Cleaning solution: the ultimate test

[The Hat]

@astecno, You are perfectly right, but it's a mild ammonia solution you should use to cleaning out a print head, and long term contact with ammonia will cause no amount of damage to your print head, concentrated ammonia is also to be avoid, this solution will work far better for storage.

-20% isopropanol
-20% propylene glycol
-distilled water up to 100 %

Compliments of @pharmacist..

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

you may google for 'printhead storage solution' and will find several links - like this one
http://www.vermontphotoinkjet.com/products/piezoflush which doesn't use ammonia or
http://www.farbenwerk.com/navi.php?a=1346&lang=eng&

 

[astecno]

@The Hat , Thank you for claryfying that to me.

If you don't mind, I would like to take the opportunity to ask just one more question.

Do you think I really need to switch PK to MK in order to get the solution inside MK tubes? What if I don't switch PK to MK and instead just take off the MK cart, replace the ink with the solution and put the cart back in to the Pro 3800 leaving the printer this way?

I'm asking this because when I got this printer it was completely clogged. To get things running smoothly again it took a lot of effort, time and ink, something that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.

Now I'm feeling as if I were caught between the devil and deep blue sea: I really need to do something to ensure that the MK channel do not gets clogged again, BUT I'm afraid of switching PK to MK and eventually get the printer clogged anyway!

 

[The Hat]

Do you think I really need to switch PK to MK in order to get the solution inside MK tubes? What if I don't switch PK to MK and instead just take off the MK cart, replace the ink with the solution and put the cart back in to the Pro 3800 leaving the printer this way?

That should be sufficient because the PK and BK black share the same tubing for each ink so when you flush the ink out, then the solution will remain in the tubing all the way to the print head..

 

[Slagathor]

I been curious, would filling a set of cartridges with this cleaning solution and running a cleaning cycle help keep the park area a little more tidy??
I cleaned mine up a bit but it's trashed again, it's like my daughter when she was a teenager, her room was a disaster....

 

[The Hat]

The answer is no, cleaning cartridges wont help keep the parking bay clean, using a syringe to drown the whole area and then mop up the liquid with paper towels this will keep the area much cleaner.

When you’re finished flood the parking area with liquid and run a normal head clean cycle and that will clear any old ink that might have been left in the purge units tubing, this can be done several times a years, but not weekly..

 

[Slagathor]

Thanks for the info...

 

[InkQuisitive]

Buying 10ml+50ml of PG and IPA on eBay UK for £5 seems to work out about the same price as these 30ml products, which are 5% glycerine in IPA, and so seem to be a reasonable approximation of the base mix to add water (and ammonia) to:

• http://www.allearplugs.com/earplug-suppliers/macks-earplugs/dry-n-clear-ear-drying-aid.aspx
• http://www.multipharmacy.com/Swim-Ear-Drops-NOW-CALLED-Swim-eze-pid-7594.html

So notionally twice as expensive (30ml for your money instead of 60ml), but it you only need 100ml overall then a reasonable price. I think I've bought Swim Ear (old name for Swim-Eze) in a corner pharmacy before, so potentially a good emergency supply as well.

BTW, Robert Dyas hardware shops (mostly around London) sell a 9% ammonia solution: http://www.robertdyas.co.uk/max-ammonia-500ml. 3ml of that should be about the same as the required drops of 30% mix.

 

[Ross Allan]

BTW, Robert Dyas hardware shops (mostly around London) sell a 9% ammonia solution: http://www.robertdyas.co.uk/max-ammonia-500ml. 3ml of that should be about the same as the required drops of 30% mix.

If you're looking to save money, it'll be cheaper to buy from a chemical supplier. Example I've used in the UK is darrant chemicals.

* 1 litre ammonia 33% http://darrantchemicals.co.uk/ammonia
* 1 litre propylene glycol http://darrantchemicals.co.uk/monopropylene-glycol
* 1 litre isopropyl alcohol http://darrantchemicals.co.uk/isopropyl-alcohol

Comes out to GBP12.28, including taxes and shipping.

edit: Although I've heard of issues needing to phone them up and pester them or your order doesn't get dispatched for ages.

 

[martin0reg]

you may google for 'printhead storage solution' and will find several links - like this one
.... or
http://www.farbenwerk.com/navi.php?a=1346&lang=eng&

BTW, did you ever try this "clear ink" as a thinner - to dilute M and C to LM and LC?
Wouldn't this be a better fluid than GO or nozzle cleaner, for making a 6 color ink set out of the 4 color fuji drylab ink (well known and tested in other threads)?

..I have ordered some dilution from MIS, formulated by Paul Roark, but the shipping to Germany costs more than the item..