Opening a T511 cart

[Guilherme Maranhao]

Hello there,
This is my first post and please excuse as I picked a topic that is hard to fit for any sub-forum, but I believe people who this one will be able to relate better to my question although the ink itself is OEM.

I want to make a B&W inkset diluting a Matte Black ink into 6 different inks.
Eventually I'll be able to buy carbon fro either MIS or Cone, but in the mean time I found here in Brazil an ancient NOS Epson T511 500ml Archival Ink Black Ink cartridge for the 10600. Expired in 2005, around 15 usd. I decided I was up for the challenge.

I went after everything else I needed to dilute the ink, but I'm a bit reluctant to crack the cart open, fearing an accident.

What should be my approach to remove the ink and place it into a PET bottle?

 

[Joe Soap]

@ Guilherme Maranhao, Mixing inks to get 6 neutral blacks is never going to be easy, and if you achieve you goal and then print using these 6 separate blacks colours, the results can defy logic by producing tonal colours.

You may be better off using the Pro 10 with all of it’s colours to get a good neutral black with no colour swing.

 

[berttheghost]

@ Guilherme Maranhao, Mixing inks to get 6 neutral blacks is never going to be easy, and if you achieve you goal and then print using these 6 separate blacks colours, the results can defy logic by producing tonal colours.

You may be better off using the Pro 10 with all of it’s colours to get a good neutral black with no colour swing.

Well, we shouldn't be so arrogant as to dismiss the OP as less than completely capable. I might assume instead that he has investigated this topic in some detail already. If otherwise, well it's a learning experience.

If these are anything like the ones I know how to drain, it's done with a syringe and a specialized adapter that seals into the cart's drain fitting and holds the drain valve open while the syringe draws out the ink. (you don't have to open up the cart, just hold the drain valve open.)

There are youtube videos dealing with how to handle these drain valves. Check out Jose Rodriguez' youtube channel.

 

[Guilherme Maranhao]

It is a learning experience for sure.
My Pro-10 serves me well.

But a printer I know was going to dump the 4900 because its MK/PK channel was dead.

I decided to take a chance and open the case of the T511, this model is so old, you can do it without a tool.
Then with a knife I removed a plastic sheet covering the ink bag and dettached the bag from the cart enclosure.

With the bag in hand and cut the corner and turned it into a bottle. It kind of worked.
This ink is much similar to carbon, so it is a warm tone.