How Long Maximum Could You Submerge the Heads in the Cleaning Solution?

[kdsdata]

Thanks for the tip. How many days was your longest, also how many times did you replace the towel (maybe how many hours was the interval). I can force patience when it's needed :-D into my system. If you can recommend the solution you used to dissolve the ink, that'd be great.

Thanks again.

I can't remember how long I soaked my head ^_^ It was long enough for my dear wife to start n...g...g, sorry, I mean questioning, how long will "this thing" sit here? I would say a week to 10 days, changing the paper towel a couple of times a day. I always looked for hint of color on the paper. Some sign of ink. I had the time, but I was fairly concerned to get the block loose. If that's what it is. But I wanted my Pro-100 back. I love that printer (sad thing to say about some equipment). If that's your goal, then I suggest to invest the time. If you have some other printer around use it as long as your patience last. I (and possibly other sentimentals on the site) really can't come up with a hard and fast/fixed rule. I wish you patience, and good luck.

Add on: On submitting this, I went back and read this thread more fully. I noted a comment about the ammonia being an issue. I now remember that I had give attention to that. I had taped a small plastic bag around the bottom to cover the upper exposed parts, particularly the contacts. Don't use tape to cover the contacts, tempting, but they can easily bend when you remove the tape. I couldn't say what the ammonia does to the ink channels, but so far my printer is ticking along fine. I recall I did the soaking in and around 4 years ago.

 

[Downunder]

The Hat said:
"We always ask others not to try stupid methods and suggestions that will come to nothing, regardless how qualified some one else reckons they are, degree in hand or not, inkjet printer are in a league of their own and require much more specialised treatment.."

Stupid method in your estimation! I should be so honored! Do I receive an award?
The big problem is your conservatism in not even trying the method.
All your posts have been negative so I'm not surprised.
The big problem I have is that it worked for me - and it is worth trying instead of more and more electronic waste going to landfill. Throw it out mentality!
Until you try my method you do not have the right to criticize/denigrate my method on the forum.

I have spent 63 years in the electronics industry so that beats 47 in the printing industry. Over the years I have repaired/saved quite a bit of electronics from going to landfill.

 

[The Hat]

Until you try my method you do not have the right to criticize/denigrate my method on the forum.

I Feckin give up.. I might as well talk to the wall..

 

[soysauce]

Canon cartridges with integrated print heads do fine in my ultrasonic cleaners with RO water, both the small home-jewelry model and a larger industrial model. I find this surprising considering what a ultrasonic cleaner will do to a piece of aluminum foil, but I have had cartridges in the ultrasonic cleaner for 12 hours that have worked fine afterwards. Kevin from BCH Technologies documented his results at

 

[soysauce]

I Feckin give up.. I might as well talk to the wall..

I think that when someone posts his or her personal experience with great detail and photos to add to our collective knowledge, the least we can do it to express our concerns politely.

 

[The Hat]

the least we can do it to express our concerns politely.

Would that help..!

 

[PeterBJ]

I made a simple test. I printed the same image four times on a sheet of plain A4 paper. On one image i dripped plain water. on another I dripped Pharmacist's cleaning solution on another I dripped a window cleaner with ammonia "Ajax", and on the fourth I dripped some electronics contact cleaner "Kontakt 60" from Kontakt Chemie.

The water and Pharmacists solution and the window cleaner all attacked the ink and made it bleed. The contact cleaner didn't dissolve the ink but left a faint oily residue that made the paper translucent.

The inks are water based so I think a useful cleaning solvent must be water based. As the electronics contact cleaner is non conductive it can contain no water. A conductive residue could cause a lot of damage in a an electronic circuit.

There are of course more brands of contact cleaners, but I think none are water based, so I think they can't be used for printhead cleaning.

I have taken some Canon printheads apart for cleaning. The printheads survived. but I had bo luck with the cleaning attempts. It is generally not recommended to take a printhead apart. There is a very high risk of ruining it.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

There are failure mechanisms in Canon printheads you cannot clean away - with whatever attempts - cleaners - ultrasonic etc but it won't work, Canon printheads are consumbables - the same with HP printheads. But this should not pose a problem as long as the user is aware of it, the printhead is user replaceable and available for a longer time after the product has been taken off the market

Please see further comments here

https://www.printerknowledge.com/th...why-thermal-printheads-fail.10969/#post-91995

with a link to this publication , look to page 6

it does not describe other typical failure mechanisms like clogging

http://www.multivu.com/players/Engl...ment/ef225a99-a30b-4e52-b6bd-c87d62e47756.pdf

I'm not aware of any response by Canon to this publication e.g. explaining failure modes in Epson printheads..........

 

[Paul Verizzo]

I gave a printer to our son who wasn't regularly printing and the head became clogged.
I tried the fluid method a few times but it didn't work.
It seems that some of the ink becomes very dry in the white part of the head and is almost impossible to loosen with the fluid method.
I would try the normal fluid method first but if that doesn't work try this.

How to clear a stubborn blocked printhead.

1 Remove the head from the printer.
2. Remove the 2 screws under the printhead. Put the 2 screws away safely!
3. Get a small plastic container to put the head in.
4. Fold the printhead out gently.
5. Shine a torchlight through the white part of the head and you will see the blockage/s.
6. Then get some electronic cleaning solvent (I used CRC CO Contact Cleaner).
7. Use the long red extension piece (photo) and spray it into the blocked holes on the white base. Very messy!
8 Also spray the cleaner through the black holes underneath the head plus the rubber seal while it is dismantled.
9. Place it on a paper towel and let it dry out - usually fairly quick as it is a solvent.
10 Place the rubber seal back in the correct position and then fold the head down gently.
11 Put the screws in and screw the head down.
12 Replace head back in printer.

The head in the photos has been cleaned.
Does it work - yes I have tried it on a few heads that I had kept which were blocked and now work.
Magenta seems to be the worst offender in blockages.

Major props to you for going where no printer geek has gone before, to the best of my knowledge!

I have two dead printer heads for my beloved iP4500's. I'm trying to resurrect them. Just put into a solution for an overnight soak, but if that doesn't work, I'll follow your advice.

 

[Paul Verizzo]

Firstly lets clear up some mistakes here, Don’t run more than two deep head cleans in any one hour, it has the potential to burn out the nozzles in the head and make it useless.

Now whichever cleaning method you choose, please stay away from Windex, that liquid is not good for continued soaking, it will also damage the nozzles, and as suggested by @Artur5 try warm water and a few drops of washing up liquid.. Soaking should take hours not days to see the results.
Now with all that cleaning something should have worked, so the best place to start from should be your cartridges, replace your existing cartridges and try again, and the word patience means take it slowly because at times like this it’s your best friend..
If the new carts don’t work then it’s time for a new print head. Sorry..

Now as for this suggestion.. It’s all total rubbish and should never be used..

Never ever take a screwdriver to your print head useless you want to render it totally useless, that’s a mugs game and only used by someone who knows nothing about Canon print heads whatsoever.. so forget this whole post…

The alternative perspective is that if one can't buy a new head, what's to lose?