Hit and miss on refilling

[duncan22]

Having tried out other systems the German method is the one I now stick too but despite having refilled carts a number of times I still come unstuck with the odd one.
The problem is that the needle has not gone through the existing hole between the centre chamber and there is no way to tell exactly where the needle tip is... if it's veered to the left or right then you can see where it is against the outer chamber wall but you only need to be slightly out of line with the needle to miss it. Of course the needle can be withdrawn and reinserted and sometimes on the second or third try it goes through the hole so no problem but other times I have tried a dozen times without success.... perhaps I'm just clumsy, need even more practice or just both !
I Know there is no answer to a post like this but it might just be helpful to anyone else in the same position as me because despite the problems I have still saved a fortune on the replacement of ink carts.
Maybe one idea is to get an old cartridge and just keep practicing by filling it with water until I can do it blindfold !

 

[pebe]

I had the same problem at first. Then, from something I read, I realised I had drilled the hole too high in the end wall. So I filled the hole with hot glue and drilled another one right down at the bottom of the end wall. Now when I enter the needle I can see it slide along the bottom and see exactly where it is going.

 

[ghwellsjr]

What cartridges are you refilling? Are they OEM or compatibles?

 

[siusiuenen]

I found it's easier just rotate the needle back and ward and apply just lightly pressure on it then the needle just find and follow the old path you made. It's just the matter of practice.

 

[duncan22]

Ghwellsjr,
They are OEM cartridges.
Pebe makes a good point about the position of the hole. On the carts I have got there is a very small ridge on the back wall of the cart and I make the hole between this raised ridge and the bottom of the cart so I must be fairly close to the bottom of the cart.
On another note I am amazed how interesting this subject is, at first glance you would not expect there is so much to ink cartridges but the more I see on this site the more amazed I am at the different aspects of refilling & problem solving.

 

[ghwellsjr]

I'm guessing you are refilling Canon BIC-6 cartridges because they do have a ridge that sometimes makes it hard to get the needle in all the way but it's easy to tell when you're there. I do like siusiuenen does and rotate the needle while applying pressure. When you get it all the way in, hold the reservoir down and the needle pointing almost straight down to avoid ink going up into the sponge area. It's best to refill as soon as you get the low ink level warning and only refill the reservoir.