How to clean BCI-3eBK and PGI-5Bk pigment ink cartridges ?

[pharmacist]

I want to purge my dried BCI-3eBK and PGI-5BK cartridges but how ? Grandad35's method is specially meant for the dye cartridges but does it work for the larger pigment ink carts as well ?

Does someone has experience with thoroughly rinsing these pigment ink carts from any residues ?

 

[tyamada]

I've purged my BCI-3eBK cartridges, however the pigment seems to clog the sponge. I only get two(2) purges and after that the cartridge suffers from ink starvation.

 

[pharmacist]

Hi tyamada,

But how do you purge those cartridges. Is it the same method described by Grandad35 ?

 

[on30trainman]

I use the same purge technique (faucet adapter with 3/8" ID tubing) for the BCI-3eBK cartridges as the BCI-6s - except that the tubing fits inside the outlet hole of the BCI-3e rather than outside. After I purged the cartridges that had pigment ink I then filled the cartridge with what we in the US call original Windex and let that sit for a least a day. Then I purged the cartridges again. That removed most of the dried ink and the cartridges seem to work OK. Placing the purge tubing inside the outlet hole sometimes pushes the sponge up a little. Bumping the cartridge on a flat surface moves it back into place.

Steve W.

 

[canonfodder]

Hi On30trainman,

When you have done your pigment cartridge purging including the Windex for a day, could you say that the sponges are totally white, or do they still show some of the ink color?

 

[tyamada]

I purge my BCI-3eBK cartridges with a large hypodermic contraption that fits on the large ink port on the bottom of the cartridge. I can use pressure and vacuum to purge the cartridge with hot water and alcohol. As I said before after 2 cleanings the cartridge doesn't supply enough ink to the head. I replaced it with a new Hobbi Colors cartridge, but I haven't used enough ink to have to purge it. The ink starvation went away with the new cartridge.
When I purge the cartridges I can never get rid of the slight black tint to the sponge. The worst part is the surface of the sponge at the ink exit port. It seems the pigment clogs up that area.

 

[pharmacist]

Thinking about these problem would it not be better to used a hybrid pigmented ink instead of a pure pigment ink to reduce the need of flushing the cartridges every time or so ? Hobbicolors has two types of ink: pigmented (PMD) and pure pigment (PMT) and the PMD should clean the nozzles during printing and is less likely to clog the sponge (I hope).

 

[on30trainman]

canonfodder,
No, the sponge never gets completely white - kind of splotchy black in spots - but it is cleaner after the Windex soak.

tyamada,
Same results for me - the sponge in the ink exit port remains darker - not Black but a dark grayish color. Any possibility that your ink starvation problem might be due to the sponge moving up from the exit port during cleaning. I see that happen with the BCI-3eBK cartridges much more than the smaller BCI-6 ones. Need to bump it back down.

pharmacist,
Interesting idea about the black pigment/dye based ink. I have been using the Hobbicolor all pigment based ink so far. Actually I haven't had any ink starvation problems with the refilled Canon BCI-3eBK cartridges yet - but I don't really have enough usage on them to be sure. Haven't filled any one cartridge more than two times. My one concern about the pigment/dye mix is that with the larger nozzle holes (I think that is correct) on the printhead that the mixed ink might flow faster through the printhead and not print quite as sharp or even print heavy/smeared - not sure.

BTW - Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and the best of Season's Greetings to all on this forum. The info/help here is great and I have met some nice helpful people here over the past few years.

Steve W.

 

[Tin Ho]

Purging refilled cartridges every some number of refills is no question a good idea. This is particularly beneficial for BCI3e-bk and PGI5 cartridges refilled with pigmented ink. If you refill them after they are emptied you can observe how fast (or slow) the ink is absorbed by the sponge when you refill them. If little ink is absorbed and is absorbed slowly it seems to indicate that it needs a purge. If little ink is absorbed and it is absorbed very slowly you can imagine it will discharge slowly and ink maybe restricted in some way. I have not found need to purge my CLI8 cartridges but I do purge my PGI5 every few months. Each time after a purge I could see that the printed text became darker and thicker. This alone is a good reason to purger my PGI5 once in a while. I learned the concept of purging (it was Grandad's post?). I have taken the time to purge at least my PGI5 in a regular basis. My ip4300 is kept at a top notch shape in printing text. I can see a difference in the quality of the text printed.

I believe CLI8 cartridges will benefit from purging too. Maybe the colors will be more saturated. It keeps the nozzles from getting clogged at least.

 

[ghwellsjr]

Look here.