Recycling the 51629 can be a nightmare for the small recycler. It seems that more time is spent recycling the 51629 than any other cartridge, only to have it fail in the end. A lot of time spent. No money earned!

Cleaning is the key to successful recycling of this series cartridge and we have some tips for you in this issue. Our new 29 clip has two points to insert a syringe for filing or emptying - the lower vent hole and the print head!

 The ink delivery system is a relatively complicated design, so we will not address it in this article, instead we'll focus on cleaning it.

There are many combinations of cleaning solutions used to clean the insides of this cartridge, however we are going to stress the use of hot Compubiz Print head solvent. In earlier days we used hot distilled water 50/50 with the solvent, but many pigmented inks on the market today have trouble with water.

To heat the distilled water we use a "Hot Pot as found on our Tools Page. First, tape over the upper vent hole on the top of the cartridge. Using a bottom fill device like that shown above, inject 10 - 15 cc or ml of the solution into the cartridge through the lower vent hole. If the print head is blocked, you may have to pull back on the syringe to remove air so that you may inject all of the cleaner. Hopefully, some of the cleaning agent will bubble out of the cartridge through the print head. You must now soak the print head in this same solution on the outside in a small bowl or tray as offered on our Tools Page. It is very important to keep the solution heated to at least 130 to 140 degrees for the next hour or so.

Once the cartridge has soaked in and out for at least one hour, it's time to remove the solvent/water mixture from the inside. Place the cartridge back into the bottom fill device shown above. Take a 60 cc syringe and pull all the way back on the plunger. Attach the syringe to the bottom fill device, point the top of the cartridge up and start injecting air into the cartridge. This will force the cleaning solution out the print head. It is important that the upper vent be taped over still. Repeat this procedure until the solution is removed from the cartridge. You may use low pressure air from a compressor if done carefully. Too much pressure will certainly split the side of the cartridge or cause leaks between the top and the lower case. I can assure you that 15 cc's of dirty, inky solution covers a lot of surface area when the sides of the cartridge blow out! Many of you have our PowerPro systems for emptying and priming the carts Prounits.html

Fill the cart using our directions and test.

 

Hot Stuff!

There is no question that the cleaning action of distilled water and our Compubiz Inkjet Print Head Solvent will be enhanced by heating the mixture. We recommend straight solvent for use in black cartridges using pigmented inks and distilled water with 25% solvent when cleaning color cartridge heads.

 1. Clean the print head and exterior of each cartridge.

2. Weigh each cartridge. If the cartridge weighs more than 100 grams set it aside for further steps.

3. Vacuum the contents of each cartridge until it weighs approximately 92 - 94 grams.

4. Force in the fill hole plugs. Place a syringe (no plunger) with a 3 1/3" to 4" needle deep into each color chamber of the cartridge and pour 3 cc's of the heated cleaning solution mentioned above (hot distilled water and Compubiz solvent 75/25) into each syringe allowing the mixture to gravity flow into the color chambers. Note: allow the syringe inserted into the red chamber to stand 1/2" higher than the other two. It should not be inserted as deep.

5. Allow the cartridge to sit with the print head facing down for 10 minutes. Place the cartridge into a vacuum device and pull the 3 cc's of ink from each color chamber.

6. Place the syringes back into the color chambers and fill the syringe with the desired amount of ink. We recommend 12 cc's each color. Allow the ink to gravity flow into the cartridge. Be certain to fill each chamber with the proper color.

7. Place the cartridge back into the vacuum device and vacuum the cart for approximately 4 seconds to prime the cart.

8. Remove the cartridge immediately and clean the print head.

9. Place the cartridge into a test printer and print a minimum of 5 pages with alot of color.