Raising an Epson 2100 from suspended animation....

[Bill Hirst]

I want to resurrect an Epson Stylus 2100 that has been unused for 6+yrs (only ~20 A4 prints through it since new). I plan to just try it out and hope I can clear any blocked nozzles with a cleaning cycle -but then maybe wait a day for crud to soften and come clean before the next cycle? Any advice greatly appreciated.

 

[stratman]

While waiting for someone knowledgeable about Epsons, my advice is do NOT use the old ink as it may create more problems with sludging from desiccated ink and/or fungus. Also, ink may not flow properly through the old cartridges. Buy new cartridges, or, if you refill, flush the cartridges thoroughly before refilling.

If this were a Canon print head I would flush and soak before trying. Not sure what the procedure would be for Epson.

Good luck.

 

[Bill Hirst]

Thanks, I wondered about that. I do have some factory sealed replacement Epson cartridges; though they are old they are still vacuum packed. I will see what other suggestions there are but hold off any immediate experiments!

 

[Bill Hirst]

While waiting for someone knowledgeable about Epsons, my advice is do NOT use the old ink as it may create more problems with sludging from desiccated ink and/or fungus. Also, ink may not flow properly through the old cartridges. Buy new cartridges, or, if you refill, flush the cartridges thoroughly before refilling.

If this were a Canon print head I would flush and soak before trying. Not sure what the procedure would be for Epson.

Good luck.

Thank you stratman, in absence of any advice specific to my Epson2100 I will plan on fitting a completely new set of inks before attempting a test run. If this all works then I can subsequently weigh the risks of re-using the earlier cartridges (one at a time) once I run out of inks. I presume it is good practice to tape over the opened port on the removed nearly full cartridges to minimise solvent loss - should I look for something more like a rubber plug to insert? Or perhaps use PVC electrical tape or layout tap over the hole? Advice gratefully received. Bill

 

[stratman]

Bill, I do not know Epsons but a reasonable solution as you've mentioned (eg tape) to make the ink exit port air tight seems OK without further knowledge. Maybe whatever is used to cover the new Epson cartridge port can be re-used with the old cartridge similar to the orange clips used with new Canon cartridges to seal the ink exit port.

Again, though, I would not recommend using the very old and unknown quality inks. Use at your printer's peril.