Replacing ball for seal after top filling 225 &226 carts

[Tudor]

I don't think we can give a definitive answer on that until we see exactly how Canon fills and plugs their cartridges. Maybe the ink is there before they fit the label on it... I have not seen yet a video with the fill process on Canon.

 

[sam21]

Am I wrong in thinking if you remove the ball and flush the cartage as in mikling video would it not be possible just to refill the cartage before refitting the ball

 

[PeterBJ]

You remove the seal to top fill the cartridge, so the cartridge can be left open until dried and refilled, if you use the top fill method. For German refill and Freedom refill methods the cartridge must of course be properly sealed before refill.

 

[mikling]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqAjlEkC0-4

this video shows a ball that is well sealed.

If you remove the ball, you might as well reseal with a plug as that will allow another purge in a very simple process the NEXT time. Even if you use the German method of refill, the purge through the ball hole allows a higher volume of water to cleanse the sponge and makes the servicing of the cartridge extrememly accessible.

For the first fill after flush, the top fill method allows a very controlled fill situation and one of my future videos will show how that is done. There is no denying that the german method allows more convenience on a refill. However, there are times when I think that the top fill is the way to go and first fill is definitely one of them. For shorter cartridges the resealing can be done by using a Zero clearance plug and aluminum tape. For CLI-8 and 42s, the reseal with the clear runner silicone plug is superior to what Canon ball provides by far. There was another thread where I explained why.

 

[fotofreek]

Actually the ball is not as precise as you might think. After cutting through thousands of labels, you begin to see that ink goes past the ball on a lot of cartridges and it i the label that is the real reliable seal.

In addition to the potential for an initial seal problem, continually removing and re-inserting the very solid ball can expand or damage the softer plastic edges of the fill hole.

Several companies, including Precision Colors, sell silicone plugs to use for sealing the fill hole after the ball is removed. Of the ones that Precision sells I like the clear ones with the "mushroom" shaped cap best.

 

[pearlhouse]

I agree with Mike. I have seen this with every Canon CLI-42 cart so far when I removed the ball. I thought "how is this sealed" and as Mike stated it's the label that's doing the sealing.

Like I said earlier when I put the ball back in it clicked in place like it went into a socket. I filled the cart first put the ball in and then turned it over with the exit port uncovered facing upward. It sat there for at least 2 hours and now I have it turned over again for the last 8 hours; It does not leak..... All I can do is cover it with alum tape like it has been suggested. It seems to me if this was just a hole filler it would be filled with a plug not a ball. But you guys have more experience with this than I do. So I will put the plugs back in after flushing and seal with a pc of alum tape and be happy. Don't Worry be xxxxx!

 

[PeterBJ]

Zero clearance plugs plus aluminium tape is also what I use and recommend for the PGI-x20/Cli-x21 and PGI-x25/CLI-x26 cartridges. I also use and recommend top filling for these cartridges, as I suspect the sponges in these cartridges to be more fragile and more easily damaged by a needle than the sponges in the older transparent cartridges, for which the German method works very well.

A wooden toothpick/cocktail stick is a handy tool for inserting and removing the zero clearance plugs, as they have a small centre hole. Take care not to pierce the plug. Here is the "tool":

 

[pearlhouse]

Zero clearance plugs plus aluminium tape is also what I use and recommend for the PGI-x20/Cli-x21 and PGI-x25/CLI-x26 cartridges. I also use and recommend top filling for these cartridges, as I suspect the sponges in these cartridges to be more fragile and more easily damaged by a needle than the sponges in the older transparent cartridges, for which the German method works very well.

A wooden toothpick/cocktail stick is a handy tool for inserting and removing the zero clearance plugs, as they have a small centre hole. Take care not to pierce the plug. Here is the "tool":

Hey thats a very good picture of how to do it. I forgot, I just bought some of those plugs and they are sitting on my desk right now. duh forget a lot of things these days. Actuallly I bought them because I wanted to see them and thought maybe I might try top filling a set of carts.
Ive been flushing a set of carts also and am having trouble deciding if they are dry enough to use. I used the paper towel method folded up and then rubber banded the towel to the port along with a screw underneath the band to apply pressure to he whole set. Two days later I removed the paper towels as they had dried out completely. Just for kicks I applied a syringe to the ball hole and blocked the vent and the port with my fingers and applied the syringe. Guess what I got droplets of water out of the german refill hole. After about 10 tries on the first cart I was still getting droplets out of the hole. I tried the other carts and got the same thing. They all appear to be dry at the port hole, lightly pressing a corner of a towel against the outlet sponge I get nothing. so now I have them standing on the end with the german hole on a paper towel but nothing is coming out. So how do I know when these carts are really dry enough to refill. ????

 

[The Hat]

When the sponge doesn’t take up the ink properly, if your sponge is to dry that’s exactly what happens..

 

[pearlhouse]

When the sponge doesn’t take up the ink properly, if your sponge is to dry that’s exactly what happens..

I guess I dont understand your reply. Im trying to determine if I have removed enough of the water from the carts after flushing them so I can refill them.???