German "Durchstich" refill method for the PGI-520/CLI-521 cartridges

[et91fr]

Hello everybody.

I am new to this forum and I must say that I am impressed by the quality of the exchanges.
I just bought myself an MG8250 as a replacement for my 10 years old IP5000.
So i am facing now the problem of tiny and expensive ink cartridges.
Because my son has an MP630, sharing the ink types with my new printer, I decided to go experiencing refilling for both printers.
So I browsed this forum to understand better the process, and ordered from Octoink a refill kit plus some accessories.
I did not decide yet which method I will use, I think I will experience the german one first.
I have a newbie question about the german method : Is'nt it possible to seal the filling hole with a piece of tape, to avoid the leakage problem some people seem to have with this method ?

Thank you in advance

 

[The Hat]

Hello everybody.
Is'nt it possible to seal the filling hole with a piece of tape, to avoid the leakage problem some people seem to have with this method ?

Thank you in advance

Resealing the refill hole on the cartridge with tape is usually unnecessary but if you want to you can also get it at Octoink.

 

[ghwellsjr]

I had a problem with ink leaking out of the German refill hole while it was sitting on a desk even though I had tape over the hole. However, I probably reused the tape which may have lead to the problem so if you're going to use tape, make sure it's a fresh piece and makes a good seal.

 

[et91fr]

Thank you The Hat and ghwellsjr for your advices. I will keep you informed on my progresses.

Eric

 

[et91fr]

Well well...
My first step in the refilling world, and using german method, was a complete mess !
I positionned the needle well, but I eneded with an oversaturated sponge (ink spilling through the exhaust and the vent ) and an empty reservoir.
I guess I must have filled too rapidly (30s or so) , so when I turned the cartridge back to the normal position, the overpressure in the reservoir probably pushed back the ink in the sponge. I finally removed excess ink by blowing through the vent. The cartridge is working, but I will have to fill it again.
What is the typical timing for all the steps ?
I think I will first practice with water !...

 

[barfl2]

sorry to hear about your problem on first attempt most frustrating. Was the needle right through to the reservoir ? 2" needle normal size to use. sounds like you were only putting ink in the sponge material. Sometimes I have found that you can hit the prism and stop flow, to avoid this I put a 1/4" length of electrical sleeving on the needle. Your 30s time does not sound that fast but generally the advice is to fill SLOWLY. I had a similar result after 18 months of troublefree re-filling by this method with ink coming out of everywhere.

I had a spare cart which filled normally with the same needle/bottle/ink. I later extracted what ink I could from the problem cart and purged it and put it to one side for future use. I very rarely get a leak from the needle hole but usually put a small piece of tape to be on the safe side.

Don't despair it will work alright next time practice as they say makes perfect

 

[et91fr]

Thank you very much for your support,

Today is a big day, I refilled succesfully the five cartridges for my son's MP630 !!
I used smaller diameter needle, and filled VERY slowly (nearly drop by drop), and followed by the letter pharmacist's procedure.
Once succeeded the first time, it becames so obvious !

,

 

[et91fr]

In fact when testing more thoroughly, I discovered 2 problems :

1) The magenta cartridge seems to be somehow clogged. When printing the printhead test pattern, I should have 3 magenta lines of decreasing intensity. I have only the first line, and half the second. When printing two 4x6" photos in sequence, the second one is greenish. The cartridges I used are the ones I ordered from Octoink. I refilled them without prior flushing.
Do you think that I should flush them, and should flushing correct this type of problem ?

2) The black cartridge with which I had problems the day before yesterday is still leaking through the refill hole. Should I Flush it ?

Thank you in advance !!!

 

[barfl2]

I suspected you had a problem with the Magenta cart Octoinks products are very good but carts I always flush because you do not know how long they have been empty since previous refill best to be on the safe side. Nothing elaborate is required, I usually just run warm water SLOWLY through exit port and the colour will soon come out.

With the black I assume the PG one you could first try drawing a little ink out of the tank. If that does not work, extract as much ink as you can and then flush. However this takes a lot longer than the colours. It depends on what you call a leak if its constant its not worth risking getting ink everywhere in your printer. Generally the needle hole I drill 1mm does not leak but again it is not unknown and spare carts that I have stores in a container sometimes show a trace of leakage on the paper towelling liner but NOT DRIP ALL THE TIME. If in doubt use a spare cart, its always worth while to have some spares. and dump a doubtful one.

You have now achieved success and it should continue that way, but expect the unexpected from time to time. The financial savings are considerable. I am glad you followed Pharmicist brilliant instructions they are my home page on this Forum. If all the Newbies found and viewed this brilliant post most of their questions would be answered

 

[websnail]

Regarding the problem cartridge... As they were empties it's going to be worth drawing out what ink you can and flushing them to be sure they're not dried out and/or likely to cause feed issues.

Unfortunately it's impossible to tell how long the cartridges I source have been left empty before I get them so better to be safe than sorry on that score.