Dumb question about Epson print heads

[H. E. Taylor]

Hi,
I have come across an old Epson 860 which is supposed
to have clogged print heads. When I take out the cartridges
I see a little post sticking up that goes into the bottom
of the cartridge. That carriage looks fairly solidly
embedded and I don't want to take the whole damned thing
apart unless I have to, so how do you get down to the
print heads, which I guess must be at the bottom of that
carrriage?

And while I am asking, what is the best solvent to use
for unclogging? I have seen people suggest water, alcohol,
windex, fantastik... Which is best?
<curious>
-het


--
"The earth is the cradle of mankind, but we cannot stay
in the cradle forever." Konstantin Tsiolkovsky

Computer Links: http://www.autobahn.mb.ca/~het/clinks.html
H.E. Taylor http://www.autobahn.mb.ca/~het/

 

[Jan Alter]

Hi,
Those posts are actually tubes with a very tiny syringe type nozzle. If
you can find a syringe, without the needle, you should find satisfaction
that it can mate with the post and you should try injecting about 5 cc of
Windex extremely slowly (slowly because pushing hard will rupture the
diaphragm within the head). Replace with a new cartridge and let it sit for
a couple of hours before going through cleaning/nozzle check cycles using
the software.

 

[Tony1that matters]

Hi,
I have come across an old Epson 860 which is supposed
to have clogged print heads.

As the 860 is an unchipped cartridge you would be well advised to fill an
old cartridge with Windolene (Windex USA) which is a solvent for dye based
inks: or a very dilute household ammonia and water mix. Print a few pages
and as the ink fades you will have visual proof that the solution is getting
through. Any type of force or injecting usually spells death for the
sensitive Piezo heads...
Tony

 

[Kennedy McEwen]

Hi,
Those posts are actually tubes with a very tiny syringe type nozzle. If
you can find a syringe, without the needle, you should find satisfaction
that it can mate with the post and you should try injecting about 5 cc of
Windex extremely slowly (slowly because pushing hard will rupture the
diaphragm within the head). Replace with a new cartridge and let it sit for
a couple of hours before going through cleaning/nozzle check cycles using
the software.

Chances are that you WILL use too much pressure on the syringe and
irreparably damage the heads using this technique, so it is NOT
recommended.

Get a rag or paper towel and soak it in windex and place that on the
platen. Move the print head across so that it sits over the soaked
sheet and leave it there for a few hours (ensuring the printer is
powered off!). Then remove the wet sheet and replace it with a dry
paper towel to make sure any remaining Windex is removed from the print
head before powering on and attempting a cleaning cycle/nozzle check.

You can also get an old cartridge, open it up and replace the ink with
Windex to make a cleaning solution cartridge, but you will have to purge
all of this out of the heads with a new ink cartridge before using the
printer.

 

[Matt]

As the 860 is an unchipped cartridge you would be well advised to fill an
old cartridge with Windolene (Windex USA) which is a solvent for dye based
inks: or a very dilute household ammonia and water mix. Print a few pages
and as the ink fades you will have visual proof that the solution is getting
through. Any type of force or injecting usually spells death for the
sensitive Piezo heads...
Tony

An OT point: Windex and most other common household "window cleaners"
contain varying amounts of ammonia. While this makes them efficient
head cleaning solutions, it's also a reason why they should NEVER be
used on windows that have rubber seals (such as double-pane insulated
windows), since the ammonia seeps into the seals and breaks them down.
Windex is also known in the business as "The Window-man's Friend."