suitable cleaning fluid

[fotofreek]

Alien - right. I thought I was clear that you might first use just hot water to try to clear the clog and move on to the stronger stuff incrementally. Guess I wasn't clear enough on this point.

 

[plimsol]

many thanks a.steve, have tried 50/50 ammonia and distilled water mix as reccommended by another forum member but sounds a bit strong, I think I will try your recipe next.
many thanks,
hugo

 

[Lilla]

I use a commercial solution that I bought from (http://216.219.159.185/tools.html). I was told that it was basically ink without the dye, but when it arrived, it didn't smell like ink. I then requested and received "MSDS data sheets" on the solvent. For those who aren't familiar with these sheets, they provide information on the potential health effects of exposure to chemicals and on safe working procedures when handling chemical products - see (http://www.translinknet.be/translation/msds/definition.html) for more details. The data for this product is given at (http://www.nifty-stuff.com/docs/Msds-Rinse-Solution.pdf).

A few useful definitions that can help to understand the "composition" include:
1. Ethanol is the same stuff that some people like to drink (grain alcohol). Ethanol is also a good solvent and cleaner.
2. "Surfactants" are used to lower the surface tension of a liquid - soaps are good examples. Surfactants should help to break up clogs of thickened ink in the same way that detergents break up grease stains on clothing.
3. The term "auxiliaries" can mean anything.
4. "VOC" stands for Volatile Organic Compounds. 4.8% VOC means that up to 4.8% of the solution can readily evaporate into the atmosphere if the cap is left off the container. Ethanol is an example of a VOC.
5. Aqueous solution just means that it contains water (about 92% in this case).

At CompuBiz (http://www.inkjetsaver.com/tools.html) they sell...
Print Head Cleaning Solution in two (poorly identified) flavors:
* $9 8 oz Bottle OCP
* $8 8 oz Bottle for Color Cartridges Color

I am trying to understand the products above as I want to order some print head cleaner from CompuBiz (or MIS).
What I have learned so far is listed below, with my questions at the end.

Below is an excerpt from the email I received from CompuBiz...

Thank you for the inquiry. OCP is actually a manufacturer of the solvent, both kinds. The formula for pigmented black and color inks is more concentrated than the one designed for dye based colors. You would probably want to have both on hand. They can be used on all of the printers you listed [Canon i960,IP3000,IP4300/considering). I hope this helps. Please let me know if you need further assistance.
Sincerely,
Eileen Kay
CompuBiz Inkjet
http://www.inkjetsaver.com

OCP Print Head Cleaning Products are listed here and are as shown below...

OCP Specialty Products
1. Rinse Solution for INSIDE rinsing (flushing) of inkjet cartridges Yellow
2. Cleaning Fluid for OUTSIDE cleaning of inkjet cartridges, especially plastic surfaces Magenta
3. Nozzle Rocket Rinse Solution with special additives unclog persistant particles inside inkjet cartridges Colourless
4. Pure Ink Water Purified water for flushing inkjet cartridges after the usage of Rinse Solution (conductivity < 1 S) Colourless
5. Rinsing Ink Ink for use in all type Epson cartridges, flushes the nozzle of built-in printheads Cyan

Guidelines for using "OCP Rinse Solution" and "OCP Nozzle Rocket" and more is available here
MSDS sheets for the above OCP products are available here


QUESTIONS:
Which CompuBiz product did Grandad buy?
Is CompuBiz product "Bottle for Color Cartridges Color" actually "OCP Rinse Solution"? or ?
Is CompuBiz product "Bottle OCP" actually "OCP Nozzle Rocket"? or ?
(this is what I'm thinking, but it doesn't seem to fit with what is stated in the e-mail from CompuBiz?)

Thank you,
Lilla

 

[fotofreek]

Lilla - no need to use any solvents to clean the inside or outside of Canon dye-based carts. Grandad's purge technique with the purge device attached to the hot water faucet of your sink works just fine. (best to do this in a utility sink as you can get a bit of splashing of ink tinged water.) The outside of the cart just needs a quick wipe with a tissue or paper towel, unless you are looking for the Good Housekeeping Award for most spotless bci-6 carts in the forum. Water, or a dilute solution of windex and alcohol works just fine for most printhead problems. I don't know about the bci-3ebk carts with pigment based inks, however. I understand that these clogs are much more difficult to clear. I would consider purchasing a solvent for the pigment ink clogs if the "home brew" doesn't work.

 

[Grandad35]

Which CompuBiz product did Grandad buy?

I don't remember seeing a "Regular" or "Color" option when I bought mine. Since I have a 16 Oz. bottle, I have to assume that it is the "Regular".

