Laserwriter toner refill

[CompactManiac]

Hi - I've an old Apple Laserwriter Select 310 from 1993 but new toner cartridges have not been manufactured for a long time. The printer was only ever used by me so has had very light usage over the years. I've confirmed it still works in terms of going through the motions of guiding the paper through the machine and trying to print when sent a printout from one of my Macintosh computers. A faint printout is still legible but there are also lots of black streaks on both the front and back of the paper which is consistent with the toner needing replaced.

My cartridge is the original one shipped with the printer as it has the date on it and it has never been refilled or replaced.
I am aware cartridges can only be refilled several times so perhaps my original cartridge is a good candidate.

I can see a few firms offer toner refill kits and was wondering has anyone any experience of using these and if so was it worthwhile.
For example what sort of print quality could I expect from refilling an original cartridge that is now 30 years old or is that a simply a futile exercise?
Would it be better to buy a newer recycled cartridge than attempt to use my own if it is so old?

I'm not expecting the quality of printouts to return to the level when the machine was new but it would be great if I still put it to use for printing basic invoices and labels where quality is not paramount.

 

[beachycove]

Years ago I refilled lots of LW cartridges, using eBay-supplied toner bottles. Generally speaking, a new-ish, working toner cartridge that is just low on powder can be refilled and re-used about one time without too much problem, so that, instead of, say 4000 pages you get 7-8000 from that cartridge. After that first refill, though, cartridges tend to get tired so that a refill is hit and miss. The trouble is generally a wiper blade.

The problem with wiper blades is not just the ‘mileage’, but the years, in that ageing is a problem. Getting a really old toner cartridge working again is bound to involve a blade. There are generally two, though the one on the imaging drum, i.e., the one at the business end of the mechanism, is AFAIK the most important. These are just some sort of rubber/ flexible plastic blade stuck to a metal strip used to secure the thing, the rubber of which is meant to flex against the drum as it rotates to remove excess toner. Streaking is a sure sign that a wiper blade needs replaced, which is what would be expected by now. Wiper blades can be bought for at least some old toner cartridges — though you have to look hard to find them, and they would be rare old stock at this stage — or you could try disassembling the cartridge, removing the blade (just a few screws, generally), and then heating the rubber/ plastic and reforming it so that there is more tension in the blade against the drum when replaced. Be careful of the toner dust, though, as it is not what you’d call lung friendly.

A really thorough cartridge rebuild is possible, with replacement of foam seals and the like, but that is not a simple DIY operation, and parts would surely be very rare. I’d aim for something more basic: give the heat reforming a try, see if it removes the streaking, and if so, buy a bottle of toner powder and only then refill. That way no money gets spent until you have seen some promise.

I once read a post on another board somewhere where some fellow said that he had printed something like 100000 pages using a single HP98 toner cartridge using the heat reforming method and simple hopper refills. I’ve not had that kind of luck with it myself, but you could give it a shot.

 

[CompactManiac]

Thanks for the info which was really useful.

I'd previously checked an Apple Service video for the Select 310 printer which was interesting to watch but it never mentioned anything about wipers needing replaced:

Still it showed how to strip the machine if I want to clean the panels etc or carry out other troubleshooting inside the unit.

I also referred to an online copy of the service manual:

https://vintageapple.org/laserwriter/pdf/LaserWriter_Printers_Service_Guide_Volume_II_Sept_1993.pdf

A good read as well but no mention of wiper blades either.
It makes sense I suppose since Apple back then simply recommended a new cartridge and that took care of any issues with wiper blades, toner powder or the drum with a simple solution. I am now beginning to realise why toner cartridges were so expensive. There are a lot of components inside a toner cartridge when you buy a new one.

Searching for the magic word wipers allowed me to locate this earlier thread about the same issue:

Replacement Laserwriter Toner Drum Blades

Only creating a separate thread for this so it is easier to find for future reference, and this applies to all old printers. Does anyone here have a trick to replacing the wiper blades inside toner cartridges? The one for my LaserWriter II is totally shot, it cracked and is crumbling away after...

68kmla.org

That thread discussed in detail about sourcing wipers that would work in the early Canon based Laserwriters with some promising results.

The Laserwriter Select series were budget printers and the 310 was made by Fuji Xerox.
So it might be more difficult tracking down a blade for my machine.
I'm going to do some more research and see what I can find in terms of sourcing a possible new wiper blade which would be the ideal solution.

Judging by the number of 300, 310 and 360 models on Ebay being sold 'as is' or 'for parts' this is likely a very common problem.
It would be fantastic if a new wiper blade for some other brand also solved the issue for these cheaper printers.

 

[beachycove]

How a Toner Cartridge Works - IT Hardware & Solutions

The breakdown and diagram of toner cartridge parts and how they work. FarraTech is a toner cartridge re-manufacturer in Atlanta, GA.

www.farratech.com