How long does it take to purge an ink cartridge from start to finish?

[OM2]

Can someone tell me how long it takes to purge an ink cartridge from start to finish?

I haven't actually done one yet! So just wanted to get an idea before trying myself

Thanks


Omar

 

[The Hat]

OM2 Can someone tell me how long it takes to purge an ink cartridge from start to finish?

How long is a piece of string?
There are as many days in a week as there are ways to purge a cartridge so if you pick the one
that suites you best and go for it, thats all the matters time is not a factor in the formula.

The idea is to end up with a new cartridge for the small cost of time
and the real factor is the 15 mins approx saving.
Purging a cartridge is a labour of love so no matter how long it takes you just enjoy it and then youll know..

 

[Redbrickman]

Refilling is even more enjoyable, and very therapeutic

 

[stratman]

How long is a piece of string?

Quite possibly the best post ever.


OM2:

The actual act of purging can take seconds or minutes depending on your method. The prep work before purging and the work done after purging, including any drying or wicking time, will take longer than the purge. Overall, the time it takes from taking a cartridge with residual ink to one purged and ready to be refilled can be less than an hour to several days depending on your methods and desire for a bone dry cartridge (which I don't require before refilling).

If you are wondering whether you can leave the print head devoid of a cartridge(s) while purging -- I would not, as the ink in the print head may dry and clog the print head.

You'll catch your stride once you get going. Just get going.

 

[ThrillaMozilla]

Has anyone ever checked to see how much liquid is left? I would think that water or purging solution is a worse contaminant than the previous ink. After all, watered-down ink is not likely to give you consistent color.

 

[stratman]

Has anyone ever checked to see how much liquid is left? I would think that water or purging solution is a worse contaminant than the previous ink. After all, watered-down ink is not likely to give you consistent color.

No one has reported on residual purge volumes AFAIK. The worst contaminant is up for conjecture, but a small quantity of clean water or other flushing chemicals (which mimic or are the same as used by OEM manufacturers in the production of the inks) are not necessarily contaminants, though they are dilutents.

This is part of the quotient under consideration as a printing hobbyist. The more valued the output, the less likely you will allow for residual water in the cartridge before refilling. Those requiring professional output will want the most stringent conditions kept to ensure best results. The rest of us -- not so much.

The Hat's "how long is a piece of string" again applies.

 

[fotofreek]

Omar - the fastest way is to have a top fill hole, make a device that connects to the faucet at one end and the ink outlet at the other end ( a very long forum thread on various simple devices you can make easily), hook the device up to the faucet and press the other end to the ink outlet, turn on the hot water, and watch the residual ink disappear from the cart. Blow out the excess water, vacuum the remainder out, let the cart dry by several methods, and refill at your liesure. How long does it take? Once you have everything set up, maybe five minutes to purge, ten minutes to get all of the excess water out of the cart, and drying time which depends on how you do it. I stand the carts up on end and direct a small electric fan at the outlet port for a day or so. Then turn the carts around and direct the fan at the fill hole. No time expended except to set up the fan, turn it on, and walk away.

I never do one at a time. More efficient to do several.

 

[guyg]

I purchased some virgin empty cli-221 carts from ebay and one of them was missing the chip, with a mangled clip on it. That cart I used to experiment purging on, just dripping water into the outlet until it ran clear then blowing into the air vent to empty it a few times. I would say about a half hour and it was very clean. I then wicked the moisture with a paper towel and rubber band over-night but a few hours should work well also. The next day I cut the cart apart for inspection and it was spotless clean and bone dry, the wicking is very effective. The "sponge" reminds me more of something like a cigarette filter than a sponge though.

 

[martin0reg]

@guyg
thanks for information - but what means "virgin empty"? Canon OEM used to have ink in it and if they are empty they are not "virgin" to me... does it mean: "not refilled yet"?
Did you refill the flushed carts? If so, how did it work out? When I refilled a flushed cart the next day, the whole sponge including the upper part was saturated. It should only saturate the lower sponge to have better air excahnge in the refilled cartridge and therefor wirth my next carts I waited several days with refilling to dry all rests of dampness...

 

[guyg]

@guyg
thanks for information - but what means "virgin empty"? Canon OEM used to have ink in it and if they are empty they are not "virgin" to me... does it mean: "not refilled yet"?
Did you refill the flushed carts? If so, how did it work out? When I refilled a flushed cart the next day, the whole sponge including the upper part was saturated. It should only saturate the lower sponge to have better air excahnge in the refilled cartridge and therefor wirth my next carts I waited several days with refilling to dry all rests of dampness...

A virgin empty is an oem cart that has never been refilled. That is the way they list them on ebay in the US. I purchased a lot of 50 for around $40.00 so that I could provide refills for myself and my kids who live away from home. We now have 2 mx870 and 2 mp560 all using the same style carts and print heads. I am new to refilling and have learned alot on this forum. I have only refilled 1 set of oem carts that came with my printer via the german method so far and all went well. The carts from ebay I have yet to flush or refill yet, buy will do at least a few sets soon. For flushing I am leaning towards removing the ball, power flushing with a pressure sprayer set-up,and using the rubber plugs from precision colors for sealing the top hole. I saw that video on u-tube and it takes maybe 30 seconds, it is a really nice method. I purchased the orange clips from Precision Colors along with my other supplies and just need to adapt a hose between my sprayer and clips. The orange cart clips are a real nice product by the way.

When I cut apart the one cart I purged as an experiment there was no moisture I could feel at all, but thanks for the heads up on your experience. I think I will give the carts a few days to dry out after wicking just to be safe being I don't need them right away.