cleaning a canon removeable head

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mr Jessop
  • Start date Start date
M

Mr Jessop

i have removed and soaked in warm water for a few minutes. I went to a
local computer shop and they said £25 to clean. They say 48hour soak in a
special fluid thats costs £60 for 100ml. Do any UK companies supply a
decent solvent that won't disolve the entire printhead?
 
Mr Jessop said:
i have removed and soaked in warm water for a few minutes. I went to a
local computer shop and they said £25 to clean. They say 48hour soak in a
special fluid thats costs £60 for 100ml. Do any UK companies supply a
decent solvent that won't disolve the entire printhead?
Click to expand...

Yeah it's called distilled water!
 
PC Medic said:
Yeah it's called distilled water!
Click to expand...
If you are refilling most of our specialist ink kits come with a free
solvent for unclogging and cleaning. Windolene contains a dilute ammonia
which is what you need. Other than that mix up some household ammonia say
10:1 and you'll see the ink disperse instantly. Gently drip dry it clean on
tissue and Bobs-yer-Uncle so to speak.
Tony
--
Click to expand...
Inkylink JetTec UK/USA Quality - Wot others wanna-be
http://www.inkylinkusa.com/inkylinkusa.shtml UPS from Las Vegas
http://www.inkylink.co.uk UK recorded post next day
The home of the 30% more JetTec ink reset chip
drop pants to reply
 
Yeah it's called distilled water!
Click to expand...

Distilled water will usually work, but if the glycol in the ink has
set, you may need to take more aggressive measures. Start off with
microwaving the distilled water to warm it up -- not too hot, just
warm. If you can't get distilled water, it's often easier to get
hold of deionized water -- think Brita filters.

You can also try setting the head face down on a moistened lint-free
cloth for an hour or two -- the better grade paper towels will work
too. The capillary action of the cloth can sometimes be enough to
suck out the mess from the nozzles.

If that still doesn't work, you can add some isopropanol to the
cleaning mix and try again. The cleaning fluids that electronic shops
sell for this purpose are typically some combination of isopropanol,
and distilled water -- the percentages vary by manufacturer. A few
brands add a detergent of some sort, but the few times I've seen it
listed as an ingredient, it's listed as "detergent" -- that's it, no
specific chemical name, just "detergent".

If you opt to heat it, add the alcohol *after* heating the water. For
safety reasons, you probably don't want to heat the alcohol/water
mixture or alcohol alone. Then repeat whole process of soaking, and
"wicking" (that's what lexmark calls it) with the moist towel. I'm
not sure what else you can do if that still doesn't work
 
If you are refilling most of our specialist ink kits come with a free
solvent for unclogging and cleaning. Windolene contains a dilute ammonia
Click to expand...

Here in the "colonies" we have a commonly used product called
"Windex." It was released well before Windows, but it does clean
windows. It is ammonia-based.

Do you think that Windex is already diluted approximately 10:1, or
should I dilute Windex 10:1? Windex comes in a plastic bottle with a
pump-spray dispenser.
 
--
Winey said:
Do you think that Windex is already diluted approximately 10:1, or
should I dilute Windex 10:1? Windex comes in a plastic bottle with a
pump-spray dispenser.
Click to expand...

Windex (USA) or Windolene. Mr Muscle shower cleaner works as well is a very
dilute ammonia content already.
If you have a head which is clogged deeper down where the wicking effect
doesn't hack it then fill a spare cartridge with the solution and print a
few windy pages: that way you are cleaning from inside out. But, blockages
on the Canon are seldom that stuck up. Isopropryl alcohol needs watching as
it is also a dilution of usually 40% alcohol commonly used for houshold
cleansing and massage. Some however contain perfume bases and oils and
shouldn't be used for cleansing.
Tony.

