New technique to clean BCI-6 carts

[ghwellsjr]

Success!! I was able to unclog my neighbor's Epson CX4600, thanks to the links by AlienSteve suggesting the use of Window Wipes to clean under the print head and to the manual by Arthur Entlich which I learned about from fotofreek a few posts earlier.

I cleaned a lot of ink from the bottom of the print head but that wasn't enough to fix the problem. Arthur's manual also advised of the need to clean the pad and the vacuum tubes. The tubes were completely clogged. It took a lot of Windex from a syringe to clear them.

One thing I discovered about this printer: it does not do a head cleaning or purge every time you cycle power. In fact, since I did not hook it up to my computer (my neighbor didn't give me a driver disk), I got it to do head cleanings by installing the empty cartridges and then putting back the good ones. It's easy to tell when the tubes are unclogged by squirting some Windex on the pad where it stays put, doing a cleaning cycle and seeing that the Windex is all gone.

Again, many thanks to AlienSteve, Arthur Entlich, and fotofreek, for your invaluable suggestions. My neighbor and I really appreciate it. We were so close to dumping this printer.

 

[Lilla]

Family printers include Canon i960/i950. I now have a nice "Purge Hose" for cleaning Canon BCI-6 Cartridges and Print Heads. Pictures and instructions for making it are shown below. The purging hose is so much easier to use than a purging syringe. With the purging syringe, my hand was hurting and I wasn't able to achieve the sustained flow needed to get the maximum benefit.

To aid in cleaning cartridges, I made a couple of "Hose Adapters" (see post #63 this link). I posted pictures of the first cartridges I cleaned (see post #70 this link).

In Grandad's article A Technique to clean Canon BCI-6 cartridges, in Miscellaneous Notes, he writes...

When your carts need to be cleaned, consider cleaning every cart and the print head at the same time. Since the carts will be out of the printer for some time, the head will dry out, so why not take this opportunity to clean it. Instead of using the 3/8 tubing used to clean the carts, use some tubing and press the tubing onto the rubber seal around each ink pickup to force water through the head - the hot water will help remove any ink residue from the ink passages and nozzles. Blow the water out using compressed/canned air just before putting the head back into the printer it takes far longer for the printer to purge water from the print head than it does to fill empty channels.

Anyway, I showed Grandad's article to my Dad, and after some trial and error and two trips to the hardware store he created a simple, effective, and easy to use "purge hose" that works great!

Pictures of my "Purge Hose" for cleaning Canon BCI-6 Cartridges and Print Heads
====================================================

Instructions for making my "Purge Hose"
==========================

Hose. He used a 3' length of "3/16 ID Fuel Hose | 048643-02595-0" (this is written on the hose itself), Lowe's sale receipt shows it as "22283 3/16 ID Fuel Hose 3 @ $0.77 = $2.31". The hole in the center of the hose fits snuggly but gently over the print head inlet port (after he heated the end in hot water and stretched out the center hole just a bit). The outside diameter of the hose fills the space but still it is easy to fit the hole over the ink jet port including the two end ports. The thick walls of the hose keeps the hose from buckling while you are pressing down on the hose to keep it over the inlet port. Note. I normally remove the rubber seals on the inkjet ports then press the hose to the bottom of the print head; a little bit of water sprays from where I am pressing the hose against the housing of the print head but not enough to worry about.

Fitting #1. First, a plumbing fitting/adapter like the one shown by Grandad35 in photo #1 here is attached to the threads on the water faucet. This plumbing fitting/adapter was $3 from Home Depot.

Fitting #2. On one end of the hose he attached a barbed plumbing fitting that is held in place by a small hose clamp (or a piece of thin wire twisted tightly - Dad did it this way as he thinks it looks nicer). McLendon's Hardware SKU=10289690 Hose BARB MIP 3/16 x 1/8 $1.89". Note. www.mclendons.com does not list this part, yet the part number is correct.

Fitting #3. Last a barbed plumbing fitting connects the plumbing fitting added to the hose to the plumbing fitting added to the water faucet. McLendon's Hardware SKU=10265050 Fitting, Garden Hose Female Swivel 1/2 $3.49

Rubber Gasket (to press fingers against). When I pressed against the hose the water pressure would cause my hand to slip on the slick hose. So Dad added a 13/16" O.D. rubber plumbing gasket for me to press my fingers against. The gasket looks a bit like a rubber ball, cut in half, with a hole in the middle. First, the rubber gasket is slid onto the hose; next a 1/2" length of tight fitting clear tubing is slid up the hose to hold the rubber gasket 1-1/2" (or whatever feeling right to you) from the end of the hose. The gasket stays put, it does not tend to slide on the hose even when I press hard on it. The rubber gasket was a part Dad already had so I do not have a part number or price for it.

Add a filter. I added a simple filter, a nylon stocking, to my purge hose -- see post #54 this link.

