Problem refilling PGI-5Bk

[pharmacist]

When using the german method you have to the ink outlet right up and injecting the ink very slowly and have the ink level in the cartridge to be kept horizontally (cartridge to be kept in a 45 degrees angle, keep the ink level horizontally until the ink compartment is completely full: it might be necessary to change the angle during refilling). I never had problem with ink coming out of the outlet. When you inject the ink into the cartridge with the ink outlet facing down, you will have this problem. So I'm not sure what you guys are doing wrong, but I already refilled several cartridges this manner without a single drop of ink on my hands.

 

[Beetlenut]

I LOVE the German filling method! Very clean & quick!

I also, like Tin Ho, have a cart that is very frustrating to fill due to leaking ink out the fill hole while injecting in the ink. This is only because it was my FIRST cart that I started with when using the German method & I made the fill hole a tiny bit too big with a drill bit. The ink, in this cart, also comes out the vent hole as well...This is the only one I have a problem with. The other 11-OEM carts I refill this way have NO issues, (air & ink pushing out), or leaks.

You need to make your fill hole just big enough to fit the size needle you're using. A tight fit is important, that's why I just use a sturdy push-pin type tack instead of a drill bit...Works very well IMO.

 

[Bertliza]

I have an iX4000 and I use the German refilling method. I always fill at an angle and my color cartridge refilling is very clean. However, black cartridge refilling is messy. I use dye black instead of pigment black. After refilling my black cartridge, I wait for a few seconds to give the air trapped inside to escape and then turn the cartridge so that ink outlet faces down. Black ink leaks out for a few seconds and stops. Is it because I inject about 11 ml of black ink on the average compared to about 5ml of colored ink that I still need more time for trapped air to escape? Or is the sponge construction of the PGI-5Black different compared to the CLI-8 that when dye ink is used, problems like this occur?

 

[Tin Ho]

The dye based black ink probably has a much lower viscosity. That's why it leaks. If you print black text documents you should refill with true pigmented black ink. The quality of text printed with dye black ink is no match to pigmented ink.

 

[pharmacist]

I refilled a lot of BCI-3eBk and PGI-5Bk cartridges with the German durchstich method and never experience any refill problems. The only problem would be that the sponge won't absorb as much ink as it should be, but this can be attributed to dried ink, but I can revive them with my special solution. I use KMP pure pigment ink and this ink is really superb and produces deep black and very sharp text without any bleeding, even on cheap 80 gsm printer paper. After drying the text can be handled with a highlighter pen without any noticable bleeding. A refilled PGI-5Bk will have a weight of about 44-46 grams.

 

[blue4ever]

I use the promax plug valve. I got them for refilling Epson's but they gave me an information sheet on using them for BCI 5 CLI 8 cartridges. Really quick and clean. Also the valve stays in position for the rest of the cartridges life so refilling after that requires no more than a syringe. It is brill.