Refilling BCI-24 questions

[Paddy]

Do not remove the cap, ever. Completely pointless, you are just creating work for yourself. Drip fill it through the ports (this will not contaminate the cartridge, EVER!!), when it starts to leak from the top ( it's just overfilled), turn it upright, leave it on a paper towel, which will force any excess ink out. If you're using decent inks these cartridges should always be perfect, if not its more than likely the print head.


Good luck.

 

[freddyzdead]

I agree with Paddy. I ruined a dozen or so carts before I woke up and started dripping the ink into the output filters. I think 50 or 60 drops usually does it. I worry about overfilling the colour ones, as it would seem to be asking for inter-colour contamination.

 

[Guardian]

Well, obviously, with BK there's no need for top removal, but the CL need it's top taken off (cross-contamination can occur). It's actually very simple, try removing tops from Lexmark 16/17 etc and then we'll talk (thank goodness that HP 49 is an extinct type now). Sharp stanley knife and you're set.

Full black is 19-20 grams (so 6-8ml of ink in, depending how empty cartridge is, usually empty weights 11-12-13g), and color is 30-32g (4ml per each color). Fill through the bottom and forget about needles, just slowly inject the ink while tip of the syringe is touching or inserted into sponge. If I would to drip every single BCI-24 I've done I'd probably go mad. Dripping takes aaaaaages.
Fill in about 0.5-1ml at a time and give it few seconds to absorb, then continue. Don't go mad and be watchful to not spill the ink you're injecting into other chambers (can be cleaned, but it's tedious). If the paper towel beneath (of whatever surface you have there xP) is getting some ink spillages, then you're done with that color, and move on.
Afterwards, turn the cartridge into it's normal position and tap bottom of it on the paper towel several times, lightly squeezing it's sides to prevent leaks, cleaning the top if necessary in the meantime.
I don't know whether top back-on is essential, I'm gluing it back with a glue gun, but that's your call...

Also, how to store the tanks is meaningless (unless you're planning to use it a like six months from refilling), as long as they are not exposed to the heat the original orange cap on the bottom will suffice. It's the printhead that needs most of your attention. Do not leave it exposed to air for too long, and basically, use your printer once a week to ensure ink flow. Always clean the head after refill and run nozzle check to see if everything's fine.

P.S. Overfilled blacks tends to leak badly from the top too, so at times the cart needs some serious squeezing to eliminate dripping from the top. If sth above is unclear, shoot more questions, English is not my native language...
P.P.S. In my store we're not filling non-OEMs, as they are made from lower grade materials, both inks and tanks. Still, you can try and see, a lot of compatibles are ok-ish in my opinion.