Looking for a squeeze bottle to use with the Top-Fill method?

[joseph1949]

To: all

I am looking for a squeeze bottle that will work with the Top-Fill method when I fill my CLI-221/220 carts.

Here is a site that has a bottle that might work:

http://www.sks-science.com/plastic-laboratory-bottles-p-968.html

The tip should be small enough to fit a fill hole that is 5/32 inch in diameter. You say why dont you use a bottle with a straight tip? And I will say that I am not that brave. If you have a loose cap you could spill enough ink that you would spend a week cleaning up the mess (and you too). Also, I think that with the bottle in the upside-down position you would not have as much control as compared with a bottle that has a gooseneck (?) tip and can be used in the up position. In shortyou would have more control with the gooseneck (?) bottle.

Question: Has anybody used a gooseneck bottle or a straight tip bottle in filling a cart by the Top-Fill method? Also, what size bottle should I get (i.e. --60 ml, 150 ml, 250 ml, 500 ml, or ?)?

Note: At no time is a needle used in the filling of the cart.

Thank you.

 

[fotofreek]

These lab wash bottles may present a problem in that the tip of the bottle will virtually cover the fill hole and prevent air from escaping as you inject ink. There are two sources of squeeze bottle that we know work well. They have a leurlock receptical in the top into which you can "screw in" a leurlock hypodermic syringe needle. One source is from a valued participant of this forum. His web site is http://www.octoink.co.uk/

I bought my squeeze bottles from Howard Electronics before Octoink was in business. Their web site page with the squeeze bottles is http://www.howardelectronics.com/kahnetics/squeezebottles.html . If you order the Howard bottles you can request different needles instead of the 1/2 inch ones they sell with the bottles. I telephoned them before ordering and they were very accomodating with longer needles at no additional charge. I also asked them to include a needle cap for each one and they did that at no charge also. The only thing I watch carefully with them is that the leurlock caps are a fairly soft plastic and I check to be sure that the needle hubs are secure in the cap before turning them upside down to refill a cart. You can also overtighten them and the needle might come loose. I've used them for several years without a single problem. I still use them over a plastic tub or sink --- just in case!

 

[joseph1949]

To: fotofreek

Thank you for the reply.

I took a look at the Howard Electronic Instruments, Inc. site.

What size bottle should I get--1 oz., 2 oz., 4 oz.? I will not be injecting more than 5 ml of ink into the carts (CLI-221/220). I am thinking a 1 oz. bottle should be big enough.

Since I will be doing the Top-Fill method do I need a needle that is longer than a half inch? I could ask for longer needles at the sometime if in the future I will be doing the German method.

Would 2 inch long needles be O.K. for the German method?

The site had two brands of bottlesJensen Global and Kahnetics. Which brand should I get?

What gauge needle should I use18, 22, 25?

Overall, what is the better way to put ink into a cartusing a needle/syringe or the squeeze bottle method?

Thank you.

 

[The Hat]

joseph1949

I use websnails 100 ml. bottle with an 18g. Needle and couldnt be happier with them.
Refilling is so much easier (top fill), no more accidental spills or even gloves needed now.
I filled these bottles with a 75ml. of ink in each using a funnel over a sink rinsing the funnel after each colour 16 bottles in all.
Its cleaner and quicker than syringes and above all safer, my advice is go for it dont wait for another spill..

 

[l_d_allan]

syringes and above all safer

Safer in the sense of "less chance of sticking yourself" or in the sense of "less spilling"? Or both?

Do you use blunt syringe needles?

I haven't stuck myself ... yet ... but it seems like it is just a matter of time before I do. Ouch.

 

[The Hat]

l_d_allan

All the needles supplied on this side of the pond are blunt and quite safe.
The reference to safe was in splashes and spills and not intravenously..

