What is best way to store liter of ink for an extended period of time?

[ghwellsjr]

I have had problems with the sheath "gluing' itself to the needle after several weeks so that when I go to remove it, the needle comes out of the plastic housing. So now, when I go to remove the sheath, I grab the shaft of the needle.

 

[joseph1949]

To: All

Thank you for your replies.

Today I have received my three (3)--one liter bottles of ink. Here is some information that one can read on the bottles:

Magenta: use before 2013.03.28
Yellow: use before 2013.08.31
Cyan: use before 2013.09.24

InkTec tells you to store the ink between 15 C and 35 C (59 F and 95 F). Based on these temperatures putting the ink in the refrigerator may not be a good idea.

The following is how I will store the ink:

1. I will for the time being store the ink in my walk-in closet. In the near future I may store the ink in my refrigerator (40F). If I do this I will remove the 2 oz. squeeze bottle (with 1 oz. of ink) and wait for the ink to reach room temperature. After the ink reaches room temperature I will inject the cart with the ink. I could place the one liter bottles in the refrigerator and store the 2 oz. squeeze bottles in my closet. This would eliminate the need to wait for the squeeze bottles to reach room temperature. I believe the 59F temperature is telling me that the ink should be at this temperature (or higher) for best printing results.

2. Once per week I will turn the ink end-over-end for 30 seconds to make sure the ink is well mixed. I will do this for the one liter bottles and the 2 oz. squeeze bottles (less time for the 2 oz. bottles and take care not have ink leak from the needles).

3. After I have injected the carts I will remove the needle from the squeeze bottle and flush out the needle with water.

4. After I have exhausted the 1 oz. ink in the squeeze bottle I will wash out the bottle with tap water and rinse with distilled water. After the rinse I will turn the bottle over and let the water drain out. I could place the needle on the bottle with the distilled water in the bottle and give the bottle a squeeze to rinse out the needle (needle already cleaned with tap water) and the bottle.

Question: Is there anything else I can do to keep the ink so it will last the longest so to have optimal printing results.

Thank you.

 

[irvweiner]

Lynn, I have previously used 10,20,60 ml syringes over the last decade+, they are infinitely less convenient than squeeze bottles, the stiction factor alone is a PIA. NOT recommended. 2 or 4 oz squeeze bottles AOK!

As Stratman states, "there is no definitive right way"--but there are many wrong ways. Let's face it, Pro printers know how much ink they drink in a week or a month. They can easily decide how often to refresh their supplies, whether it's OEM or 3rd party. Hobbyist's like you and I print sporadically using the best available 3rd party inks--for a typical $10-12 layout per bottle (OCP our choice) we get 16 oz!! The other 2-3 competitors sell 4 to 8 oz bottles for the same $--big deal, who cares. The cost of print paper to exhaust this store of ink greatly overwhelms the ink $. Don't sweat it.

George, to prevent the 'gluing' I previously described lubricating the needle shaft with a minute quantity silicone oil/grease. Don't hesitate to change that to glycerin/glycerol, a material presently contained in the inks. In use for the past year--no gluing, sticking or loose needles.

Decades ago when traveling thru Switzerland I recall buying containers of milk that actually were small flexible plastic bags. One 'squozed' the bag to drink the milk. More recently, I rediscovered this type of bag in the Operating Room, the IV drip bag! And now I offer the challenge to those inclined--track down this bag, see if it has a 'leur' connector to which we can attach our needles and check valves and thereby refill our carts. Advantage: 1 ink load cycle, little or no exposure to the environment, if knocked over-no spills!
To those still laughing--this describes the membrane bag used in the 3800/3880. The cart interior is pressurized squeezing the membrane bag and ink out--the ink is never touched by the pressurized air.
Challenge #2 ?????

irv weiner

 

[l_d_allan]

Lynn, I have previously used 10,20,60 ml syringes over the last decade+, they are infinitely less convenient than squeeze bottles, the stiction factor alone is a PIA. NOT recommended. 2 or 4 oz squeeze bottles AOK!

I haven't used the squeeze bottles, so am unable to compare with syringes.

I noticed when I was purging with the recently acquired 60ml syringe that there was a LOT of stiction on push-pull.

But with ink, the plunger within the syringe barrel moved ok and much smoother during cart refilling. I think there was a lubricating quality to the ink. I was able to "finess" the ink into the cart reservoir with reasonable control ... somewhat fast at first, then slower as the reservoir filled.

I did make up some "cleaning cartridges" with a mixture of Windex + alcohol + distilled water. There was much more stiction when filling the cleaning carts. I also used this mixture in a syringe to test if the printer's purging unit was working. Somewhat difficult to work with, as the stiction resulted in "all or nothing" spurts.

My reluctance about the squeeze bottles includes
* yet something else to acquire and keep track of
* transfer to the squeeze bottle can be messy
* air contact within the squeeze bottle
* you describe a valve to prevent draw-back, which I am unenthusiastic about (but would appreciate a link or picture to comprehend better)

Something I'm pondering ... with the plastic ball removed from the CLI-8 inlet port, I wonder if a needle is needed, or if a needle is not needed (say that three times quickly ... <g>). I suspect a larger version of R-Jet Tek's #1944 inflator bottle would suffice to get the ink into the reservoir.

 

[Redbrickman]

l_d_allan

I have bought two new printers recently and have probably had the the 90000 Mk2 for the same time you have had yours. I am a newbie at refilling but I use the squeeze bottles and as far as IAm concerned the are real easy to use.

You only have to fill them once and then uses them. Or in my case the ink came in the squeeze bottles so nothing to do but screw on the cap complete with blunt needle.

One advantage is the there is no cleaning of syringes required.

THis link shows a comparison between the two methods

http://www.octoink.co.uk/pages/SquEasyFill.html

Have fun

 

[irvweiner]

Lynn, different strokes for different folks!! Within 6 mos. you'll be doing something else, within a year another something else. After a year or so, like ,myself and the others, you will have settled into your final routine--most important--enjoy the trip and print great pix!

Personally, I prefer dehydrated ink. A bottle of ink pills, a jug of fluid, an ultrasonic stirrer and you'r good to go.

happy days irv weiner

 

[l_d_allan]

Redbrickman,
Thanks for the input. At some point I'll probably try a squeeze bottle, and then no doubt realize the error of my ways.

But before that, I anticipate investigating a needle-free refill method through the inlet port. I think common bottles I already have may be worth trying.

 

[l_d_allan]

Lynn, different strokes for different folks!! Within 6 mos. you'll be doing something else, within a year another something else. After a year or so, like ,myself and the others, you will have settled into your final routine--most important--enjoy the trip and print great pix!

Agree!

Personally, I prefer dehydrated ink. A bottle of ink pills, a jug of fluid, an ultrasonic stirrer and you'r good to go.

You've mentioned dehydrated ink several times, but I think in jest. Do these actually exist?

[OT]I'm still trying to understand the refilling techique you semi-described with a needle piercing an R-Jet Tek #1916 plug. I did get a .pdf file from R-Jet Tek illustrating their recommended procedure . If you have the time/interest, is this how you refill CLI-8 carts? I notice they have a #1813 cap on the outlet port opening.

Duh ... the .pdf document is pretty much the same as what was sent with their CLI-8 starter kit.