Syringes for refilling. What do you use / do?

[fotofreek]

Alotofthings has 12 cc syringes (or were they 10?) with needles for about $1 apiece. If the tips are sharp follow grandad's advice. I just used a whetstone that I use for sharpening knives, chisels, plane blades, etc. i like using a separate syringe per color as I refill a whole set of carts and then wash out all the syringes at once. Gradad uses one and washes it out between refilling each color. Whatever you are comfortable with. If you want to absorb some of the cost of the shipping with additional items in the purchase you can order their refill inks. They are Sensient Formulab inks which I have not used yet but see excellent reports on from users of this ink from Alotofthings.

 

[Jonas]

Just grind down the sharp tip.

But, as I mentioned, the pharmacy won't sell me sharp syringes; they said you need a prescription for them in this state. I was hoping that if I could find "dull syringes" there would be no such restriction.

I've looked at refill kits at a couple of sites online -- none of them actually listed what the kits contained, but my impression was they contain only one syringe, even in a kit with five different inks. Seems like they ought to include one syringe for each color, considering that the kits are more expensive than just buying ink and a few screws or plugs.

What's your opinion of buying a refill kit, versus trying to assemble one myself by getting ahold of syringes somehow? (The instructions and other components seem easy to obtain; it's just the syringes that have me scratching my head.)

 

[Jonas]

Alotofthings has 12 cc syringes (or were they 10?) with needles for about $1 apiece....If you want to absorb some of the cost of the shipping with additional items in the purchase you can order their... Formulab inks which I have not used yet but see excellent reports on from users of this ink from Alotofthings.

I guess maybe this belongs in another thread, but I was thinking of going with InkTec inks. A comparitive review of longevity (ink fading) at:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1003&message=12198835
seems to indicate that next to Canon, the InkTec inks are the most permanent; the Formulabs (Alotofthings) magenta seems to have faded worst of all the third-party inks tested.

However...

The InkTec refill kits ($10 per color) seem very strange; the instructions (a PDF file) are linked from:
http://www.inkjetcartridge.com/bki8050b.html

The actual instructions are at:
http://inktec.us/instructions/BKI-6031C-eng.pdf

They give you a special clip to hold the cartridge, and then tell you to inject ink directly into the sponge which I haven't heard anyone else suggest; and then to cut out the ball that caps the reservoir and inject ink there too. What do people here think of that method? Has anyone tried their kit?

 

[Grandad35]

Here is a source for syringes that also sells blunt needles that are 3.5" long (http://216.219.159.185/tools.html#anchor26067). They also sell "clips" (http://216.219.159.185/tools.html#anchor11607).

Do a search for refill techniques and you will find that quite a few things have been tried, including injecting ink into the sponge. See post #54 in (http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=28&p=6) for details.

 

[Jonas]

....quite a few things have been tried, including injecting ink into the sponge. See post #54 in (http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=28&p=6) for details.

Amazing description of your slinging technique! You could try applying for a job in the ancient Roman army... I believe they employed slingers...

My concern was that the InkTec technique of sticking a needle right up into the sponge (through the outlet hole? I couldn't quite follow their instructions) would damage the "filter" you were talking about -- basically punch a hole in it where there isn't supposed to be a hole. Or maybe that's not what they mean, since they talk about sticking a plug in it afterwards. If anybody here has any experience with their refill kit, or opinion about the method shown in their PDF file, I'd love to hear it.

 

[Grandad35]

Jonas,

Refilling through the sponge is easy, but you need a SHARP needle. A blunt needle won't penetrate the sponge and will just push it down. Don't worry too much about the filter - it's similar to a cigartette filter and "self-heals" if you accidentally make a small puncture in it (see post #44 in http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=28&p=5). After playing with this technique a couple of times, I came to the conclusion that it doesn't add anything unless the sponge is very dry - just refill in the conventional manner. There is no need to plug the extra hole, as it just acts like an extra vent hole. You DO have to be careful not to get foreign material into the hole, however.