 

[hpnetserver]

Lilla, you probably will benefit from adding a device in your tubing called filter. It's dangerous to allow tap water go into the print head without filtering. You can use an automotive filter. The bigger the better. Just kidding. Well, it's just a thought. The filter needs to be a high tech one that filters out anything larger than a few miron.

 

[Lilla]

Lilla, you probably will benefit from adding a device in your tubing called filter. It's dangerous to allow tap water go into the print head without filtering. You can use an automotive filter. The bigger the better. Just kidding. Well, it's just a thought. The filter needs to be a high tech one that filters out anything larger than a few miron.

hpnetserver, as you say, it would be best if my "Purge Hose" (see post #52 this link) had a filter, so today I added a simple filter made out of a nylon stocking. It's low tech, but I think it will do the job, certainly it is better than nothing; it is easy to make and costs nothing. Perhaps I will think of something better later, but for now this is it...

Instructions:
* You need a nylon stocking. I'm used an old ankle-high nylon stocking, it's basically the height of a regular sock only made out of nylon. Ask any woman and she will likely disappear into the bedroom and return with an old pair of ankle-high, knee-high, or panty hose nylons you can use.
* Fold the sock so it is two to four layers thick. I'm using two layers, four layers worked but is was harder to screw the fittings together thorough this thickness.
* Stretch the folded material over fitting 3 (the one just below the faucet adapter) and hold it in in place while you screw in fitting 1 (the faucet adapter).
* If you want finer filtering, place a circle of sponge material cut from a discarded cartridge, or other suitable material, into fitting #1; it will sit on top of the nylon filter. The nylon filter will assure that the sponge material doesn't get pushed down where you might have trouble getting it out. I haven't done this yet as I have to come up with some suitable material since I don't have a discardable cartridge at this time.
* Test by flowing some water through the hose to assure that your filter is not restricting the flow too much.
* Cut-off any excess nylon fabric to make it look better. Since the ankle-high stocking is fairly small to begin with, I just left the excess fabric for future use as I will explain. One problem with this solution is that the metal threads tend to cut into the nylon making little tears in it. Thus, when it comes time to unscrew and rescrew the fittings I will probably need to use a different section of nylon.
* Wala, a simple filter that should do the job!

Lilla

 

[Lilla]

Im getting ready to clean (my first time) some carts using Grandads instructions titled A Technique to clean Canon BCI-6 cartridges and I need some clarification about the second hole.

This clip shows the process on an OEM cart in real time. This cart has an extra vent hole in the sponge chamber that was put in a few months ago to test directly injecting ink into the sponge, and the high flow rate of water through the sponge chamber is part of the reason why this cart purged the sponge so quickly.

Consider

I have some non-OEM carts that DO NOT have a label over the vent (and maze), so clearly when I go to flush them the water can easily flow out through the vent hole.

But, the OEM carts have a label over the vent (and maze) so when I go to flush them it seems like the water will NOT be able to easily flow out through the vent. It seems like the force of the water trying to escape through the label covered vent will (most likely) cause the label to come loose if not totally blown off. If Im wrong on this please advise me.

Grandad posted a picture showing the vent hole (and maze) and the label over them in the picture titled Top of Cartridge (post #44). The cartridge dissected by Grandad is a non-OEM cartridge but it is very similar to an OEM cartridge as explained here (post #49).

Below are the things I could do that would enable the water to easily flow out of the OEM cart sponge area, however only #1 seems viable, unless my understanding is wrong.

1) Add a hole to the OEM cart in the sponge chamber using the hole to nowhere. Grandad says This is a good place to put a second hole into the sponge chamber here (post #54). This hole would be filled with a screw (or whatever) after cleaning.

2) Remove the label on the OEM cart so the vent (and maze) will be exposed as they are on some non-OEM carts? Ive read that OEM carts wont work right if you expose too much of the maze, so Ive always thought that an OEM cart will not work right without the label (or replacement of some sort). If Im wrong on this please advise me.

3) Poke a hole in the label over the vent hole so the water can escape. Ive always thought that the OEM cart would not work correctly if you did this. If Im wrong on this please advise me.

QUESTIONS.
1) Do I need to add a second hole to my OEM carts to enable the water to easily escape the sponge area?
2) If I dont add a second hole will the water pressure lift the label that covers the vent (and maze) causing the OEM cart to not function properly?

