Older Canon i950 problems

[Gooneybird]

To be clear, I did not say that you could reset the "full waste tank" error 4 times without fear - only that Craig was able to do this on one of his printers. I have read of a number of people who only clean the pad on every other reset. If you are going for 4 resets, I would put the printer on something like a "cookie sheet" just in case some ink oozes out.

OK, thanks, I've got it now. So, maybe I've got one or two more resets if needed, since have only done one.

Back to the subject of "purging". I went shopping today and got enough fittings and an appropriate sized tubing to fit over the exit hole, and did my first attempt at this job. I chose the Photo Magenta cartridge that's been in use for several refills, and is showing some evidence of clogging. I've known it clogs faster than any of the others, I've had to buy more new OEM ones of this color than any other. From the results of my attempt to clean it by purging - I fear I've waited too long. I can't completely clear it, but did learn a lot about the technique. I plan to install a new OEM one I found in my reserve, so won't have to use any from that complete set that came the other day.

I'll reread a lot of posts again re purging and drying, and see how all that goes with this still slightly clogged, just purged cartridge. Maybe I'll learn the tricks you folks have developed, I hope.

Olin

 

[Grandad35]

I chose the Photo Magenta cartridge that's been in use for several refills, and is showing some evidence of clogging. I've known it clogs faster than any of the others, I've had to buy more new OEM ones of this color than any other. From the results of my attempt to clean it by purging - I fear I've waited too long. I can't completely clear it, but did learn a lot about the technique.

What do you mean by your statement "I can't completely clear it"? Do you mean that the hot water won't flow through the cart, or just that the sponges don't come completely clean? Are you using "full hot" water from your faucet? Are you seeing water exit from both the refill hole and forward vent?

If the sponges aren't coming completely white, don't worry about it. If there are areas that remain firmly clogged, you might want to fill the cart with water, wire tie a few metal pieces to it (to keep it from floating) and place it in a pan of boiling water (with appropriate safety measures) for 10 minutes. That should break loose any hardened ink residue. After it is cooled enough to handle, try purging it. Yes, I know that saving a single cart may not seem to be worth the trouble, but think of what you will learn about breaking up ink clogs! This type of experimentation is how the rest of us learned.

 

[Gooneybird]

(some snipped) I can't completely clear it, but did learn a lot about the technique.

What do you mean by your statement "I can't completely clear it"? Do you mean that the hot water won't flow through the cart, or just that the sponges don't come completely clean? Are you using "full hot" water from your faucet? Are you seeing water exit from both the refill hole and forward vent?

If the sponges aren't coming completely white, don't worry about it. If there are areas that remain firmly clogged, you might want to fill the cart with water, wire tie a few metal pieces to it (to keep it from floating) and place it in a pan of boiling water (with appropriate safety measures) for 10 minutes. That should break loose any hardened ink residue. After it is cooled enough to handle, try purging it. Yes, I know that saving a single cart may not seem to be worth the trouble, but think of what you will learn about breaking up ink clogs! This type of experimentation is how the rest of us learned.

You got it, some sections of the sponge appear unflushable, almost solidly plugged. I'll try your trick to sink it in boiling water for a few minutes, maybe tomorrow, if time allows. I've tried Isopropanol several times without success but not boiling water. And yes - I've been using the hottest water from the faucet, and some water does emerge from the refill hole and the vent. But very little from the vent, the path to it is where the big clog exists. At least I have good flow between the ink tank and the sponge tank.

Thanks again for the details, and I agree - experimentation does provide learning, some good and some bad, but that's to be expected.

Olin

 

[Gooneybird]

OK, now for a little update, a few days since the last post here.

I took the PM cartridge that I had flushed considerably (using the hot tap water, but not boiling), then tried drying by several methods, including pulling a moderate vacuum on it and leaving it in the sun for several hours. It was not totally dry, but recalling Grandad's figures on percentage of dilution in a post long time ago, I decided to go ahead and fill it. (Both of us apparently are/or have been practising engineers in our professions, so we think similarly there.)

The refill went easily, and the ink was supplied into the ink chamber (reservoir) and it quickly flowed over into the sponge chamber, and wicked all the way up near the top. Incidentally, this was not a Canon OEM cartridge, but one bought from MIS for refilling. This confirmed for me that the sponge arrangement in these does not exactly duplicate that in the OEM cartridges, but that is of no concern to me if it works well.

And my initial tests indicate that it IS working well. I've printed several 8 X 10 color photos on Ilford Smooth Gloss Paper, normally bought from Sam's Club, and they look great. No banding so far. This may be a premature conclusion, and can change if facts change, but it initially appears much of my diminished ink flow problems in the past stem from this particular cartridge. I've suspected that before, but as evidence accumulates, it certainly supports that belief.

But I must confess - having never tried purging ink cartridges at all, over the past 5 years of refilling cartridges for this printer, I now am a convert to purging. Thanks to all who helped educate me in this, especially Grandad.

Olin

 

[Gooneybird]

Well, here is another update, several days after my last. Hope this will encourage others, as it has me.

After purging, drying and refilling the PM cartridge on 11/6/08, even though it was not perfectly clean throughout the sponge chamber - I installed it and the results were most encouraging. That was stated in my most recent post, I believe.

This is a followup to that. On November 8th I decided to go for broke! Most of my other 5 cartridges were below half full in the ink reservoir, so I decided to sacrifice the remaining ink in all. I commenced purging, and after the first one or two, it went very smoothly and promptly. (Just needed to get comfortable with the technique.)

Then I went through what I had evolved as an acceptable procedure for drying the cleaned cartridges. I first blew into the top 3 holes, the fill hole and the 2 vent holes over the sponge, with the exit hole at the bottom and over the wash tub. After blowing all the loose water out that way, then I connected the flexible hose to the exit hole, and held it so the hose was in a loop, and proceeded to pull a vacuum on the cartridge, so that any water that came out could be observed as collecting in the bottom of the loop. I did this repeatedly, until no further droplets were removed. (Incidentally, I pull the vacuum by mouth, sucking on the far, and upright end of the hose. No water was able to reach my mouth this way.) In this repetition exercise, I alternately plugged the 3 holes on top, so the air being pulled in was coming through the sponge from 3 different directions. It took less than 10 minutes (or maybe only 5 minutes) to complete this phase. The final drying (as I evolved it, with a couple of misteps I won't repeat) was done by placing all the cleaned cartridges on the dash of my car, sitting in the bright sun with all windows closed, for as long as available. In my case this was 3 to 4 hours.

I then refilled all the cleaned, and dried cartridges, which had the cap on the exit hole, and then plugged the fill holes, and sealed around the plug with Silicone RTV compound bought at WalMart. Before reinstalling these in the printer, I removed the cap from the exit hole, to let out a few drops of ink, and then blotted the exit hole with a paper towel. After reinstalling these I ran a nozzle alignment check, and it looked perfect.

So, I resumed my printing photos on good quality glossy photo paper (Ilford). Instead of being limited to one or perhaps two sheets of good prints per daily session, I am now able to get as many as needed at any given session. This has convinced me that a great deal of effort devoted to cleaning what has been blamed on plugged printheads has largely been misdirected. As Grandad has finally convinced me - the restricted flow in some cartridges is most likely the cause of the trouble I and others have experienced. And the Photo Magenta is noticeable more likely to be the troublemaker, at least on my printer.

Hope this is of some value to others. And thanks to those who shared their experiences and most important, their successes, with me.

Olin McDaniel