CLI8 carts bubble when refilling

[ni9eofse7en]

Hi,

I have been refilling using the german method since buying my Canon in July. This last week I have noticed when refilling that the outlet port fills with ink and/or bubbles, so I have to refill very slowly and keep stopping, this has happened on the Cyan, Yellow and Magenta. Can anyone advise why this has started to happen.

On a second point the Magenta cart has on a number of times failed to print, a quick nozzle check followed by a clean has worked but as of Saturday it will only print in bands and numerous attempts to clean or deep clean have failed. Is it worth cleaning/purging the cart or has it had it? In the meantime I have put in a new OEM cart.

Thanks in advance for any info.

John

 

[stratman]

Is it worth cleaning/purging the cart or has it had it?

Yes, purge the problematic cartridges. If your prints have missing color then either there is ink starvation - from an empty cartridge or from lack of flow of a filled cartridge - or your print head has blockage. I assume that the new OEM cartridge resolved the printing issues, so the problem appears to stem from the cartridge.

The appearance of ink or bubbles at the ink ejection port during refilling can be caused by too forceful pressure of the injected ink, an already sufficiently saturated sponge (even if the spongeless side is not filled), continued filling of an already filled cartridge, and/or a blocked vent system (such as with ink) during refilling. It is also possible that the sponge is gummed up and behaves like an already saturated sponge.

One other reason is the sponge, one or more of the three that are present, have shifted in their position or have been sufficiently destroyed/altered from the introduction of the needle as to create an issue. You can gently tap the bottom of the cartridge to re-seat sponges if you see an issue. I have read to NOT tap the rounded protruding ink ejection port, the worry being you can deform the port. Use your own judgement.

Regardless, a good first approach is to purge the problematic cartridges, visually check the orientation of the sponges in the cartridge with the new OEM cartridge you have , refill and try the cartridge again. This has worked for me when I have encountered your issue.

 

[ni9eofse7en]

Cheers,

I have been reading how to purge and watched one or two you tube vids, but I am unsure how to reseal the hole in the cart after removing the little ball. Can the ball go back in and perhaps be covered by tape as an additional seal, or are there better methods. Please be aware I am in the UK so any item suggested needs to be available in the UK, and any sizes quoted in imperial and metric, most items in the UK are now in metric. Thanks John

 

[The Hat]

ni9eofse7en

When it comes to resealing the refill hole everybody has their own little way but which ever you use just sure that it is airtight, thats all that matters.
I prefer to use hot wax from a glue gun..

 

[stratman]

To repeat an earlier post of mine, see the following. I believe there are more ways posted since I first wrote it.

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There are many variations on the theme of purging. Unlike the more rigid methodology of refilling, It seems like everyone has there own twist in how to purge. And this is a good thing!

Because there have been so many variations it is difficult to collect them all for you to read. But, there are some main techniques that should help you choose a way that fits your personality. To list, and this may not be inclusive of all major techniques:

1) Drill a hole on top of the spongeless side and flush water through the ink exit port (where ink exits the cartridge when printing) which then drains from the top hole you made. Various methods of introducing water into the cartridge (see #3). Use a hot glue gun, screw with O-ring, or rubber plug to seal top hole. (I have used rubber plugs from http://stores.ebay.ca/PrecisionColo...=18442670&_sid=98545621&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322)

2) Top hole drilled and running water from faucet directed into the top hole. (http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=2964)

3) No top hole drilled, just introducing water into the ink exit port by various methods - under running water from a faucet or with a (modified) syringe, tubing or other implement to force water into the cartridge. Water in the spongeless side can removed by various methods such as a needle and syringe, and the rest of the water in the sponge by other methods (see below for more details)

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Somewhere on the forum is a thread on using storage clips (epoxied to tubing with a hole tapped where the ink exit port sits) to facilitate flushing. The aftermarket storage clips are like these - http://stores.ebay.ca/PrecisionColo...187878011&_sid=98545621&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322. I like the ease and potentially cleaner way of facilitating purging versus my method. I have to hold the tubing to secure it onto the ink ejection port and it can leak as I flush.

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Forum member Grandad35 began a thread on purging cartridges that is an excellent primer. It is where I learned my original method of purging. See his thread at http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=311. His first post on the thread has a link to his pictorial essay on purging.

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Other links I have collected, and which may help you avoid certain issues, are:

http://www.nifty-stuff.com/sealing_canon_bci6.php

http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=10216#p10216

http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=28&p=1

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An ingenious method of promoting drying of the sponge after purging was devised by ghwellsjr using ordinary kitchen paper towels. See his post (#3) at http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=5290. This will drastically cut down drying time. FYI - You can refill if there is a LITTLE moisture left in the sponge - you don't have to wait until the sponge is bone dry.


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My purge unit is as follows. As stated earlier, I use rubber plugs (see the link above) to seal the the top hole over the spongeless side, then use my mouth over the top vent area above the sponge side to blow out much of the residual water, and then finish with ghwellsjr's paper towel method to wick out most of the remaining water in the sponge. I do not wait for the sponge to be completely dry before refilling.


Purge unit based on Grandad's design. I did not use any part of an old garden hose.

1) 3/8" inner diameter clear vinyl tubing (outer diameter 1/2"), 3 feet ~$1.00 worth.

2) One Sweeper Nozzle, Model 56171 at Home Depot, $2.97 (similar to but with some plastic: http://lawn-garden.gillroys.com/Hoses_&_Sprinklers/Hose_Nozzles/BRASS_SWEEPER_NOZZLE-s761223.html). This screws onto my utility sink's threaded faucet like a typical garden hose would.

3) One Hose Clamp 7/32" to 5/8" to secure #1 to #2.

4) 2mm hole drilled into the top of the spongeless area next to the edge of the decal (near where the ball is located) to let the purge water out.

The flexible tubing easily fits around the exit port of the cartridge. Warm water washed the sponge clean in well under one minute and I have no ink on my hands. I held onto the cartridge and directed the purge stream down the drain hole, but any ink in the sink washed completely out without staining.

 

[fotofreek]

Stratman - excellent compilation and description of techniques. I, too, use the Grandad tool method and hold it by hand to the ink outlet port. Latex exam gloves and a little hand pressure work OK for me. The epoxied device looks like a better approach but I've been too lazy to bother!

 

[stratman]

The epoxied device looks like a better approach but I've been too lazy to bother!

I hear you brother!