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Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re:Pigment Inks was Durabright (Ultra) type inks

From: "Stefan Trethan" <stefan_trethan@...>
Date: 2007-02-15

On Thu, 15 Feb 2007 16:58:23 +0100, William Nelson
<wnnelson@...> wrote:

> I'm really GRUMPY now that I clogged up my print
> head. Have you had this problem? Best way to fix? Maybe a bad effect of
> having a heated PCB going
> under the print head? Oh well let me go gump at somebody.


I have the _very same_ here, that's why i put inkjet aside for a while and
fetched the fuser from the attic where i'd just stored it expecting no
further need.

The strange thing is i disabled the cleaning vacuum pump (took away the
gear and plugged the end of the hose with a syringe). After disabling it,
i used the printer for some months, and it would work just perfect on all
nozzles without any cleaning, or only very little cleaning (just draw a
little on the syringe). I know i left it several weeks in a row without
any use, and it would print perfect immediately after.

But then, suddenly one day, it did not print on all nozzles, and no matter
what i tried it would not clean out. When i got it initially it was also
clogged (and the vacuum hose was blocked by gummed up ink). Back then it
was very easy to clean, using Steve's solution, put it on the parking pad
and let the head stew there overnight, next day it cleaned just fine with
a little suction on the vacuum. But now there is no positive effect when i
do that.

I don't have that much ink left, so i don't want to waste much of it in
cleaning attempts. I'll probably just get another printer (that one was
only 1eur). I might also empty the carts and fill them with cleaning fluid
to have another go.

I don't know why it suddenly acted up, especially since it worked before
with no or virtually no cleaning at all.
One option could be that some debris or fiber got onto the parking pad,
breaking the seal. Steve said that will kill it. May also be something
else i don't know.

About the heat possibly drying the ink in the head, i was wondering about
it, but if that's a probem shouldn't it show immediately?

So you see, it could be your printer is just uncooperative like mine, and
it has nothing to do with the heat. I guess if we see them clogging all
the time with heated boards we know for sure.

Did it stop during printing, or while standing idle? I guess that could
tell us something regarding the heat issue.

ST