Drying Time

[stratman]

Prints appeared somewhat subdued (faded in color, not so contrasty and vibrant). Yet I ran a Nozzle Check a couple times and although what I now think is also a faded output (nozzle check) I thought that it was fine as there were no streaks.

Sounds like residual water in the sponge has diluted the refill ink. You should not burn out the print head and color fidelity will return in a couple of refills or so. If you cannot wait then drain the cartridge, flush and then use the paper towel wicking trick plus or minus the sock trick to rapidly remove a good amount of moisture. There will still be a dilution effect but hopefully not as much as you are experiencing now. Or you can wait longer for the sponge to truly dry out.

 

[martincregg]

Moral of the story? Do the opposite, don't wait for the Carts to dry. On the contrary, refill them after flashing when still moist?

I let mine dry out completely. I did find that the ink did not flow from the reservoir side to the sponge completely - much of the sponge was still white. I solved this by forcing air through the refill hole very carefully until the ink flowed through completely. Once I got it going the spread happened very nicely.

 

[Photographic Memory]

I watched tutorials from Precision and another one. My situation may well have been water trapped inside the Air Maze, to be honest, or "Foamy Sponge". That was my first time flushing, so next time I will be more exact to ensure ink flow before taking such a risk and installing the Cartridges.

On another note, I need advice and don't want to start a new thread…

The Rubber "stopper" on the "plunger" in the Syringe has become almost impossible to use now due the rubber properties being altered due to my initial flushing session. Is there a way to restore it so it can maneuver smoothly again or do I need to reorder a new one from Octoink?

Thanks in advance. Also, for future reference, is this usual or is there a way to prevent it from becoming, erm, you know, like not what is supposed to be?

 

[The Hat]

do I need to reorder a new one from Octoink?

No, not at all, you need to order at least a half dozen, relying on just one is not very practical.

or is there a way to prevent it from becoming, erm, you know, like not what is supposed to be?

You can rub a little Propylene Glycol on the rubber and it comes back to like, for a while...

 

[Technician]

@ The Hat said....
" You can rub a little Propylene Glycol on the rubber and it comes back to like, for a while... "

Done it many times...age catches up with us all.

 

[The Hat]

Done it many times...age catches up with us all

@Technician, What do you think it is “Poteen”

 

[stratman]

@Technician, What do you think it is “Poteen”

Did you mean poutine from Quebec?

 

[Redbrickman]

@ The Hat said....
" You can rub a little Propylene Glycol on the rubber and it comes back to like, for a while... "

Done it many times...age catches up with us all.

Careful Rubber can have a different meaning for the US members - For them rubbing it with glycol and bringing it back to life could spell disaster a few months down the line and prove rather expensive in the long run

 

[Technician]

Did you mean poutine from Quebec?

Nah..he means the liquid kind, and an expert on it so he is.

 

[Redbrickman]

AKA "Moonshine" in some other parts of the world...