iP4200 BK disappeared

[stratman]

You could let the water from your sink's fawcet run on the inlet ports and nozzles on the other side for a while. It's whatever you'd like to try and whatever your patience allows.

 

[elenhil]

Well, no miracle happened so far. My original head still can't print PGBK, and the 'new' one's PGBK nozzles are half-clogged despite extensive soaking.

I have now acquired a second 'new' head from a similar source and am soaking it as we speak (the definition of insanity, they say). Speaking of which (the soaking, I mean), it seems to me that, however much I soak these buggers, there's always some ink left (as evidenced by shaking the head. after which some drops invariably appear on the top filters). Perhaps it is simply impossible to completely clean a head via soaking and flushing?

If so, won't trying to dry the head afterwards mean that whatever ink is left dries up clogging the nozzles?

 

[stratman]

Maybe you need to flush longer under the tap.

If there is loss of ink on the nozzle check and ink still bubbles out of those nozzles then maybe the clog needs more flush and soak.

Even with nozzles without clogs you might see a slight coloration of water bubbling on the mesh ink inlet port or at the nozzles.

Removing ALL ink from the nozzles may be quite time consuming. What matters is how is the nozzle check.

 

[elenhil]

But what happens if an incompletely flushed head gets dried? Shouldn't that lead to even more clogging (after all, having dried traces of ink inside is not a head's natural state)? Or, inversely, might it make sense to keep the nozzles wet while drying the head's electronic parts? Just a thought.

 

[stratman]

Letting the print head sit out overnight to dry the electronics will doubtfully dry out the nozzle channels completely. Of course, how long or by what means you dry out a print head will variably dry out the channels. This is why Canon injects a goop into the print head before packaging them for sale. It is why the forum consensus is to use a glycerine or glycerol based liquid to keep the nozzle channels moist and resist biological growths before sealing in a baggie or container for storage.

Yes, there will be some drying of residual ink. However, personal experience, posts from forum members' experiences, and my readings from other web sites on flushing/soaking does not support your concerns. If a "clog" remains after flushing and soaking then either more flushing/soaking may be required or the "clog" may not be a clog at all and represents an irreparable failure of one sort or another.