nice tool for drying carts after flushing....

[The Hat]

lowepg How are you determining the dampness/dryness? Weight?

When the towel stays dry after a minute of contact with the sponge.
Then I put two or three drops of water/alcohol 50/50 on the inlet sponge and leave it upside down for a few minutes..

 

[lowepg]

Ugh- sorry for all the questions- but what is the significance of the extra water/alcohol?

I've seen that mentioned as part of a cleaning/rinsing solution- but I thought it needed to be fully rinsed out before use.

(still learning!)

 

[stratman]

Ugh- sorry for all the questions- but what is the significance of the extra water/alcohol?

The Hat is from Ireland. Everything gets a drop or two of alcohol there, which is why I'd like to visit one day.

I don't know why The Hat does that but am sure he has good reason. Well, mostly sure. I await his answer too.

Using ghwellsjr's kitchen paper towel method, I make sure to fold a corner enough times to raise it above the rest of the paper towel so that it can rest snugly against the ink exit port filter. Then I wrap a rubber band around cartridge and paper towel tightly. If need be, I fold and raise another corner or use a new paper towel till the towel is no longer saturating with moisture. The whole process can take minutes to a couple of hours depending on your preferences. Using a good absorbency paper towel, not the brown cardboard like rolls of crap you find in some public bathrooms, is important. Cheap paper towels work as well as the costly stuff.

The water/fluid left in the sponge will obviously dilute the refilled ink. For most, the slight dilution seems not a factor in the enjoyment in our printing. If you were selling or showcasing prints then it could be an issue. YMMV. Over time, the dilution will become even less significant with subsequent refills.

Whatever method you use to get the job done is good as long as it works well for you. The blower/duster sounds great as long as nothing is damaged or contaminated.

 

[The Hat]

lowepg but what is the significance of the extra water/alcohol?

Theres none really I just use it to be sure that the sponge is not completely dry before refilling.

Dont worry about your questions, if it helps you and others to get a good working knowledge
to keep your printers working and keep them in good condition
without the cost and hassle of using OEM inks its worth it.
Happy printing..

stratman Everything gets a drop or two of alcohol there

A drop of Uisce beatha in the morning and at night does me a world of good so why not,
It seems to print alright afterwards thats for sure..

 

[stratman]

A drop of Uisce beatha in the morning and at night does me a world of good so why not

Ah yes, aqua vitae, the all purpose lubricant of the living.

Uncle The Hat, today is America's Memorial Day. Today, we honor our brave military men and women who gave their lives to protect our liberty and lives. I will also raise a glass to the Irish fallen, and all countrymen from around the world, who have fought with us in years past against enemies in all the wars to end all wars.

 

[rodbam]

Thanks all. I usually blow through the top hole to expel as much water as possible with my breath so I imagine this should work as well as a vac. I have just done this with my last failed germane fill cartridge & it has wicked over night so no more moisture is wicking into the paper towel. I will refill it now & see how it goes as this method would suit me really well until I get some backup cartridges.
I noticed in the video that after he used the blowing vacuum he let the carts dry out for a week.
Down here we even honour the non brave men & women who put their lives on the line as bravery is not inherent in a lot of us .

 

[stratman]

Down here we even honour the non brave men & women who put their lives on the line as bravery is not inherent in a lot of us .

A good point, rod. I believe everyone who wears or has worn the uniform has already demonstrated a measure of bravery.

Our Memorial Day is for all the deceased military personnel in our nation's history. Veterans Day, also known as Armstice Day or Remembrance Day on every November 11th, we commemorate active, reserve, and retired living military as well as those who have died. At least that's how things have been in my life.

I know from stories from family and friends, as well as books and media, the bravery of the Aussies. My uncle spent a good amount of time with a group in the Pacific during WWII and thinks extremely highly of their comradeship and fighting spirit.

 

[pianoman88]

Thanks for the helpful thread. I haven't needed to purge and dry yet, as I'm a newbie just now looking into refilling, and the Canon cartridges I'll be refilling still have some OEM ink left in them. But it's good to know in advance how to do this stuff. Am I correct that generally speaking I can expect the pigment black cartridge to need purging much sooner than the dye ink cartridges? Thanks in advance for your advice.