Digital BW, The Print

Hello all.  I've got the clog from hell...  I bought a used Epson 
1160 online and it arrived with dried up carts in it.  I took the carts 
out and used a cleaning cartridge that I bought from inkjetmall to 
purge the inks from the system.  After ordering a CFS from MIS, I 
had to wait for a week for it to arrive so the printer was sitting 
around without any carts in it at all for about a week.  Now, I find 
that this was probably my big mistake and that any ink remaining 
in the nozzles would dry out and cause some major clogging.  
After installing the CFS there were a few bars missing on the 
yellow and cyan ink sections.  I did the requisite 3 cleaning 
cycles, then print, repeat, repeat and still the missing bands on 
the nozzle check.  It's always in the same spot.  So, I tried 
soaking the felt pads on the right side of the machine with 
Fantastik hoping that it would solve the problem.  Nope...  Next, I 
tried using some fresh Epson ink carts and doing the 3 cleaning, 
print, repeat, repeat, repeat technique and still nothing.  Finally, I 
tried injecting the print heads with Fantastik to no avail.  I'm out of 
options and am wondering if there's anything else I can do 
before I have to send it out and get it worked on professionally.  
Thanks for your help.

Andy

on 8/3/02 2:25 PM PST,  akivisuals@... wrote:
[snip]

>Finally, I tried injecting the print heads with Fantastik to no avail.  I'm
>out of options and am wondering if there's anything else I can do before I
>have to send it out and get it worked on professionally.

Andy-
Not sure what technique you are using to inject the head with Fantastik, but
this is finally worked for me in a very similar situation:  Using a 20 or 30
cc syringe with some Fantastik (theories vary on whether or how much the
Fantastik should be diluted with water), screw one of the MIS "tube
adapters" to the end of the syringe.  Attach the adapter to the spike of the
clogged head.  Apply gentle pressure until you feel that some of the
Fantastik has entered the head (it actually took me some considerably
pressure)  Too much and the liquid will spurt out.  Anyway, the important
part is to pull on the syringe and draw the Fantastik OUT into the syringe.
You should see ink flow into the syringe.   I did this a few times, and then
after waiting overnight, I miraculously got perfect nozzles checks, after
weeks of trying all other techniques. Hope this helps.

David

Andy:

You might want to try injecting/sucking Windex instead of Fantistic 
through your printhead nozzles (as described on the MIS site--I 
think?).  I don't know what's in Fantastic, but typical Windex has a 
great combo of ingredients compatable with Epson and MIS ink 
cleaning.  It has water (an excellent solvent), a little isopropal 
alcohol (an excellent wetting agent to get the water into tiny 
places), and a little ammonium hydroxide (that raises the pH which is 
compatable with Epson and MIS inks which are basic).  It also has 
some other grease cutters.  I also use Windex to clean and moisten 
the right parking pad and to clean the far left pad.  Don't forget to 
clean and wet the rubber wiping bar (I don't know what Epson calls 
it) that is hiding under the metal plate just to the left of the 
parking pad.  You could also try placing a folded paper towel wetted 
with Windex in the channel beneath the path of the printhead and 
manually drag the printhead across it. 

Also I suspect some air may be trapped in your nozzles so be careful 
when you are injecting/sucking the Windex through the nozzles not to 
leave air in the nozzles and quickly install a fresh cart (or a cart 
without air bubbles) to minimize air entry. 

Many methods have been described here and at the MIS and PiezoBW 
sites.


Jeff Randall


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "akivisuals" 
<akivisuals@y...> wrote:
> Hello all.  I've got the clog from hell...  I bought a used Epson 
> 1160 online and it arrived with dried up carts in it.  I took the 
carts 
> out and used a cleaning cartridge that I bought from inkjetmall to 
> purge the inks from the system.  After ordering a CFS from MIS, I 
> had to wait for a week for it to arrive so the printer was sitting 
> around without any carts in it at all for about a week.  Now, I 
find 
> that this was probably my big mistake and that any ink remaining 
> in the nozzles would dry out and cause some major clogging.  
> After installing the CFS there were a few bars missing on the 
> yellow and cyan ink sections.  I did the requisite 3 cleaning 
> cycles, then print, repeat, repeat and still the missing bands on 
> the nozzle check.  It's always in the same spot.  So, I tried 
> soaking the felt pads on the right side of the machine with 
> Fantastik hoping that it would solve the problem.  Nope...  Next, I 
> tried using some fresh Epson ink carts and doing the 3 cleaning, 
> print, repeat, repeat, repeat technique and still nothing.  
Finally, I 
> tried injecting the print heads with Fantastik to no avail.  I'm 
out of 

> options and am wondering if there's anything else I can do 
> before I have to send it out and get it worked on professionally.  
> Thanks for your help.
> 
> Andy

Epson techs typically use 1:9 household ammonia/distilled water for the
nozzle flush.  I'd be inclined not to put surfactant (which is in the
fantastic and windex) in the head itself...fine for the pad though.

Robert

On 8/3/02 9:16 PM, "jrandall1149" <jrandall@...> wrote:

> Andy:
> 
> You might want to try injecting/sucking Windex instead of Fantistic
> through your printhead nozzles (as described on the MIS site--I
> think?).  I don't know what's in Fantastic, but typical Windex has a
> great combo of ingredients compatable with Epson and MIS ink
> cleaning.  It has water (an excellent solvent), a little isopropal
> alcohol (an excellent wetting agent to get the water into tiny
> places), and a little ammonium hydroxide (that raises the pH which is
> compatable with Epson and MIS inks which are basic).  It also has
> some other grease cutters.  I also use Windex to clean and moisten
> the right parking pad and to clean the far left pad.  Don't forget to
> clean and wet the rubber wiping bar (I don't know what Epson calls
> it) that is hiding under the metal plate just to the left of the
> parking pad.  You could also try placing a folded paper towel wetted
> with Windex in the channel beneath the path of the printhead and
> manually drag the printhead across it.
> 
> Also I suspect some air may be trapped in your nozzles so be careful
> when you are injecting/sucking the Windex through the nozzles not to
> leave air in the nozzles and quickly install a fresh cart (or a cart
> without air bubbles) to minimize air entry.
> 
> Many methods have been described here and at the MIS and PiezoBW
> sites.
> 
> 
> Jeff Randall
> 
> 
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "akivisuals"
> <akivisuals@y...> wrote:
>> Hello all.  I've got the clog from hell...  I bought a used Epson
>> 1160 online and it arrived with dried up carts in it.  I took the
> carts 
>> out and used a cleaning cartridge that I bought from inkjetmall to
>> purge the inks from the system.  After ordering a CFS from MIS, I
>> had to wait for a week for it to arrive so the printer was sitting
>> around without any carts in it at all for about a week.  Now, I
> find 
>> that this was probably my big mistake and that any ink remaining
>> in the nozzles would dry out and cause some major clogging.
>> After installing the CFS there were a few bars missing on the
>> yellow and cyan ink sections.  I did the requisite 3 cleaning
>> cycles, then print, repeat, repeat and still the missing bands on
>> the nozzle check.  It's always in the same spot.  So, I tried
>> soaking the felt pads on the right side of the machine with
>> Fantastik hoping that it would solve the problem.  Nope...  Next, I
>> tried using some fresh Epson ink carts and doing the 3 cleaning,
>> print, repeat, repeat, repeat technique and still nothing.
> Finally, I 
>> tried injecting the print heads with Fantastik to no avail.  I'm
> out of 
>> options and am wondering if there's anything else I can do
>> before I have to send it out and get it worked on professionally.
>> Thanks for your help.
>> 
>> Andy
> 
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