German Durchstich refill method for Canon carts with pictures

[fixup]

I used the Ink Station to refill an old HP and Canon, which use the 3-in-1 carts, not the PGI5 and CLI8 used in my new Canon MP600. I love MP600 so much that I don't want to mess it up, so I bough some Hobbicolors ink for it and won't use untested ink such as the Ink Station.

BTW, the Hobbicolors package comes with two 50 mm needles. For $40, these 6 bottles (2 pigment black), plus a $53 resetter, are the best to start refilling fun with this German way. My PGI5 runs exactly double faster than other 4 carts, so this Hobbicolors package is ideal.

I don't print much, so it is not so necessary for me to refill, but I feel stupid if I let printer manufacturers to rip off me on ink at 8x rate.

Update: I received the Hobbicolors ink today, but the needles are too short - the total length is indeed 50 mm, but the metal part is only 37.5 mm. The needles from Ink Station are true 50 mm (entire length 68 mm). They are ideal for they have side holes near the tip. I insert the needle all way in until it hits the crystal, the ink flows smoothly through the side hole. Cannot be any more ideal. Some needles from Ink Station do not have the twist-in connector; for these, I hammer the thinner needles from Hobbicolors into them and then apply a drop of A/B glue to seal. Now I have 5 syringes and 5 long needles for all colors, no need to wash them. Refilling cannot be any easier and more convenient.

 

[Romakpect]

Hey guys. My question is how often do the cartriges have to be flushed? I have some cartriges that i've used few times and put them away for few years. Can I use them if the sponge is all dried out and is it safe to put the needle through the dried out sponge?

Oh and also if you flush the cartrige with water, do you have to dry it somehow or just let the ink mix with the water in the sponge?

 

[avolanche]

Romakpect,
Do a search for "purge" or "purging" and you will get a lot of info on this.It's a bit complicated as you'll get a lot of different answers.Here is a good starter: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/canon-BCI-6-cartridges.php

 

[mocars2]

I discovered the best way to work is before flushing to fill the ink compartment with distilled water until completely full. This will counter the pressure during flushing and afterwards you use the same Durchstich method to withdraw the water from the ink chamber and voil ! No need to drill extra holes or whatsoever.

I still am not following this - any chance of a video for the flushing too?

 

[binkie]

I have just encountered my first problem using the German Durchstich refill method with a CLI8 cartridge in my MP530. When I pushed the needle through the sponge, some of the sponge traveled with the tip of the needle through to the ink chamber and is stuck at the top of the ink chamber but still connected to the main sponge. When I attempt to fill the ink chamber the ink flows back to the sponge area rather than filling the empty ink tank. It drips out of the top vent maze and the ink outlet. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[fish]

Are you using a blunt needle? I was afraid of something like this happening so have been using sharp IV needles. Only drawback is the small diameter creating a lot of restriction in filling the syringe. Slow fill is ok though.

 

[binkie]

Are you using a blunt needle? I was afraid of something like this happening so have been using sharp IV needles. Only drawback is the small diameter creating a lot of restriction in filling the syringe. Slow fill is ok though.

I'm using an #18 sharp needle. I probably should have been more careful. When I met some resistance I forced the needle through, thus probably causing the problem.

If I can't somehow remove that part of the sponge that was forced through the hole, I guess I'll have to drill a hole in the top of the cartridge and refill the traditional way rather than the German Durchstich method. I really hate to do that, but I can't see throwing out the cartridge. It is now a little over half full and appears to be printing fine.

Any ideas out there about clearing the sponge that has been pushed into the ink tank portion of the cartridge without drill a hole in the cartridge?

Binkie

 

[Bertil]

Rotate the needle.Then the needle will also much easier penetrate into the inkchamber.This German method is much superior to any other method.

Bertil

 

[pharmacist]

Binkie, you can let that small piece of sponge inside the ink chamber. It won't hurt. It is triple filtered and will never reach your ink nozzles. As Bertil said: when you experience any resistance, just make rotating (drilling) movements with the syringe to overcome this and also keep the needle as thight als possible against the plastic wall and so doing this you will just lift up the complete sponge section a bit. This will also ensure that the needle will find its way to the opening between sponge an ink chamber.

 

[binkie]

Binkie, you can let that small piece of sponge inside the ink chamber. It won't hurt. It is triple filtered and will never reach your ink nozzles. As Bertil said: when you experience any resistance, just make rotating (drilling) movements with the syringe to overcome this and also keep the needle as thight als possible against the plastic wall and so doing this you will just lift up the complete sponge section a bit. This will also ensure that the needle will find its way to the opening between sponge an ink chamber.

My problem is that I am not able to fill the ink chamber more than half before ink starts to come out of the vent maze, the ink outlet, and the hole I drilled by the ink outlet. Pressure seems to build up when ink is injected into the ink chamber. How do I get the ink chamber full so that the ink monitoring will be accurate when I reset the chip?

Binkie