Goof Off again with the Canon CLI-42

[mikem65d]

Reading the topic posted this past week in regards to cleaning the yellow carts for the Pro 100 got me thinking again.
Not obsessed with having to use the CLI-42Y, but having a few of these carts now opens up the experimenting mode in my head.
Have just gone thru 2 by cleaning with Windex yesterday (still soaking) and already 1 of the carts is showing to be pure white with just Windex.
I check this by shining an LED light thru the cart.
Both carts look exactly the same when just looking at the outside with no light shining thru the sponge, so i know it is false to believe it is clean because it looks white on the outside.
The 2nd cart however show signs of yellow tint when shining the light thru it, meaning that the Windex did not get all the yellow out.
OK, will soak 1 more day.
Then tonight i took a 3rd CLI-42Y cart that has had the chip removed, but lots of yellow residue inside and decided to try Goof Off (Pro strength)at full strength.
Filled this cart and then let it drain, blew air thru it to get it almost dry, then put the clip on and filled with G O again.............it wicked instantly like a fresh cart should when filling with fresh ink.
Shining the light thru the sponge revealed absolutely no trace of yellow.
Tomorrow i will flush the stuff out, final rinse with Pharmacist solution and then dry.
Once dry i will refill to see the results.
I know Goof Off has acetone in it, but these carts are not made of ABS or any other plastics that will dissolve, so i'm hoping this will prove to be a worthwhile cleaning procedure. Although it is stinky

 

[William Seaward]

I never thought of using "Goof Off" for cleaning out a cart. Can't wait for the results.

 

[The Hat]

Experimenting with your cartridges is always a good thing because you tend to learn more about the workings and complexity of these amazing cartridges, however.

Goof-Off maybe an excellent cleaning agent but its not what I’d recommend at all, the object of cleaning the cartridges is to remove all traces of the ink and remaining chemical residue, but not to introduce something else more harmful, what it will do to the synthetic foam ?

The one cleaner that was found to work best is, (Windex) even Dreft washing up liquid or both together, but all of these cleaning agents have to be rinse out thoroughly, otherwise they may cause longevity issue later.

Getting back to purging the cartridges, there’s no hurry so the job shouldn’t be rushed, and you tend to get better results if you involve patients in your task, it’s not a race but good results count as a clear winner.

Thankfully you don’t have to do that with the rest of the cartridges in the set !..

 

[mikem65d]

I plan on doing a flow test with this cart along with 1 that was flushed with windex along with a CLI-8 too.
Then i will also cut it open to examine the sponge for size compared to one that was cleaned normally.
You are so right too, it's fun to experiment.
I have enough of a collection (no thx to you) that experimenting is the only way i will be confident of what i put in the machines i own.

 

[PeterBJ]

I know Goof Off has acetone in it, but these carts are not made of ABS or any other plastics that will dissolve, so i'm hoping this will prove to be a worthwhile cleaning procedure. Although it is stinky

The cartridges are made from polypropylene and a simple burn test suggests that the sponge fibres are also made from polypropylene. Polypropylene is resistent to most solvents including acetone so the cartridges and sponges will most likely not be damaged by acetone. But over time acetone can damage epoxy bonds. Maybe Canon print heads contain epoxy bonds that could be damaged by acetone residues from the Goof off? If you use this product for cleaning ink cartridges, I think the cartridges should be flushed several times with water and dried after the cleaning. Acetone is miscible with water. It might be best to avoid Goof Off for ink cartridge cleaning though.

 

[The Hat]

I worked with acetone and other harmful solvents mixing ink for years, and we were always warned not to expose any plastic made components to acetone, I still regard that as very good advise today..

 

[mikem65d]

something of an update,
This venture included 3 CLI-42Y carts to be cleaned.
2 of these were loaded with Windex w/ammonia, and 1 with Goof Off.
Checking the carts for cleansing affect is verified by shining intense LED light through them to see whether or not all the yellow is gone as all 3 showed pristine white sponges from the outside after rinsing.
1 of the 2 filled with Windex rinsed out and dried showed no yellow at all. The 2nd one even though white on the outside showed yellow inside throughout.
The Goof Off rinsed out just fine and showed slight trace of yellow.
Using alcohol as a fill test gave same results in all 3 as the sponges absorbed the fluid normally.
Flow test was done by removing the plugs and allowing to drain into a 1oz mixing cup. Did all 3 at same time...............yes i made my son work by pulling plug on 3rd cart.
The 1st (clean cart) and the Goof Off cleaned cart dripped perfectly and the same amount of liquid at the same amount of time.
The 2nd cart took about 1 minute longer to catch up.

Took 2nd cart and Goof Off cart and soaked with Windex again.
Flushed both and still see yellow in the 2nd cart. The Goof Off cart is perfectly clean.
Soaked 2nd cart a 3rd time, then flushed and still shows signs of yellow.
Will try Goof Off in this cart after i cut into the Goof Off cart to see if sponge has been comprimised.

What does all this mean?.................well nothing really, except that so far these yellow carts are a PIA and Mike, Hat and a few others advice should just be taken in regards to just use a CLI-8 and swap chips.
This of course is nothing new, but knowing that Goof Off doesn't leave any residue, it looks to be a good cleanser for stubborn stains in carts that just won't flush out.

I also received a new bottle of Piezoflush to try as well, and will use it on the problem cart if GF doesn't clear it.
Of course with the introduction of GF's chemical makeup, that could have an affect on the Piezoflush doing it's job.

 

[William Seaward]

When I cleaned out my OEM yellow, it took me 4 flushings with Windex w/ammonia to get all remnants of yellow out. I also did 1 flushing with "Pharmacist Solution" and let that sit awhile.

 

[mikem65d]

Ya i was expecting to have to do that on the 1st 2 carts as well...........I was really very surprised to see the results i did with cart 1.
It makes this cart a prize possession

 

[William Seaward]

I never used Piezoflush before but I heard @jtoolman talking about it. If/when you use this, let us know your thoughts on it.