 

[sophia]

We use syringes for refilling. We have various types (even 6-inch long once used by veterinarians...ideal for the big HP15 and 45 cartridges). Good thing we can buy syringes here over-the-counter. So we use different syringes per ink type and per color. Would everyone agree that the best syringe type to use for each ink cartridge is the one that is long enough to reach the the bottom of the foam (gradually pulling the needle up while injecting slowly) for even ink distribution? I find the Terumo brand syringes very durable. So far we have not experienced leaks using them. But sometimes it's really difficult to control the pressure when injecting ink. Any tips for maintaining an even injecting pressure? Thanks

 

[tc17]

....quite a few things have been tried, including injecting ink into the sponge. See post #54 in (http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=28&p=6) for details.

Amazing description of your slinging technique! You could try applying for a job in the ancient Roman army... I believe they employed slingers...

My concern was that the InkTec technique of sticking a needle right up into the sponge (through the outlet hole? I couldn't quite follow their instructions) would damage the "filter" you were talking about -- basically punch a hole in it where there isn't supposed to be a hole. Or maybe that's not what they mean, since they talk about sticking a plug in it afterwards. If anybody here has any experience with their refill kit, or opinion about the method shown in their PDF file, I'd love to hear it.

I could easily be wrong, but when I watched the video for filling the Inktec cartridges, it almost looks like they aren't actually sticking the needle into the sponge, but into the bottom of the cartridge and letting it drain into the sponge. But then again I'm probably wrong.

http://inktec.us/movie/bki-6031C-300-eng.wmv

I ordered this kit myself today, so I guess I'll find out soon enough. I currently have the bulk ink kit from alotofthings.com, but am so sick and tired of the hassle I go through to refill them using alotofthings.com method. For my previous 6 color printer, I had to get out 18 pieces of electrical tape for the holes, and put on and take off the tape in the right order, or get ink spilled out. Then it all takes hours to finish. Its just a huge pain.

Right now I have a 4 color printer (well 5 colors if you count the extra black). But this is also another reason why I went with a printer which has less colors. Canon IP4000. I like what I see for how Inktec refills their cartridges... if it works like they say anyways.

 

[fotofreek]

Read Neil Slade's technique on refilling. He simple blocks the outlet with his finger, removes the plug, injects the ink, and replaces the plug. I do this (with rubber gloves on) and it is slightly messy but very fast. I haven't been able to get a complete seal with the electrical tape on the outlet and that is sometimes a bigger mess! I have also rubberbanded the original outlet seals onto OEM cart and replaced the snap on seals onto the MIS carts, but you still have to remove them to permit any possible dripping before using or storing them.

 

[tc17]

Read Neil Slade's technique on refilling. He simple blocks the outlet with his finger, removes the plug, injects the ink, and replaces the plug. I do this (with rubber gloves on) and it is slightly messy but very fast. I haven't been able to get a complete seal with the electrical tape on the outlet and that is sometimes a bigger mess! I have also rubberbanded the original outlet seals onto OEM cart and replaced the snap on seals onto the MIS carts, but you still have to remove them to permit any possible dripping before using or storing them.

The electrical tape was the only thing that worked for me. I have the stretchy type of electrical type, and if I pull/stretch it tight enough then it seals good. Its just a pain having to cut off so many strips of tape.

One problem with the Forumulabs ink from alotofthings is that he doesn't really have any good way in my opinion for sealing holes. I prefer a larger rubber plug like what comes with the Inktec ink. I just tried refilling with the inktec ink I received, and it went ok I guess, but I had trouble with one cartridge and leaking problems, I think because I made the hole too big when I pulled out the ball on top of the cartridge.

The Inktec ink also says you should get about 3 refills out of each color, however from my empty cartridges, the most I'll get is 2 refills out of each color. Which may cause me not to buy their ink again due to cost.

Not sure what I'll do, as its still a hassle refilling cartidges. Although the Inktec method is a little better than alotofthings method. Also the container the cartridge sits in, has a seperate chamber in the bottom, which tilts towards the cartridge opening so the ink soaks into the hole, and you don't need to stick the needle into the cartridge foam itself.