Flush perfectly good DX5 head with what to store it?

[SightLine]

Situations is this - my JV33 has some transistors go out on the mainboard. In troubleshooting the problem I bought a new print head. I'm now 99.9% sure the original printhead was actually fine. Test draws from it were 100% perfect but when problems started last week one channel went out totally. Replaced the print head, FPC cables, etc only to discover the new head was doing the exact same thing. Finally traced it down to a pair of transistors on the mainboard. Replaced both and it prints perfect again.

Now I'm stuck with a printhead that I cannot return obviously since it now has ink in it. The only replacement head I could get was water based so I had to swap the head adaptor from the original head to the new head. Is there anything I can flush the ink out of this perfectly good head with so I can hang onto it?

 

[Robert M]

Flush

Get a syringe that you can hook up to some flexible hose (2mm ID) Load up some cleaning fluid and gently push it through each of the eight nipples on the manifold. Flush until you see a clear stream of fluid, you can then push out the fluid with air.

 

[SightLine]

Thanks Robert. I had an older Mimaki "washing liquid" cartridge. Used a syringe to draw some of that and and flushed the head with that. Ran clear on all nozzles - the water based head manifold had to get trashed after. That started melting down toward the end.

Maybe someone here with a JV33 needs a head on the cheap.

 

[BoF]

Filling it with solvent is OK but you must not let it dry as this will kill it.
Keep it moist by squirting a bit in every few days...

 

[kffernandez]

i've asked the same question for my DX4 heads as well. the best suggestion going around is to not let any solvent solution remain inside. with that said, nobody seems to have a 100% success rate at storing used heads.

if we can only figure out what "stuff" they put in the new heads in order to keep it in perfect condition during storage. sigh.

 

[ozzy666]

Six months ago i had a similar situation ,i just flushed the ink with solvent and wrapped the head in a few layers of food plastic film.Last week installed it back on my second printer and was surprised to see that once deflected nozzles on black channel now fires like a new.

 

[mdm]

I could get was water based so I had to swap the head adaptor from the original head to the new head

Wait a minute. So you are saying that the "head adaptor" is different for water based or solvent based DX5 print heads? You mean the black housing (including manifold", right? How is it different?

 

[artbot]

fill it with butyl carbitol. it's a glycol ether (also found in your ink, and cleaning solution). extremely slow drying, very very mildly solvent effect too.

 

[mustafade]

fill it with butyl carbitol. it's a glycol ether (also found in your ink, and cleaning solution). extremely slow drying, very very mildly solvent effect too.

Will this method help keep the nozzles unclogged/preserve being clogged?
I am in the same boat with SightLine except my head is solvent. I just did a flush yesterday again (after reading this thread) all 8 nozzles are firing beautiful but I did not know I had to flush it every so often until this thread came along. Any other additional tips?

 

[SightLine]

Wait a minute. So you are saying that the "head adaptor" is different for water based or solvent based DX5 print heads? You mean the black housing (including manifold", right? How is it different?

Yes - the manifold/head adaptor and the little rubber gaskets inbetween that and the actual head are VERY different for heads designed for solvent machines and heads designated for water based machines. You can use the solvent based parts on a water based machine just fine but do NOT try using the manifold and gaskets for a water based machine on a solvent machine. The plastic will literally melt....

A head intended for a water based machine will be just fine on a solvent machine as long as you put a solvent resistant manifold on it.

Will this method help keep the nozzles unclogged/preserve being clogged?
I am in the same boat with SightLine except my head is solvent. I just did a flush yesterday again (after reading this thread) all 8 nozzles are firing beautiful but I did not know I had to flush it every so often until this thread came along. Any other additional tips?

I have no additional tips nor have I added any additional flushing to the one I have since I first flushed it out. Been sitting on the shelf ever since. Just going to hope a little that it might work one day when I have a need to give it a try.

 

[Tourney Services]

Are you still selling Print head? How much? is it OEM?