Needle supply ( UK )

[martop]

Took me a while to find these and test them so if anyone from the UK has a need for replacement needles, surgical quality ones can be ordered on line, I got a delivery of 21g microlance 2 inch needles from these are ideal for refilling either top or german method as they just reach the prism.

These are very sharp !!

The company is www.midmeds.co.uk

The product code is Product Code: MD301155/10

They are sold in packs of 10 for less than 1 UK pound.

 

[Servo]

lol, cheers mate, I just ordered 30, I hope they don't think I want them for anything else but filling carts.

 

[martop]

Not sure if they worry about who they supply too but I got mine the in two days, well wrapped. I asked in my local boots chemist ( pharmacy ) about needles for refilling purposes..... 'refilling what exactly' ? ink cartridges I said, then I was asked 'are they prescription items ?'

You know at point I gave up but was told any needle over 1/2 inch long is only on prescription as they very sharp and could be dangerous, I was expecting a pat on the head and then given a lollipop :-(

These are very sharp though so best get a supply of wound dressings in as we brits cant be trusted not to hurt ourselves !

 

[Servo]

My wife is a Nurse, so I have no problems there. She did get me some needles, but I needed to superglue them together, they are quite fragile. (removed the plastic from one of them, and slid the smaller one inside) The NHS don't use anything bigger outside of the hospital


Oh, I did order some of that ink I linked you to, and got the black changed to the pigment stuff. but as yet it ain't arrived.

That problem you had with black ink on printouts, I had that yesterday, tried everything to stop it, even though it only showed up on photo gloss paper. Currys wouldn't take the printer back even though it was only 5 weeks old. Anyway, I took the heads out, and cleaned them in boiled water (after it cooled down ofcourse) and all is working fine again.

I've seen some printheads for the ip4500 for 36 including free delivery, and I'm tempted to buy a spare set.


Thanks again for the link

Bob

 

[martop]

Curry's ? their just as bad as pc world :-( I've seen the print heads on sale for the same price and was tempted myself but knowing my luck I would have a spare head and something else would fail like the control board or a motor ! So far I've not had any ink smears on the paper, this is no doublt because I cleaned the print head and the cradle it sits in ( use a dry wipe folded into four long ways, damp it with water and lay it along the grey sponge thats under the print head cradle ( take print head out first ) and slide the cradle over it from left to right, it takes off a lot of muck, as well as taking on the advice of those who replied to my post and now I refill the cart carefully not overfilling it ( using anither cart ) and I apply a slight negative presure to the card before printing as the card we use does bend a little.

I am using the rest of the ink that came with the redsetter from germany but its giving a slight pink tint to the prints, noticable when grey is printed so I adjusted the colour settings in the printer driver to remove it as best I could. I wont mess with the colours again untill I recieve the hobbicolours ink but from what I have read, its not far off the oem ink.

 

[stratman]

You might want to look into blunt tipped needles.

While I know you live in the UK, in the States, there are laws about shipping sharped tipped needles without a perscription in certain states, mine included. Finding needles longer than 1.5 inches is also more difficult and expensive.

Luckily there are places to obtain 2 inch needles or longer, blunt tipped, such as from www.alotofthings.com. (http://www.alotofthings.com/viartshop/products.php?category_id=141) They may ship overseas. Maybe there's something more local to you, like a chemistry hardware outlet, could sell them to you without a perscription. It's a bit difficult shooting up heroin with a blunt needle.

BTW, blunt tipped needles work perfectly with the Durchstich Method. There is no reason to use a sharp tipped needle, unless you want to poke a hole inside the cartridge or yourself - two things definitely not needed.

 

[martop]

I had a look at needles for refilling, over here in old blighty it seems that most long blunt needles are usualy sold in those cheap refill kits and what needles you can ger from stores or ebay in the uk are either blunt and larger than 21 gauge or are in fact sharp needles sold at a silly price with silly packing charges.

My post was an attempt to show anyone else looking for such items that you can buy them in packs of 10 for a fraction of the cost with reasonable shipping. I know too well you can stick a hole in a cart, ive done it by being careless as for sticking them in my fingers and other tender parts, like most people with common sense, if you cant use a sharp needle without stabbing yourself you should not really be messing about with refilling

Actualy I took a risk looking for these, I worried that because of the UK anti terror laws and over reaction I would get in to trouble, the person I asked in the chemist shop here was almost ready to call the heavy mob in when I asked about needles for refilling, imagine what would happen if I began searching for chemistry supplies or stuff like grycerin or glycol :-( God help me when the hobbicolurs ink arrives, half will be missing because some numpty from the police blew it up in a controlled explosion. He be easy to spot though as he be the only officer in a funky coloured uniform, hands and face.

You think its bad in the states because you cant get needles, you want try looking around for this stuff in the UK never mind posting about it on a forum, hold on, I can hear detective knacker of the yard walking up my driveway so must go

 

[Froggy]

You think its bad in the states because you cant get needles, you want try looking around for this stuff in the UK never mind posting about it on a forum, hold on, I can hear detective knacker of the yard walking up my driveway so must go

Off topic, but what you are experiencing is part of the terrorist victory over the west. The terrorists have managed to change the way we live: how our governments operate, how law and order is dispensed, how we relate to different races and religions, how we travel, and how the law enforcement agencies percieve the general public, not as citizens but potential terrorists.

And how Martops local chemist receives his honest, innocent question.

They have achieved way more than the IRA ever did, and most of it has been done for them by the UK and US governments.

Anyway, good luck with the needles. Remember, you can always file the pointy end down a bit. Can I have a lollipop as well?

 

[martop]

No you cant have a lollipop, you could poke someones eye with one of those

I dunno, the worlds gone terrorist mad, every goverment is using it as an excuse to over-react, its a sad thing when it begins to effect a simple hobby, what can be more harmless than a group of people simply trying to save a small furtune with our own equipment ? I mean we only playing around with ink carts ! However, the uk goverment is no doublt going to inform the public that a weapon of mass inking can be made and it will be internment for anyone suspected of refilling ( or bad spelling in a forum ) oh no I am refilling a magenta cart, does that mean I will caught red handed ?

These needles are just long enough so that if you 'dremil' off the end it will just fit past the divider wall, but these are so thin that if your not carefull you will close the hole with the bur when the cut is made.

 

[stratman]

martop:

Needle gauges larger than 21 work excellently. I use 18 guage, which makes it easier to deliver the ink (less pressure needed on the plunger) and consequently will help decrease foam generation due to lower velocity of flow. These are minimal effects, and can be augmented by the person doing the refilling, but, every bit helps for a smoother more enjoyable experience.


Froggy:

How chemists, or pharmacists as we call them in the States, behave when asked for needles has more to do with drug abusers than terrorists, and you would have been challenged pre-9/11 for a request like that. Also, pre-9/11, one generally needed a prescription to get ANY needle and syringe at a pharmacy. Now you can get 0.5 inch needles (maybe up to 1.5 inch) and diabetic syringes without a prescription, at least in my state.

To a policeman, everyone is a potential criminal until proven otherwise, which can be as simple as body language and behaviour. To a physician, everyone asking for narcotics is suspect until proven otherwise, which can be as simple as a cogent history. It's the nature of the job that requires a heightened vigilence, even before 9/11.