Some success, but still have leakage from sponge (CLI-221). Why?
- Thread starter joseph1949
- Start date
l_d_allan
Fan of Printing
I'm fuzzy on the purpose of the three part Canon foam in CLI-8 carts and other Canon carts. My speculation ... based on info from this excellent thread ...
* Cigarette filter at bottom in the outlet port is to filter out anything that could clog the print-head. It would perhaps also be a buffer against pressure spikes.
* Middle sponge above cigarette filter is to wick in ink and some filtering. It is expected to get saturated with ink. It would also prevent sloshing while the print-head is banging around from side to side, if that is an issue.
* Upper foam resists having ink in it, and stays mostly air filled, as a semi-dry sponge. It serves to equalize air pressure within the cartridge interior and the outside environment, due to weather and temperature changes. This upper sponge helps to reduce/prevent ink starvation to the heads in low pressure situations, and dripping during relatively high pressure situations. If the pressure within the cartridge was higher than appropriate, the pressure to the nozzle and/or print-head is excessive, and the heated bubble is non-optimal? The upper sponge "coordinates" with the serpentine labyrinth, very small vent holes, and two or three "pressure chamber/hemispheres" along the top of the cart.
Or not?
With cold weather gear, there are layers that "love water" and "hate water". Together they wick away sweat to help keep you drier and warmer. Perhaps the upper foam "hates ink" and the lower foam/sponge "loves ink" ?
Or not?
* Cigarette filter at bottom in the outlet port is to filter out anything that could clog the print-head. It would perhaps also be a buffer against pressure spikes.
* Middle sponge above cigarette filter is to wick in ink and some filtering. It is expected to get saturated with ink. It would also prevent sloshing while the print-head is banging around from side to side, if that is an issue.
* Upper foam resists having ink in it, and stays mostly air filled, as a semi-dry sponge. It serves to equalize air pressure within the cartridge interior and the outside environment, due to weather and temperature changes. This upper sponge helps to reduce/prevent ink starvation to the heads in low pressure situations, and dripping during relatively high pressure situations. If the pressure within the cartridge was higher than appropriate, the pressure to the nozzle and/or print-head is excessive, and the heated bubble is non-optimal? The upper sponge "coordinates" with the serpentine labyrinth, very small vent holes, and two or three "pressure chamber/hemispheres" along the top of the cart.
Or not?
With cold weather gear, there are layers that "love water" and "hate water". Together they wick away sweat to help keep you drier and warmer. Perhaps the upper foam "hates ink" and the lower foam/sponge "loves ink" ?
Or not?
- Thread starter
- #23
joseph1949
Getting Fingers Dirty
To: all
I would like to thank everybody for their replies.
Here are my thoughts.
I think it is better to NOT fill the ink tank past the 2/3 mark. I filled my last cart to the 3/4 mark. When I put the orange cap to the up position and tilted the cart at a 45 degree angle the ink from the cap ran into the tank and it just about filled or did fill the tank. With a full tank there is a good chance that the ink will stay in the sponge and, thus, when you take the cap off you will have some leakage.
I think I am being anal here, but better to be safe than sorry. I know some people have filled their ink tanks to the full mark with no problems. I guess in the future I can fill my tanks to the nearly full mark and see what happens, but for now I will play it safe and only fill my tanks to the 2/3 mark.
Now, I would like to give a short critique of the InkTec refill kit that I used to fill my carts.
In shortthe kit is junk.
Here is a list of problems with the kit:
1. If you use the Refill clip you cannot see what you are doing. I can tell you from experience you will put too much ink into the sponge and into the tank.
2. The instructions say to inject 2 ml of ink into the sponge. From my recent experience you should not need to put ink into the sponge. NO ink in spongeperiod.
3. The kit supplies you with a gimlet to remove the ball from the ball valve. DO NOT USE THE GIMLET. If you use the gimlet you will make a jagged hole that will be hard to seal. You should drill a hole next to ball valve. The resulting hole should NOT touch any part of the ball valve.
4. You get a plastic glove-thing to use so you will not get ink on your hands. You can use it, put you will not like it. I suggest you invest in some good disposable latex gloves. Note: be sure you are not allergic to latex!!!!! If you are careful you can reuse the gloves.
