prefer to fill the pigment PGI-5 cart before it dries out completely).

That's how I do it, because I use the German refill method, so I don't have a hole drilled on top of the ink reservoir, so I need some pressure (not too much though or it can push the top off your cart) to push the cleaning water through the air maize hole above the sponge chamber.

If you use the drilled hole above the ink reservoir method to refill --- then with that hole open, I read you can simply drip hot water into the exit port and it would escape through your drilled hole --- and you may not need any hose and hardware adapter.

Hope this helps...

 

[ghwellsjr]

I just turn the cartridge over and run hot water into the outlet port which quickly soaks up the ink. Then I blow into the air vent until most of the diluted ink comes out of the outlet port. Repeat several times for dye ink cartridges until the sponge is pure white and many, many times for pigment until only water comes out.

Of course jru's method is much quicker and more elegant but it requires special hardware.

 

[Ash]

Thank guy's that very helpful.

kitchen faucet (UK it's called a tap) are different so I can't take the end off but I'll look about and figure something out

 

[jru]

Yes, ghwellsjr, I believe it was you who posted your hardware-free method that I had read in the past
(along with so many other great tips that have gotten me out of jams).
Know that your brilliant tips and kind willingness to share them in such articulate ways, are appreciated by me and I would guess, many others here.

Oh, and thanks, Ash, for pointing out the "kitchen faucet" / "tap" lingo-difference. It is easy to forget that this is an international forum.
This forum is the best of "peer-to-peer" that I have ever come across...
Wonderful spirit of helping each other to learn, and then pass on what we have learned to others.

 

[msmart]

Here are some non hardware-free methods:

http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1808

and check this out:
http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=3299

 

[l_d_allan]

I just turn the cartridge over and run hot water into the outlet port which quickly soaks up the ink. Then I blow into the air vent until most of the diluted ink comes out of the outlet port. Repeat several times for dye ink cartridges until the sponge is pure white

I'm curious if you have measured how much ink you are able to refill into the cart after using this method? And how does this compare with the ink amount put in during a refill when the printer has reported "Empty"?

The sponge/foam is still at least damp. If the refill ml was about the same amount after a purge and after an ordinatry Empy fill, then you could infer minor dilution and "who cares", plus or minus observation error and how fussy you are about color management. If there was more than a minor difference, then you might infer a fair amount of dilution.

Granted, the repeatability of how much remains at "Empty" may not be that consistent. Or you may refill at "Low" or with a squeeze bottle. My speculation is that your technique is at least Very Good, but that wouldn't necessariliy be all that consistent either ... as far as how much ink gets put into the cart during a refill.

Also, I suppose if this mostly applies to pigment black for text (with Canon printers), then "who cares".

 

[ghwellsjr]

No, I have not measured how much ink goes into a cartridge.

After I posted on this thread, I came up with my scheme for draining a cartridge which would be much quicker than just letting it air dry.

I normally never purge my virgin cartridges before refilling them so I don't do this very often.

 

[l_d_allan]

ghwellsjr,

I tried that ... sort of ... and really nothing more came out. That was after blowing out, so perhaps I should start with a saturated sponge. The bottom filter is recessed into the outlet port, so I put a tissue paper there so the filter and paper towell would have contact.

Oooops .... I didn't do the last step of having the corner into the outlet port. That would explain some things.

Hmmmmmm .... and IIRC, I did have a suspicion that tissue paper is a no-no to bring into contact with the bottom filter. When I had the possible clogging problem that "self healed", I was wiping the outlet port and #1813 outlet port cap with tissue paper as a final cleaning before storing. I suspect some tissue paper residue may have gotten to the print head and temporarily clogged it.

 

[ghwellsjr]

Well I sure hope tissue paper or paper towels blotted on the outlet port don't cause any problem. I never thought of that. I would think the very fine mesh on the inlet ports on top of the print head would prevent any fibers from going down into the nozzles. Wow, what a terrible thought. If that ever did happen, I don't see how it would ever get unclogged.