Inkylink JetTec UK/USA Quality - Wot others wanna-be
http://www.inkylinkusa.com/inkylinkusa.shtml UPS from Las Vegas
http://www.inkylink.co.uk UK recorded post next day
The home of the 30% more JetTec ink reset chip
drop pants to reply
 
You didn't mention which canon model - for the I series check out the
following site: http://www.neilslade.com/papers/inkjetstuff.html I took his
advice and bought the I960, MIS inks for refills (extremely simply once you
get the hang of it) and Computer Friends cartridge plugs. Everything works
as he states on the site. Excellent advice, also on head cleaning of these
models and ongoing maintenance to keep the printer in good working order.
Burt
 
Tony said:
--


Windex (USA) or Windolene. Mr Muscle shower cleaner works as well is a very
dilute ammonia content already.
If you have a head which is clogged deeper down where the wicking effect
doesn't hack it then fill a spare cartridge with the solution and print a
few windy pages: that way you are cleaning from inside out. But, blockages
on the Canon are seldom that stuck up. Isopropryl alcohol needs watching as
it is also a dilution of usually 40% alcohol commonly used for houshold
cleansing and massage. Some however contain perfume bases and oils and
shouldn't be used for cleansing.
Tony.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure how it is in the US or the UK, but here in Canada, the
stuff with the oils and perfumes added is called "Rubbing Alcohol
Compound". The stuff that's labelled "Isopropyl Alocohol" is either
99% (pure), 70%, or 40%, cut with distilled water.
 
Burt said:
You didn't mention which canon model - for the I series check out the
following site: http://www.neilslade.com/papers/inkjetstuff.html I took
his advice and bought the I960, MIS inks for refills (extremely simply
once you get the hang of it) and Computer Friends cartridge plugs.
Everything works as he states on the site. Excellent advice, also on head
cleaning of these models and ongoing maintenance to keep the printer in
good working order.
Burt
Click to expand...

I have an i850 which is producing loyal service. i have been using genuine
ink up to now. Its not too bad with staff price at jessops ;)

I have tried www.choicestationery.co.uk . Ridiculously cheap. When i
inserted all the inks but the yellow (cos that hadn't ran out yet) the green
was very strong and the skin tones a bit yellowy. It seems to have calmed
down with the 3rd party yellow/orange. Overall the original ink is slightly
darker and richer. Once all the 3rd party inks were in together the skin
tones were better and prints were lighter than all original. skin less
orange and going to yellow.

AS for the printers that clog they are the i250 and the i330 both using ink
from www.choicestationery.co.uk and both worked very hard producing 20 odd
6x4 per week and 5 a4s full colour photos weekly on average. They also have
been inaccurate at guessing when ink runs out and i think its more likely
nozzle burn out than clogging but you never know.
 
I can only state that this information is based upon 3rd party
testimony, not my own tests, and you will need to consider this in
determining if you wish to take any risk with the head of your printer.

I do not own any Canon printers, but I have had a number of people who
use these printers use the cleaning formula in my Epson Cleaning Manual
successfully. I cannot guarantee it will work with all Canon printers,
but I suspect it will.

Canon uses similar inks formulation to Epson in term of dyes and
solvents. However, I have no idea exactly how or what the head is
designed with.

The magic formula I suggest is to either use an ammoniated window
cleaner (in England: like the clear Windowlene if it smells like it
contains ammonia (I have been told by some it does contain ammonia and
some that it does not??).

You can also just use 1 part of household non-sudsy ammonia with 9 parts
water, and add to that about 10-20% isopropyl alcohol (either 70 or 99%
version) and soak the head it that mix.

Soak it for as short a time as required, as the ammonia may have
consequences on the head over time.

Art
 
Tony said:
If you are refilling most of our specialist ink kits come with a free
solvent for unclogging and cleaning. Windolene contains a dilute ammonia
which is what you need. Other than that mix up some household ammonia say
10:1 and you'll see the ink disperse instantly. Gently drip dry it clean on
tissue and Bobs-yer-Uncle so to speak.
Tony
Click to expand...


Just to make sure there is no confusion, the mix is 10 parts WATER to 1
part household ammonia, not the other way around. If you have
particularly hard water, you may wish to use distilled water.


Art
Art
 
Windex and similar clone products can be used right out of the bottle.
It is already diluted to about a 1:10 ammonia to water/glycol solution.

Art
 
I haven't checked the Mr. Muscle packaging, but be careful of any
cleaner that lists Sodium Hydroxide or "lye" or orange or citrus oils or
extracts. They will dissolve plastics and some metals.

Also, be aware several products sold under the Windex name either do not
contain ammonia at all or may contain an acid like vinegar. With most
dye inks vinegar will cause the ink to clot heavily, the opposite of
what you want it to do.

Art
 
Most drug stores (Chemists?) sell pure isopropyl alcohol or isopropyl
alcohol and water mixes very inexpensively.

Art
 
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