Confused about refilling

[jtl]

I have two OEM Canon BCI-6 carts that are empty. I was thinking of jumping into refilling since I have more of these carts (with ink in them). The more I read the less I understand. Since I let these carts go empty can I even refill them?
Also I read one article that says punch out the ball in the existing original fill site and another that says drill a new hole. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

 

[fotofreek]

Both techniques work for making the refill hole. Some people use a glue gun to seal the hole. The easiest long term way is to make a hole and use a small stainless steel screw with o-ring to close the fill hole. Lots of reading for you to do on this forum before you jump in, but once you refill a few carts it will all make sense to you.

 

[ghwellsjr]

One of the biggest problems with refilling is sealing up the refill hole. It has to be air tight or all the ink will leak out of the cartridge, usually inside your printer. This is one of the reasons I vacuum fill my cartridges. I don't need to make a refill hole and therefore I don't have to seal one up.

However, there was a recent post of another technique popular in Germany that does not require an air tight seal on the refill hole. It unfortunately was placed inside another thread so it didn't get much exposure but here it is:

http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=9279#p9279

 

[Lilla]

Also I read one article that says punch out the ball in the existing original fill site and another that says drill a new hole. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

OEM carts have a nice fill hole already so it makes sense to me to use it, rather than drilling another hole. I think it is best to remove the ball in the fill hole, rather than push it in, then if you choose to use a screw (now or later), the extra plastic around the sides of the fill hole will support your refill screw. When you push the ball in (rather than remove the ball), it breaks the plastic at the base of the well that keep the ball from falling into the reservoir.

To remove the ball in the fill hole, you can follow the instructions provided at this link. This instruction shows how to remove the ball by first putting a small eye-screw into it and then lifting it out. For years I have been reusing the ball as shown in this instruction, but I recently discovered a couple of problems with sealing. I am now in the process of converting to 8-32 nylon screws with o-rings.

I also plan to try Grandad's stainless steel screws (see post #101 this link). In post #36, this link, Grandad says I use a #6 flat head wood screw without an O-ring, and the tapered bottom of the screw provides a good seal all by itself. This system also seals even if the screw is not installed perfectly straight. However, I believe this is for his non-OEM cart and that a larger screw will be needed for an OEM cart.

There are a variety of ways to seal the seal hole. As has been said, a lot of options here. Tape (such as packaging tape), use a hot glue-gun, silicon calking (like used in a bathroom), stainless steel screw with tapered head (without o-ring) as used by Grandad35, stainless steel screw with o-ring, nylon screw with o-ring, etc.

Be aware that the proper screw size depends upon the cartridge manufacturer, for example, Canon OEM BCI-6 cart has a larger fill hole than certain non-OEM carts.

 

[fotofreek]

When I started refilling I punched the ball into the cart and sealed the hole, after refilling, with the blue soft plastic plugs I purchased from Computer Friends. They come with their refill kit, but if you call them on the phone you can probably purchase a package of them separately. Very convenient and made specifically for the fill hole of the OEM cart. Out of the six I used one didn't stay down and I had to chase the hole slightly to get it to the right dimension. Pulling the ball out would do as you say which is to preserve the little shelf at the bottom of the fill hole and permit the blue plug to seal without any problems. I still like the stainless steel screw/o-ring seal and set up all my carts with them. I feel they are better than the nylon or plastic machine screw as they are pointed anad guide themselves into the hole easier. They are also self tapping, so when you use a hot paper clip wire to melt the starter hole you can just screw the pan head phillips stainless sheet metal screw in and it creates the perfect size, threaded hole.

 

[jtl]

Thanks for all the info. I still am wondering if the cart has to be refilled before the resevior is emtpy inorder to make sure the sponge soaks up ink.

 

[fotofreek]

I prefer refilling while the reservoir still has about 20% ink in it. Grandad35, however, uses them until the low ink warning comes on. I think you may get more refills my way before the cart accumulates dried ink in the sponge area, but if you use the purge device that Grandad describes you can clean out the dried ink and restore your carts for refilling. Even with refilling before the reservoir goes dry, I still have to occasionally purge my carts. Works either way.

My advice is to jump in and do it. You will quickly get the hang of it and worry less about these details. I was once criticized for the following: Ready, Aim ---- Ready, Aim --- Ready, Aim ---- but not "firing." At this point you are ready, you've aimed, now fire!!!

 

[Nifty]

Compared to the old bladder fills I first did with my HP DeskJet 500C (about a hundred years ago) refilling my BCI- carts is a walk in the park... actually, more like a stroller ride in the park!