Clogged Canon print head

[digitalartist71]

i am also considering doing a autopsy on the plastic casing also... since the pig. black port is definatly clogged severly (all nozzles are fine). can't seem to get anything thin enough to worm its way through the port to unclog. but before I do that...I am going to soak it one last time in a more caustic solution...I am thinking laquer thinner will melt the plastic....so will have to find something not so harse..but harse enough to break loose the buildup chemically. the port is definately the culpret here (welll..techinically, the generic pig. black carts are really) : )

here on out, using Canon Genuine Pig. Black.

 

[McSpin]

95% of what I print is black text, so using Canon Carts for the black ink is not going to save me any money. I've switched to Hobbicolors ink in an ip3000 that I have. So far, it's doing fine, but it's only been one refill. Hopefully, this brand will do a better job long term. Paying Canon's price for a print head is almost as hard to take as paying for their ink.

I think before I destroy the printhead on the i350, I'll also try another solvent - what can it hurt? I've got some acetone sitting here, but I know plastic doesn't last long in that. Maybe a few drops and then a quick rinse. Has anyone used mineral spirits or kerosene?

 

[hpnetserver]

Anything solvent is really not recommended. Try to soak the print head with warm (or near hot) water. Soak it over night. Rinse from the top where the ink intake is. Do not soak the pc board though. If you really want to use chemicals It has been said that Windex is safe and effective. Mineral spirit or Kerosene are probably bad for the nozzles.

 

[McSpin]

I completely dismantled both printheads. I removed the circuit boards, took off all the rubber gaskets, and then soaked it for a week in water, for 3 days in denatured alcohol, I put it in windex for days and 90% isopropal alcohol for a few days. None of this had any effect. I used extremely high pressure air and tried probing the orifice with a small wire - nada. Only the color ports were brought back to original quality.

I'm ready to smash it with a hammer and see what the insides of the plastic housing look like, but I thought maybe some extreme cleaning measures might pay off. I don't really care if it destroys the printhead since it's useless the way it is. I just thought someone else may have already tried some of these and I could save the effort and try something else.

 

[digitalartist71]

yeah...since i am about to smash mine open also... not afraid to try a harse solvent in the ink channel in the plastic housing. the ceramic nozzle head is fine....the clog is in the housing. just gotta find time myself.

i am guessing the solvents even if hot enough to break down the clog...and not hot enough to melt the plastic will still need some sort of aggitation to break completely free.

isn't finger-nail polish close to acetone???? was'nt hot enough to melt any plastic... was actually pretty safe even through the nozzles. laquer thinner is pretty hot though... i may dilute a tiny bit and try that since i will be smashing it also.

 

[Grandad35]

McSpin, DigitalArtist,

As I stated in my original post, my PM channel in the print head was completely clogged, and I was able to open it with a combination of high pressure and vacuum on the ink pickup end and high pressure on the print head end.

Before you take a hammer to your print heads, consider trying a fine steel wire - as fine as you can find. 5-10 mils would be perfect (125-250 microns) to open the clog. Slowly spin the wire between your fingers as you insert it to see if it can find its way around the bends in the channels.

 

[digitalartist71]

Grandad35,

thanx for the advice.

yeah...tried that a few times over...no luck...seems EXTREMLEY CLOGGED.

one thig i just ran across though that may be a cause of this severe clog was reading Neil's Inkjet Page about unclogging. is there IN FACT a sponge at the screeened inlet port of the housing???? if so..that explains the clog. the ink is probably completely dried at the sponge then? and even worse... the nail polish remover I tried probably melted the sponge solid.

I find out eventully when i get a chnace to attempt this again.

thanx.

ps... before I break open also...i will probably remove the screened area first. may be a way to pop screen filter back on after clearing clog from top? and if a sponge in fact....can probably rig a new one in.

 

[McSpin]

Good idea digitalartist. Removing the screen does make sense. I have a new printhead on order and will wait until it's in before any more experimenting on this one. It still prints in color, so it's usable - sort of.

 

[bf_of_pf]

I came across this thread and thought it might help with my two clogged Canon printers. The first is a Pixma ip1500...The cost of the replacement print heads exceed the original cost of the printer (beyond rediculous in my eyes).

Hi. I've got a Canon Pixma ip 1500 that I originally paid a whopping $50.00 for. I thought it died a week or so ago, after having served faithfully through 7 or 8 super cheapo color/b&w cart changes. I was sad to see it go because those non-OEM carts were a fraction of the cost of my old Epson carts, and the results were fantastic as far as I was concerned. I found a new MP130 on ebay for $90, including shipping, and so I grabbed it (since it uses the same inexpensive carts as the 1500). From what I learned here, I'll probably continue to use the cheap color carts, but go for the OEM black. However, after I read through this post, I realized that all I probably needed to do to revive my 1500 was get a new print head. So even though I've already received the new MP130, I searched around and found a "relatively inexpensive" brand new Canon replacement print head for the 1500 on ebay (Inkcess), for $36.95 + $9 shipping. $45.95 total is just a couple of bucks less than I paid for the whole printer, but still, it didn't seem totally "beyond ridiculous" to me. I don't know if that price is what you consider to be acceptable or not, but I thought I'd post in case it might be an option for you.

 

[McSpin]

I wish I would have known about that ebay deal sooner. I'd have saved $15.00. I already bought the new printhead, because even though rediculous, it was still the cheapest option. When I bought the printer for $45.00, it came with ink cartridges, color and black. It just seems like a total rip to pay more for the replacement printhead than for the whole printer with cartridges.