German refillers: do you use sharp or blunt needle?

[The Hat]

barfl2 is right on if your entry hole is left or right of centre, say where the > is
then the needle doesnt have to pass through or over the outlet sponge but goes around it..

 

[stratman]

On the bottom of the side of the cartridge you will see ">PP<", without the quotation marks. I make the Durchstich hole somewhere where the two "P" characters are. The slight indentation of a "P" into the plastic of the cartridge helps as a stabilizer for making the hole. It works perfectly and no need to measure.

 

[ThrillaMozilla]

barfl2 is right on if your entry hole is left or right of centre, say where the > is
then the needle doesnt have to pass through or over the outlet sponge but goes around it..

?? It looks to me like the filter occupies most of the width of the cartridge. Are you sure you can go around it?

I make the Durchstich hole somewhere where the two "P" characters are.

?? Can you describe the position? Some of us have different cartridges (e.g., HP cartridges) that are almost identical except for the "drill here" marks. Thanks.

 

[stratman]

I make the Durchstich hole somewhere where the two "P" characters are.

?? Can you describe the position? Some of us have different cartridges (e.g., HP cartridges) that are almost identical except for the "drill here" marks. Thanks.

I have no experience with HP cartridges and don't know how to advise you.

My post was directed at those using CLI-8 and PGI-5 cartridges, the cartridges of topic. I pulled a random CLI-8 cartridge and measured from the external bottom of the cartridge to the placement of the hole => ~4 mm. The hole is made essentially in the circle formed in the one of letter's "P". FYI, the height of the plastic in the base of the cartridge is 1 mm, so the hole is ~3 mm above this base.

 

[ghwellsjr]

In that case, I put the hole 1 mm above the bottom. You can kind of see how thick the plastic base of the cartridge is. Just go above that. I wouldn't recommend drilling, just poke a hole with an ice pick or awl. It doesn't even need to be especially sharp.

 

[emerald]

ThrillaMozilla: Post #13

"It looks to me like the filter occupies most of the width of the cartridge. Are you sure you can go around it?"

I had the same question with regards to the Canon OEM cartridges. I've attempted "going around" the filter by making a hole at the ">". You can insert the needle past either side of the filter but then the needle butts up against the lip of the wall separating the sponge side from the reservoir side. A straight needle can be maneuvered up and down but not left and right. Perhaps it could be done with a slightly bent needle. To avoid disturbing the output filter and it's contact with the lower sponge, I make a hole higher up on the cartridge at the junction of the two sponges. I use a #22 gauge, 2" blunt needle and guide the needle at an angle towards the passage into the reservoir. It's simpler than it seems. If the needle misses the hole, merely withdraw a fraction of an inch and redirect to another direction. After the path has been established, it's easy to find the hole on subsequent attempts.