What is good about the kit:
1. I have had no problems with the ink containers and their needles. In the future, I will try to reuse the containers. I think I can refill them by gluing a hook on the base of the container and attaching a wire to the hook and by pulling on the hook I should be able to draw ink into the container. The ink will come from a 1 liter container. I need to take ink from the 1 liter container and pour a small amount of ink into a wide-month small container.
Note: I have calculated that at $32.00/liter it will cost me $2.00 to fill five carts vs. $55.00 for five carts at Costco.
2. The plugs in the kit look like they can be reused a number of times. I have had no problems with the sealing of the plugs. Now, mine you, I am super anal with the hole that I make for the plug. I make sure the hole is not too small or too big for the plug. I use tape to cover the hole. The tape gives a better seal and the tape protects the plug from the plastic. And just before I place the plug into the hole I place a small amount of petroleum jelly around the hole. The jelly gives a better seal and the jelly makes it possible to pull the plug out with less effort. This helps to keep the plug in one piece.
Sometime in the future I will take a cart that is empty of ink and has been put aside to be filled in the future and I will use the No-Ink-In-Sponge method to fill the carts ink tank. The cart will be between 2-5 months old. I have covered the openings only in the recent past days. So, one can assume that the sponge will be dried out or almost dried.
Thank you.
I would like to thank everybody for their replies.
Here are my thoughts.
I think it is better to NOT fill the ink tank past the 2/3 mark. I filled my last cart to the 3/4 mark. When I put the orange cap to the up position and tilted the cart at a 45 degree angle the ink from the cap ran into the tank and it just about filled or did fill the tank. With a full tank there is a good chance that the ink will stay in the sponge and, thus, when you take the cap off you will have some leakage.
I think I am being anal here, but better to be safe than sorry. I know some people have filled their ink tanks to the full mark with no problems. I guess in the future I can fill my tanks to the nearly full mark and see what happens, but for now I will play it safe and only fill my tanks to the 2/3 mark.
Now, I would like to give a short critique of the InkTec refill kit that I used to fill my carts.
In shortthe kit is junk.
Here is a list of problems with the kit:
1. If you use the Refill clip you cannot see what you are doing. I can tell you from experience you will put too much ink into the sponge and into the tank.
2. The instructions say to inject 2 ml of ink into the sponge. From my recent experience you should not need to put ink into the sponge. NO ink in spongeperiod.
3. The kit supplies you with a gimlet to remove the ball from the ball valve. DO NOT USE THE GIMLET. If you use the gimlet you will make a jagged hole that will be hard to seal. You should drill a hole next to ball valve. The resulting hole should NOT touch any part of the ball valve.
4. You get a plastic glove-thing to use so you will not get ink on your hands. You can use it, put you will not like it. I suggest you invest in some good disposable latex gloves. Note: be sure you are not allergic to latex!!!!! If you are careful you can reuse the gloves.
What is good about the kit:
1. I have had no problems with the ink containers and their needles. In the future, I will try to reuse the containers. I think I can refill them by gluing a hook on the base of the container and attaching a wire to the hook and by pulling on the hook I should be able to draw ink into the container. The ink will come from a 1 liter container. I need to take ink from the 1 liter container and pour a small amount of ink into a wide-month small container.
Note: I have calculated that at $32.00/liter it will cost me $2.00 to fill five carts vs. $55.00 for five carts at Costco.
2. The plugs in the kit look like they can be reused a number of times. I have had no problems with the sealing of the plugs. Now, mine you, I am super anal with the hole that I make for the plug. I make sure the hole is not too small or too big for the plug. I use tape to cover the hole. The tape gives a better seal and the tape protects the plug from the plastic. And just before I place the plug into the hole I place a small amount of petroleum jelly around the hole. The jelly gives a better seal and the jelly makes it possible to pull the plug out with less effort. This helps to keep the plug in one piece.
Sometime in the future I will take a cart that is empty of ink and has been put aside to be filled in the future and I will use the No-Ink-In-Sponge method to fill the carts ink tank. The cart will be between 2-5 months old. I have covered the openings only in the recent past days. So, one can assume that the sponge will be dried out or almost dried.
Thank you.
