Should I clean empty CLI 521 cartridges ?

[galore]

I am waiting for my MG8150 printer to arrive from abroad and trying to buy all necessary materials to start refilling. As you may know this will be my first time refilling so am quite confused until I try it out. I have ordered 2 sets of CLI 521 from ebay to use instead of the original CLI 526. I will probably be using the German method to refill.

1) Should I clean the 521 cartridges when they arrive ? I do not know how long they have been out of a printer and in what kind of state they are. They do not seem to have been refilled from the pictures I have seen as the top sticker is complete and original chip seems to be attached.

2) How do I go with cleaning them ? Can they be cleaned without opening a hole on the top ?

3) Do I have to seal the hole I make to refill ( german method) ? How do I seal it ? Do I have to purchase a glue gun ?

4) Is it still advisable to weigh the cartridges if I use Cli 521 (with window) ?

4) Can I have a mixture of original 526 and 521 cartridges in the MG8150 ?

Thanks

 

[Tin Ho]

On your question #2 this is what I do. I use my syringe to drop a few cc's of ink into the large outlet and see if the sponge absorbs the ink quickly without sign of clogging. I then blow into the vent to blow out whatever I can out of the outlet. This is sort of my way of purging the cartridge with ink. I know the ink costs some money. But this has really worked very well for me. If the cartridge is problematic you will detect it by doing this.

 

[The Hat]

galore

1) Should I clean the 521 cartridges when they arrive ? I do not know how long they have been out of a printer and in what kind of state they are.

If you think you need to then clean them out I wouldnt if it were me especially if they come with the orange clip in on the bottom.

2) How do I go with cleaning them ? Can they be cleaned without opening a hole on the top ?

If you want to clean them, drilling a hole makes the job a lot easier and quicker.
But the drilled hole will have to be sealed later with some strong adhesive like Hot wax or Araldite.

3) Do I have to seal the hole I make to refill ( german method) ? How do I seal it ? Do I have to purchase a glue gun ?

Some say yes and some say no, so go with the no side and if your cartridge leaks slightly later then put a bit of tape over the hole.

4) Is it still advisable to weigh the cartridges if I use Cli 521 (with window) ?

There really is no need to weight the 521s because you can see the amount of ink that you put into the cartridge and that is usually sufficient.

4) Can I have a mixture of original 526 and 521 cartridges in the MG8150 ?

There will be no problem mixing both the 521/526 cartridges at all as long as they have the correct chips on them (all 526 chips only).

Change the chips one by one when you come to use the 521 cartridge the first time that way you wont mix them up
and I also would suggest you reset the chip before you refill your cartridge too..

 

[stratman]

More suggestions oh cartridge purging methods here .