Will be starting with BCI-6 cart blanks and have some questions...

[OraDBA]

I will be receiving my Hobbicolors ink & cartridge blanks in the next day or two. Because I want to get a good profile done and start printing, I will be filling all the blanks and putting a complete set in. Here are some questions I have:

1. Until I decide what to do with my existing "in use" cartridges, is there some way I should store them so I can resurrect them in the future?

2. I ordered two sets of blanks, so can I simply fill the spares while I'm doing the ones that will be immediately used and store them. Any suggestions on that?

3. I've seen some lengthy threads on purging/cleaning the carts (thank you Grandad35 and others) but I don't know if I'm up for that (the blanks are only $1.65). So assuming I'm not going to clean them (for now), is there a "safe" number of cart refills you can do before you should replace them or do you just wait for a problem occur and then do it?

4. Is there a "really poor man's cart cleaning method" that doesn't require all the hoses, clamps, etc.? You know, like run water over this end, shake it up, and dry it out. I know it won't get the sponge pristine again, but does that really matter if I'm always using the same ink?

BTW, the carts I will be using can be viewed at the very bottom of this page:

http://www.hobbicolors.com/page3.html

TIA,
Dylan

 

[fotofreek]

To store cartridges all openings have to be sealed. With OEM carts use the original orange caps rubberbanded onto the ink outlet at the botom. Since these caps are "break away", having been attached at two points, take a sharp knife or razor blade and shave off any projections of plastic that remain from where the cap was connected to the cart. Otherwise you may not get a seal. Samer with the Hobbicolors carts.

After refilling a cart you will seal the fill hole with whatever technique you wish to use. (see the topic on sealing the fill hole.) The Hobbicolors carts have the little plastic screw for a seal and it works, but it is a bit difficult to handle with latex exam gloves on and has to be lined up carefully to screw in. I replaced them with #6 3/8 inch stainless steel pan head sheet metal screws with very tight fitting o-rings. Easier to handle and pointed so they are easier to insert and start in the fill hole. Use masking tape or electricians tape to cover the air vent to prevent evaporation. Place the set of carts into a refrigerator carton and close the lid to seal. Some people, myself included, put a damp paper towel or sponge in the carton to prevent evaporation if any of the seals aren't absolutely air tight.

The device used to purge the carts isn't that difficult to make and the purge process is really easy and quick once you get the hang of it. One participant used a rubber shower attachment that has a rubber cap that fits over your sink faucet spout. It is the sort of device that you might use to wash an infant or wash your hair in a sink. He took the shower part off of the tube and just used the attachement to the spout plus the tube, the tip of which fit perfectly over the ink outlet.

You can usually get 5 to 10 refills in a cart before it stops feeding efficiently. Sometimes more, and sometimes less. Some colors seem to block the carts up more than others. Two simple clues on how the cart is feeding - 1) when the fill hole is open and the cart is filled, unseal the ink outlet. You should get a steady drip. 2) with the fill hole sealed and the outlet open blow gently into the air vent. You shouldn't have to blow too hard to get the cart to drip. You can get a sense of how hard you have to blow when you first fill the new HC carts. The ultimate clue is when you are printing and start getting banding or a color shift. A nozzle check will reveal a color not printing properly. You might get it to print correctly by running a cleaning cycle, but if the poor printing recurs change out the cart and either replace it or do a purge and refill. What might appear to be a clog can be a poorly feeding cartridge.

Don't forget to remove the tape from over the air vent that you had put on for storage when you install the cart in the printer! If you are not going to purge carts you have to watch the ink levels and refill when the reservoir is about 75 - 80 % empty. Don't let it go to the point where the reservoir is empty and the printer alerts you to a low ink condition. By then you are getting some ink drying in the sponge and the cart will take less refills.

 

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Just to note... I've found that Aluminium/Aluminum tape is VERY good at creating an airtight seal over ink ports so long as the actual port area is dried before hand..