Simple method to re-use plastic ball when refilling Canon BCI 6 carts

[fadeaway]

Hi ,

Here is an alternative method of re-sealing an ink cart which I use after refilling. The best part is that it uses the existing plastic ball over and over so you do not have to fiddle with screws or glue.

1-Heat the tip of a piece of wire. ( I used some iron wire that I had hanging around. ), then insert it into the plastic ball to around 1/16 inch depth. ( it will melt a layer of the plastic around the wire and ahead of it as it is inserted). Let cool for a minute or so while holding steady.

2- Cut the wire off to about 1 inch.

The bond between the iron wire and the plastic ball is very strong and allows easy removal of the ball with a tug of the wire.

Some practise may be required to ensure you do not go through the ball or heat it up so high that it may warp.

See the image below:

 

[Kamikaze]

That looks very simple I will try it next time I get my hands on a virgin cartridge. The method I use is very similar and the instructions can be found here

http://www.atlascopy.com/knowledge/Canon_Refill.pdf

I recommend a couple of variations to these instructions. 1) As described above, heat the pin when making the hole in the ball. 2) To use this method with the my Canon Pixma ip3000 I had to cut about half of the eye bolt off because of clearance problems. A pair of plier type cutters does the trick and I also use these cutters to remove and install the plastic ball.