Digital BW, The Print

My experiments are complete, and I am reporting success on 
eliminating syringes for the refill procedure in the MIS Spongeless 
carts on my 1280. I did this because I was tired of syringes, ink 
all over my sink and hands, and the extra hassle of screwing around 
with syringes.

I simply screwed in inflator needles into the MIS ink bottle caps, 
epoxy, let dry, and done. Now I have 6 bottles of ink, ready to 
refill sitting next to my printer, and no more syringes.

(Use at your own risk...I just completed this experiment, and 
everything is working fine, although I did spill some ink at first, 
so working over a sink is recommended.)

Materials required:
1. The 4 oz. MIS ink bottles.

2. Metal inflator needles, one for each ink. These are the inflator 
needles used to fill footballs, basketballs, etc. (Not the larger 
French nozzle style, but the needle type with threads on the other 
end that screws into a bicycle pump). There are 2 holes on the end, 
one on the end, and one a fraction of an inch from the end on the 
side...(the extra hole seems create a vacuum to prevent ink from 
spilling out the end while refilling/tipping the bottle on the side, 
which occurred during my experiment using syringe tips.)

3. A sealing epoxy called "Amazing Goop" (www.amazinggoop.com). This 
stuff sticks to both metal and the plastic MIS bottle tops. Comes in 
1 oz. tube, available at Michael's Craft Store in the U.S.

Procedure:
1. Drill a hole in the top of the plastic bottle cap cover to 
accomodate the inflator needle. Kmart has them, and likely any 
sporting goods store sells them. The ones I found at Kmart in the 
automotive section require a 9/32" hole. If 9/32" drill bit is not 
available, use 1/4" drill bit and carefully rotate it around to 
enlarge the hole it's big enough for the threads on the needle. 
Screw in the needle a couple turns to test for a good firm fit, 
before the next step.

2. Smear a thin, ample amount of epoxy around the threads of the 
needle with a toothpick, using caution not to allow any glue to come 
in contact with the inside of the opening.

3. Screw the needle into the bottle cap using a pair of pliers...the 
fit should be firm and even. 

4. After it's screwed in all the way, smear a thin layer of epoxy 
around the outside where the needle sticks out of the bottle cap. 
This will insure the seal.

5. Let cure for at least 24 hours before using. (Probably important 
to stick to that time frame, as instructed on the epoxy package.)

6. Simply screw your new refill cap onto the ink bottle.

7. To refill, remove rubber plug, tilt cartridge at a 45-degree 
angle, and insert needle into cartridge hole, then tilt cartridge 
back to normal level, and squeeze plastic bottle slowly to fill 
cart. It's a bit tricky at first to avoid spilling a few drops of 
ink, but after a couple tries, it's really easy.

When done, I stick a straight pin down into the needle to prevent 
ink from drying out inside the tip.

Please note I have only done this with the 1280 clear spongless 
carts, although I suspect it will be just as easy with any other 
cartridge that is 'refill friendly' with the rubber plugs and refill 
hole at the top of the cartridge.

Mark