Re: Tricks for freeing cartridges from air bubbles

[Arthur Entlich]

It depends a lot on which printer(s) you are speaking of.


Cartridges which have batting or sponges in them are the worst for this,
as they can trap air (and some do so intentionally to make them
difficult to refill) In fact some manufacturers put soap in the inks to
make the foam not accept the new ink.

If the last is the case, sometimes putting a few drops of alcohol into
the ink will break these soap bubbles down. You can use a negative
vacuum method for refilling, where you suck most of the air out of the
cartridge and then introduce the ink which is pulled in to replace the
vacuum. There are specialized devices made for this on the internet.

Some people use an old sock or salad spinner to have what when I was
young was referred to as centrifugal force (sorry don't want to get into
a long argument about false forces and inertia... not today, at least).
Anyway, if you point the ink outlet toward the outside (or course, make
sure it is well sealed! before spinning) the ink will tend to be pushed
toward the outlet and the air will tend to displaced and end up on the
top of the cartridge which is where it should be.

You can also store the cartridge on the ink outlet so the ink naturally
tries to displace the air, or you can just tap downward at the ink
outlet area the sealed cartridge on something to try to dislodge the air
pockets.

Lastly, most refillables today use spongeless cartridges which use a
labyrinth of channels and chambers to hold the ink from leaking out.
Some are easy to refill if so designed, usually using two access holes
that need to be resealed well before storing, other (like those made by
the printer manufacturers) will probably use a system of channels which
have to be filled in the correct order etc to get a full cartridge of
ink. Check the web to see who is supplying specific instructions.

Art

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[RCC]

You can also store the cartridge on the ink outlet so the ink naturally
tries to displace the air, or you can just tap downward at the ink
outlet area the sealed cartridge on something to try to dislodge the
air pockets.

Untried, but maybe worth a try, how about some form of vibration with
the outlet pointing down? Maybe leave it (the cartridge, not the whole
printer) on top of your washing machine during the spin cycle, a bit
violent, or use one of those sonic vibrating toothbrushes for a minute
or two to see if it persuades the air bubbles to rise?

Of course it could just turn it all to froth and make it worse!

Just leaving it (the right way up) overnight might help things along.

 

[Arthur Entlich]

Well, for one thing, the HP cartridges you speak of have the head
incorporated in the cartridge. That probably means you need to protect
the head during any procedures to eliminate the air bubbles.

I'll leave the rest to people who regularly refill these types of
cartridges. I'm sure there are some tricks.

Finally, Google is getting really good at finding these kinds of things.

If you put something like:

Refilling HP21 & HP22 cartridges

into the search area, I'd bet you'll get something helpful. I just
looked and there are utube videos and more.

Art


If you are interested in issues surrounding e-waste,
I invite you to enter the discussion at my blog:

http://e-trashtalk.spaces.live.com/

 

[Al]

Well, for one thing, the HP cartridges you speak of have the head
incorporated in the cartridge. That probably means you need to protect
the head during any procedures to eliminate the air bubbles.

I'll leave the rest to people who regularly refill these types of
cartridges.  I'm sure there are some tricks.

Finally, Google is getting really good at finding these kinds of things.

If you put something like:

Refilling HP21 & HP22 cartridges

into the search area, I'd bet you'll get something helpful.  I just
looked and there are utube videos and more.

Art

If you are interested in issues surrounding e-waste,
   I invite you to enter the discussion at my blog:

       http://e-trashtalk.spaces.live.com/

This site looks pretty good:
http://www.cartridgedepot.com.au/dl/tech/HP_212227285657.pdf
That #21 only holds 5ml of ink. Not much to play with there. If you
over fill the black a bit you can just let it drain while if you over
fill the color you can turn the whole thing into a dark green cart.

 

[TJ]

my printer is a multifunctional HPF380 with ink cartridges HP21 (black) and
HP22(color), can you suggest some adhoc procedure?
il barbi

The HP 56 and 57 cartridges I use are similar to yours, but have higher
capacity. The refill procedure is the same. I use the Inktec refill kit
holder and syringe to remove any air that might be there. Look on
Youtube for videos on the HPI-0005D and HPI-0006c refill procedures with
this equipment.

I have the best luck refilling before the carts run out of ink. That is
what seems to draw the air into the passages leading to the printhead.
Also, if you wait too long after running out some ink may dry within
those passages, forming a clog that won't clear out through the nozzle.

I've also had better luck with black than tricolor, and I've had better
luck refilling original rather than "remanufactured" carts. My own
theory, which could easily be completely wrong, is that "remanufactured"
carts are likely to have been run out of one color or another and
slightly damaged in a way that might not show up until they are refilled
and used a while.

TJ

 

[TJ]

you're right but I have read dozens of tutorials in the net and in the ink
refill manufacturers' manuals - I just don't know all what can go wrong (you
know it'll surely happen according to wellknown Murphy's law)
for instance, once I read there is some "air hole" in the cartridge but
actually it is fully covered with adhesive slice
then what is the best method to fill the sponge tank? to push the syringe to
the end and to slowly withdraw it?
and usually when I wait refilling until some white lines appear in printing,
I'm likely to have problems
il barbi

This information is for the #56 and 57 cartridges, but AFAIK, yours are
constructed the same.

The adhesive label doesn't seal the cartridge. If you look under the
label, you'll see several shallow channels leading to the edge of where
the label goes. Those channels let the air back into the ink tank. One
of the problems you can have is if you overfill enough to flood those
channels, thus plugging them when the ink dries. That is also the reason
you do not plug the hole you make in the label with the syringe.

Overfilling to the point of flooding is also the usual reason for color
contamination in the tricolor cartridge. Another way that can happen is
to use the same syringe/needle for each color without thoroughly
cleaning it between colors.

The best method I've found is to push the needle to the bottom, withdraw
it a little, then SLOWLY inject the ink.

TJ

 

[Arthur Entlich]

The air holes are to allow for displacement of the ink as it is used.

They have to be there to allow the ink to empty out the bottom. If you
block them, you get a vacuum condition in the cartridge, and this could
be your "bubbles"... it might actually be ink starvation.

The reason the air holes are covered with the adhesive label and there
is a labyrinth under them is to control the air flow to lessen it to try
to limit the ink from drying out, or oxidizing the ink formulas.

Art

If you are interested in issues surrounding e-waste,
I invite you to enter the discussion at my blog:

http://e-trashtalk.spaces.live.com/