A new way to fill

[rodbam]

Just saw this over at DPReview posted by Bob (Petruska) on a device from RJetTec to refill through the main ink outlet. Watching the video I was wondering how the ink doesn't want to go out the sponge vent maze.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2_d7X-QV98

 

[rodbam]

I just had a look at RjetTec web site & it's called vacuum filling so this may not be a new way after all as I know a few of you have done vacuum refilling & the thing costs $180us so it's not meant for little ole me.

 

[stratman]

This seems a rough appearing copy of a different refiller apparatus that has been available for some time.

This thing looks cheesy but if it works and lasts then OK, as long as you have the dough. Personally, not for me either.

Thanks for the post of this new (to me) bit of kit.

 

[rodbam]

Aren't there any cheap plastic versions of this tool as it would be a great way to refill? I'm sure it could be made in China for under $30.

 

[ghwellsjr]

There are several things to notice about the video.

1) It appears that the empty cartridge that they show being placed into the contraption is not the same one that they show being refilled. The first one appears to be a virgin cartridge having never been refilled before because there is a section of the sponge that is still white.

2) As you watch the ink soaking into the sponge you can just start to see it reaching the bottom of the sponge area and entering the gap between the sponge and the area where the air vent is when they cut the video. What are they hiding from us? Did the ink actually fill the gap and get into the serpentine air path? Did it make a big mess?

3) When they prematurely ended the video, the reservoir is not even half full. I think you would probably have to repeat the process to get the reservoir full or almost full. I think this would definitely end up with more ink in the gap between the sponge and the air vent and probably a mess.

One of the advantages of vacuum refilling is that you can get the ink to go places it otherwise wouldn't go--like the reservoir. But you can't keep it from going places you don't want it to go--like the air vent.

I would like to see a video of the complete process, unedited from start to finish.

 

[rodbam]

I have just looked at this one (we can call it the German method & with a similar type of system & he fills all the way to full I think. This looks a bit cheaper too but i didn't see a price.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lX62v6pFyI&NR=1

 

[PeterBJ]

I remember seeing this video some years ago, but I think the CaBox Mini has been discontinued. IIRC it was very expensive, only intended for professional refillers.

If you want to experiment with this technique, here is a link to a Russian site with a simple way of doing this. The site also has an alternative version of "The German Method" using a curved needle to enter the reservoir from the ink outlet. For the vacuum fill method check out pictures 29 to 32.

I used Google translate to translate into English. I don't know if this link to the Danish Google Translate site will work outside Denmark ?

 

[Redbrickman]

I have just looked at this one (we can call it the German method & with a similar type of system & he fills all the way to full I think. This looks a bit cheaper too but i didn't see a price.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lX62v6pFyI&NR=1

By the time you have assembled and filled the cart and cleaned the contraption you could have filled 2 or 3 carts using the German method.

 

[stratman]

I have just looked at this one (we can call it the German method & with a similar type of system & he fills all the way to full I think. This looks a bit cheaper too but i didn't see a price.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lX62v6pFyI&NR=1

That was the original video I was alluding to. Cost a lot of money as I recall.

 

[ghwellsjr]

I have just looked at this one (we can call it the German method & with a similar type of system & he fills all the way to full I think. This looks a bit cheaper too but i didn't see a price.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lX62v6pFyI&NR=1

As suspected, it takes several iterations to fill the reservoir but the video is still not complete as it does not show the disassembly of the contraption and the removal of the cartridge. If you look closely, you can see some yellow ink in the vicinity of the air vent. I believe if they would have shown the disassembly, you would see a mess of yellow ink on the contraption due to ink filling the serpentine air path and coming out of the air vent. This ink must be cleared out of the serpentine air path in order to make the cartridge functional. You cannot just leave ink in there.

Also, note that the operator is not just pulling on the plunger and releasing it, he is also pushing it down--completely unnecessary and undesireable with a vacuum process. He should also wait after pulling the plunger up until the air has been sucked out of the cartridge through the ink and into the syringe before releasing it. At least the RjetTec operator was doing this correctly. In that first video, you can clearly see the air bubbling up through the ink in the bottom of the syringe and the wait until the bubbling stops before releasing the plunger.