 

[fotofreek]

As a dentist I've had access to medical syringe needles, so all of mine were sharp. One minor needle stick convinced me to flatten the end of all my needles on a carberundem stone! I wouldn't use a 1/2 inch needle for top filling. As ink is injected air is escaping from the fill hole. With a short needle you sometimes get the air/ink mixing at the fill hole to produce bubbles which come out of the fill hole and mess up the top of the cart. All easily cleaned off, but easier to avoid with a longer needle. Very large guage needles tend to drip when turning the squeeze bottle upside down. Thinner needles don't drip but require more pressure to expel ink, and this may risk dislodging the needle hub from the leurlock cap. It has never happened to me, but I always check to be sure the hub is secure before turning the bottle upside down and applying pressure! The size of bottle depends on how much you print and how much ink you will use in a reasonable period of time. I don't want ink sitting in these bottles for two years or more, which is the expected shelf life of most of these inks. I use 2 oz bottles. I think that Howards may be phasing out one of the brands of their bottles. I don't expect that there is any functional difference between them, but a phone call will clarify that issue.

Syringes vs. Squeeze bottles? No question that syringes are a nuisance compared to the squeeze bottles. :The steps involved with syringes are 1) open ink container 2)be sure it is in a safe place that will not tip over 3)pick up syringe and draw ink into the syringe 4) open fill hole and block ink exit port 5)inject ink 6)draw more ink into syringe if more is necessary 7)reinject 8)seal fill hole 9)wash syringe and needle. With the squeeze bottles, after opening the fill hole and blocking the ink exit port, you just take off the cap from the needle and inject as much ink as you need, after which you upright the squeeze bottle, express any ink in the needle into a paper towel by squeezing the bottle a few times till no more ink comes out of the needle, put the cap on and you are done. I can't answer any questions about the German method as I've been using the top fill method for eight years and have the work flow organized to minimize time spent and avoid cleanup.

 

[joseph1949]

To: l_d_allan

I have to agree with you about the 1/2 inch needle. Every time I use my InkTec ink container with the inch needle I say the following mantra: Dont stick yourself, Dont stick yourself, Dont stick yourself!!!!!

I will be using the 2 inch needle with a 2 oz. squeeze bottle. There is less of a chance of messing up the process of injecting ink into the tank, less chance of spillage of ink, and less chance of sticking yourself.

To: The Hat
To: fotofreek

Thank for your replies.

Here is how I see it:

1. I will purchase a 2 oz. squeeze bottle (five or more) with a 2 inch needle from Howards.

2. I will try to get 18, 22, 25 gauge needles for each one of my bottles. I will try-out each gauge of needle to see which gauge is best.

3. I will be purchasing 1 liter of ink from InkTec or some other brand of ink. I will pour about 30 ml of ink into the 2 oz. squeeze bottle. After injecting ink into the ink tank I will pour the remaining ink in the squeeze bottle back into the 1 liter bottle. For now, I do not think I will be keeping any ink in the squeeze bottle. I do not trust the caps. When I have used a squeeze bottle for a while I will think about keeping ink in the squeeze bottle.

Your thoughts.

Thank you.

 

[on30trainman]

You asked earlier about bottle type but I but I didn't see an answer. I use the Boston Round 2 oz bottles by Jensen Global (JG2.0BC). They come in 10 bottle packs. As fotofreek said - ask for longer needles and needle caps. My first order I didn't have any luck asking for longer needles (asked by e-mail instead of by phone) so I ended having to order a gaggle of needles. I store the ink in the capped bottles and have had no problems over many years. Fotofreek was the person that got me connected to Howard Electronics. Their service is very fast.

Steve W.

 

[ghwellsjr]

2. I will try to get 18, 22, 25 gauge needles for each one of my bottles. I will try-out each gauge of needle to see which gauge is best.

I don't think you're going to like any needle smaller than 20 gauge. I don't like 20 gauge because it is really hard to squeeze the ink through it and the needle is so easily bent. I like 18 gauge. I doubt you will like 22 but I know you won't like 25.