Thank you,
Lilla

 

[fotofreek]

Lilla - having just purged a set of OEM Canon carts two hours ago, I can give you difinitive answers! You can leave the label on the vent area and do not need to make more holes in the label or the vent area. OEM labels are really stuck to the cart. No problem. No more holes necessary over the sponge either. Just leave the fill hole open that you you've made over the reservoir area. Use hot water and start out with very little pressure. Increase it a bit if you have to. I blow most of the water out by just blowing into the ink outlet hole and then use an old vacuum cleaner to pull as much water out at the fill hole and vent as possible. The vacuum cleaner has a hose. I just hold my hand around the cart and the hose end to get the best seal such a crude approach permits. It works fine. I used to put the carts in front of a table fan - aimed at the fill hole - to dry more completely. Some carts I purged last week were just left on my desk after vacuuming them, and they dried themselves really well in three or four days. The first batch of carts I purged took me much longer as I didn't know how to proceed or what to expect. Very easy to do and amazing as to how well the OEM carts clean up. Most of the aftermarket carts clean well also, but I've had a few that just wouldn't so I threw them away.

The carts I cleaned today were scrounged from the recycle box at CompUSA while I was there buying a wireless router. Some stores exchange HP and Lexmark carts for a slight reduction in ink costs, but someone had thrown the Canon carts in their recycle container. They were very happy to have me take them and they cleaned up really well.

 

[Lilla]

fotofreek, thank you for clarifying and providing the extra how to details, very helpful.

Good idea there, checking the recyle dumpster at CompUSA for Canon carts.

I used to put the carts in front of a table fan - aimed at the fill hole - to dry more completely. Some carts I purged last week were just left on my desk after vacuuming them, and they dried themselves really well in three or four days.

I saved that post showing how you dried your cartridges in front of a table fan. I'll save your comments about air drying too. I plan on drying my cartridges using your methods. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

The first batch of carts I purged took me much longer as I didn't know how to proceed or what to expect.

Slow going, that's how I feel right now. At this point I'm focused on trying to understand the process and decide just how I will accomplish each task. It's somewhat painful, but I'm getting there.

We have a wet-or-dry shop vacuum so I'll use that to suck the water out of the cartridges. This is the last part of the process that I need to work thorough. I'll keep your cupped hands method in mind.

Later,
Lilla

 

[fotofreek]

Lilla - Vacuums need airflow to function properly so you don't want to totally block the airflow around the cart. I just hold the cart where I want it at the end of the vacuum hose and block most of the airflow around the cart with my fingers. Enough vacuum to pull most of the water out but not a good enough seal to block all the open space around the cart.

The fan technique actually worked quite well. I would still use it, but I was just too lazy to go down to the basement to get a fan. About the scrounged carts - The person who had taken them to CompUSA had put about 15 used carts back in cannon bci-6 boxes. They were in a plastic bag, and I took the bag home before opening it. Turns out that the person who had taken them to the store probably thought he would get credit for them toward ink purchases. A bit of subterfuge! He had put used no-name aftermarket carts in canon boxes, so I only ended up with only five OEM carts. I tried to purge one of the aftermarket carts and I couldn't get it really clean. The sponge material in it must have permitted ink to dry pretty solidly. I don't think the carts had been empty that long as the ink outlet filters still had wet ink on them. Just a different kind of sponge. I had that experience with only one other aftermarket cart out of the several that I am using. I'd rather not bother with carts of potentially poor quality anyway so I threw them away. The OEM carts cleaned very well.

 

[Grandad35]

I second what Fotofreek said about there being no need to open the vent holes. The labels on the OEM carts are very solidly attached and I have not blown any of them loose yet. These carts may purge a little more slowly than those with a larger hole above the sponge, but does it really matter if it takes 10 seconds longer to purge these carts?

On my last purge cycle I used a wet-or-dry vacuum, then blew compressed air regulated down to about 10 psi into the refill hole for about 10 seconds - this removed water that the vacuum missed. The carts were then laid (exit side up) on a tray for 2 days with a fan blowing over them.

 

[Lilla]

About getting the water out...

I blow most of the water out by just blowing into the ink outlet hole and then use an old vacuum cleaner to pull as much water out at the fill hole and vent as possible. The vacuum cleaner has a hose. I just hold my hand around the cart and the hose end to get the best seal such a crude approach permits. It works fine.

Using duct tape and various parts of tubing and hose, I fitted a piece of the same 3/8 clear tubing to a wet-or-dry shop vacuum, and used the vacuum to pull most of the water out of the cart. It took between 30 and 60 seconds of vacuum for water to stop coming out.

Grandad and fotofreek, thanks for the feedback.

My brother, my sister and my neice all have Canon printers, and sometimes they get busy and forget about the need to store their empties in a sealed tupperware container with a damp paper towel with alcohol added to avoid mold. So I wonder...

If I come across a nice OEM cartridge that doesn't work well after flushing with plain water, adjusting the sponges, etc. is it worth trying to flush it again after first soaking with a commercial cleaning solvent such as the one you bought from CompuBiz (inkjetsaver.com) or a homemade cleaning solution? I think I recall someone suggesting 50/50 water and alcohol to soak cartridges; followed by flushing with plain water I assume.

Thanks,
Lilla