Is CompuBiz product "Bottle for Color Cartridges Color" actually "OCP Rinse Solution"? or ?
Is CompuBiz product "Bottle OCP" actually "OCP Nozzle Rocket"? or ?
(this is what I'm thinking, but it doesn't seem to fit with what is stated in the e-mail from CompuBiz?)

This link (http://www.ocp.de/ibase/download.ph...ormation/SI10+Guideline+for+Nozzle+Rocket.pdf) states that their "Rocket Nozzle" has ammonia added to their "Rinse Solution"

 

[ghwellsjr]

Which CompuBiz product did Grandad buy?

I don't remember seeing a "Regular" or "Color" option when I bought mine. Since I have a 16 Oz. bottle, I have to assume that it is the "Regular".

This link shows a color cleaning solution:

http://inkjetsaver.com/tools.html

I called them when I had this question and they said the first set of cleaning solutions that don't specify color or black are for both color and black pigment inks. The cheaper solutions that say color are not as strong and aren't as effective on pigment black but there is no problem using any of the solutions on any inks.

 

[Lilla]

Grandad35 & ghwellsjr, thanks for your feedback.

fotofreek, here's some additional information not included in my initial post...

The reasons I want to buy a commercial print head cleaning solvent is...
* my sister's i950 print head does not print cyan, it has not responded to any of the "home brew" cleaning solutions or techniques I have tried. The details are posted here: i950 wont print cyan; yet it works using purging syringe. What to do?
* my i960's print head has about 50% clogged nozzles on photo cyan; it has not responded to any of normal cleaning methods.
* my niece has a IP3000. She unplugged it and stored it without any preparation. I'm anticipating the print head (and cartridges) will need a thorough cleaning when she gets ready to use it again. It uses the pigmented black.

To all, I received a second response from CompuBiz, here it is...

We use the OCP Rinse, which is yellow. It comes to us as a concentrate. We then mix a more concentrated formula for the pigmented blacks and colors, and a slightly more diluted formula for the dye based inks.
Hope this helps.
Eileen Kay
CompuBiz Inkjet
http://www.inkjetsaver.com

 

[Lilla]

CompuBiz sells the two Print Head Cleaning Solvents discussed in the posts immediately before this one; they also sell Print Head Cleaning Kits that are specific to your printer model. Here's a copy of my e-mail exchange regarding their kit for Canon i960/i950/... printers.

QUESTION:

How many ounces of solvent is included in the kit below?

Printer Cleaning Kit (for Canon Printer i960)
http://www.inkjetsaver.com/6cp.html
BCI-6 color + BCI-6 blk Solvent All tools $26.95
Kit contains 6 empty carts for filling with solvent, cleaning solvent, tools, instructions.

ANSWER:

The Cleaning Kit for the i960 will contain 4 oz. of the Color Print Head Solvent. All of the inks for that printer are dye based.
Eileen Kay
CompuBiz Inkjet
http://www.inkjetsaver.com

 

[Lilla]

Interesting e-mail response from www.alotofthings.com; they sell four different printer cleaning solutions which might be www.formulabs.com Sensient Revive Cartridge Tonics (there are four of them).

From: support@alotofthings.com
Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2006
To: 'Lilla'
Subject: RE: Which of your Cleaning Solutions would be best for this task...

ANSWER:

If you have already put Windex through your print head then the answer is NONE will do the job at this point.

Rhonda

QUESTION:

Canon i960 printer; Photo-Cyan is 50% clogged. I removed the print head (PH); flushed PH using purging syringe with Windex (formula w Ammonia D); soaked PH for 24 hours; repeated 3 times. No change.

Thank you,
Lilla

The descriptions of the four Printer Cleaning Solutions sold by www.alotofthings.com seems to match closely with the descriptions of Sensient Revive Cartridge Tonics (there are four of them) made by www.formulabs.com. Are they the same? I'm not sure. There are a couple of discrepancies, possibly mistakes in www.alotofthings.com product descriptions?

Sensient Revive Cartridge Tonics (there are four of them) made by www.formulabs.com
========================================================
An overview and a information sheet for each tonic can be downloaded from www.formulabs.com "Product Information" page.

MSDS sheets for some formulabs products can be downloaded, but the list did not include the tonics. So I emailed the Webmaster shown on the www.formulabs.com "Contact us" page and requested MSDS sheets for Sensient Tonics #1,#2,#3,#4 and they emailed them to me.

 

[Wam7]

Is there any update on locating this stuff in the U.K. Having a bit of difficulty myself finding the individual ingredients to unclog (I suspect) my i865 printhead which persists on printing green instead of black even ater a hot water cleaning. (The green is much brighter now though!)