German method - I just hit a snag, help please.

[icarr757]

Howdy

I have a Canon pixma mp560 which i really enjoy, and for the last year I have had a successful time refilling my own cartridges using the German method. Today, however, I hit a snag. While refiling my black 220 cartridge, when i reached about the 1/3 full point on the tank I noticed ink starting to bead on the main exit on the top (the cartridge was upside down) and then ink started to drip out of the top vent of the cartridge (being upside down, it was on the bottom) and make a small mess. Now I know the needle was all the way into the empty part of the tank, not injecting ink directly into the sponge so I am wondering where I went wrong. I am using the printers original cartridges, and the blacks do annoy me as they are hard to see whats going on in the cartridge compared to the colored ones.

Did I fubar my cartridge? I tried to back the ink out and then start over again, but two more times, when ever i get the tank 1/3 to 1/2 full, I start to get ink dripping out of the top and bottom again.

Any advice is appreciated, as I have not yet run into (and hope I never do) this problem with my color cartridges.

Thanks
icarr757@gmail.com

 

[mrelmo]

try to empty the sponge by blowing through the vent hole the sponge may be over saturated, when you empty the sponge then try refilling good luck i hope it helps

 

[stratman]

Don't sweat it. You should be able to return your cartridge to good working order in short order. FYI - Pigment Ink cartridges like your PGI-220 may clog up over time based on your usage pattern, ink used (and its age), and the environmental conditions of the room the printer is in. The CLI-221 inks are Dye-based and therefore water soluble.


----What Pigment Ink are you using to refill? I ask because another member on the forum probably will anyways. Besides, now I'm curious too.----


* Ink may leak from the ink ejection port if you inject the ink too fast for the air inside the cartridge to leave the cartridge to equilibrate the pressure inside the cartridge via the ink ejection port on the bottom of the cartridge, serpentine air vent on top of the cartridge, or from the Durchstich refilling hole you made.

* Ink may also leak out if the needle tip is not all the way into spongeless compartment when you inject ink.

* Ink may also leak if the sponge is somehow less permeable to air/ink flow, such as with sludging from old, slightly dessicated ink or if particulate matter is present (bacteria, fungus, etc).

* Ink may leak if the sponge is already saturated, or sufficiently saturated, possibly due to the first and third reasons already listed.

Whatever the cause, barring destruction of the sponge or interior plastic, or some other bizarre reason, two general principles/solutions can be observed for your cartridge back in good working order.

1) NOTHING must block the serpentine air vent. A blocked serpentine air vent will cause ink to stop flowing during printer and potentially burn out your print head. If ink is above the sponge and most definitely in the serpentine air vent, you must remove this ink. mrelmo's suggestion is one idea to remove ink from the serpentine air vent. Variations on the theme are left to your imagination, such as flushing the cartridge (see #2).

2) Sometimes the best thing to do if the sponge is misbehaving, or there is ink above the sponge or in the serpentine vent and you want to return the cartridge to new-ish condition, FLUSHING the cartridge with water until the waste water no longer is the solution. Your CLI-221 cartridge sponges will flush to white or near white, while your PGI-220 pigment black cartridge will never return to white but the waste water will eventually become clear. If you have hard water, a final flush with distilled water may be advised. Further information below on flushing techniques. It may look like a lot but it really is simple as you want it to be.

There are many variations on the theme of purging. Unlike the more rigid methodology of refilling, It seems like everyone has there own twist in how to purge. And this is a good thing!

Because there have been so many variations it is difficult to collect them all for you to read. But, there are some main techniques that should help you choose a way that fits your personality. To list, and this may not be inclusive of all major techniques:

1) Drill a hole on top of the spongeless side and flush water through the ink exit port (where ink exits the cartridge when printing) which then drains from the top hole you made. Various methods of introducing water into the cartridge (see #3). Use a hot glue gun, screw with O-ring, or rubber plug to seal top hole. (I have used rubber plugs from http://stores.ebay.ca/PrecisionColors/R 34.c0.m322)

2) Top hole drilled and running water from faucet directed into the top hole. (http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=2964)

3) No top hole drilled, just introducing water into the ink exit port by various methods - under running water from a faucet or with a (modified) syringe, tubing or other implement to force water into the cartridge. Water in the spongeless side can removed by various methods such as a needle and syringe, and the rest of the water in the sponge by other methods (see below for more details)

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Somewhere on the forum is a thread on using storage clips (epoxied to tubing with a hole tapped where the ink exit port sits) to facilitate flushing. The aftermarket storage clips are like these - http://stores.ebay.ca/PrecisionColors/S 4.c0.m322. I like the ease and potentially cleaner way of facilitating purging versus my method. I have to hold the tubing to secure it onto the ink ejection port and it can leak as I flush.

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Forum member Grandad35 began a thread on purging cartridges that is an excellent primer. It is where I learned my original method of purging. See his thread at http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=311. His first post on the thread has a link to his pictorial essay on purging.

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Other links I have collected, and which may help you avoid certain issues, are:

http://www.nifty-stuff.com/sealing_canon_bci6.php

http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewto 216#p10216

http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewto 28&p=1

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An ingenious method of promoting drying of the sponge after purging was devised by ghwellsjr using ordinary kitchen paper towels. See his post (#3) at http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=5290. This will drastically cut down drying time. FYI - You can refill if there is a LITTLE moisture left in the sponge - you don't have to wait until the sponge is bone dry.


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My purge unit is as follows. As stated earlier, I use rubber plugs (see the link above) to seal the the top hole over the spongeless side, then use my mouth over the top vent area above the sponge side to blow out much of the residual water, and then finish with ghwellsjr's paper towel method to wick out most of the remaining water in the sponge. I do not wait for the sponge to be completely dry before refilling.


Purge unit based on Grandad's design. I did not use any part of an old garden hose.

1) 3/8" inner diameter clear vinyl tubing (outer diameter 1/2"), 3 feet ~$1.00 worth.

2) One Sweeper Nozzle, Model 56171 at Home Depot, $2.97 (similar to but with some plastic: http://lawn-garden.gillroys.com/Hoses_& 61223.html). This screws onto my utility sink's threaded faucet like a typical garden hose would.

3) One Hose Clamp 7/32" to 5/8" to secure #1 to #2.

4) 2mm hole drilled into the top of the spongeless area next to the edge of the decal (near where the ball is located) to let the purge water out.

The flexible tubing easily fits around the exit port of the cartridge. Warm water washed the sponge clean in well under one minute and I have no ink on my hands. I held onto the cartridge and directed the purge stream down the drain hole, but any ink in the sink washed completely out without staining.

 

[panos]

Just keep using that cartrdrige and refill it again when it is empty.

 

[The Hat]

Phew stratman that what I call a good response, way to go..