“Can you refill a dot matrix printer ribbon with WD40?”
Yes, you can!
This even works on color ribbons.
Just open the cartridge up carefully, being sure not to break any plastic parts.
Typical ribbon cartridge. Inmac ink ribbon cartridge with black ink (upper) Inked and folded lengthy ribbon squeeze in the cartridge, zoom in of inside part, pull ribbon in mechanism and ribbon (lower) See File:Printer dot matrix EPSON VP-500.jpg File:Printer dot matrix EPSON VP-500.jpg (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Spray WD40 liberally inside the cartridge.
Close the cartridge.
Advance the ribbon forward multiple rotations so that the ribbon that was outside gets exposed to the WD40. Let the ribbon stand for an hour or so to fully absorb the WD40.
And print!
Can you use silicone spray? No. Why not?
Mixing different kinds of lubricants often leads to a mess that isn’t so lubricative (sp). Ink ribbons usually contain oil in them. This lubricates the print head and pins and is also the result of the ink being left in the paper. Mixing silicone spray may cause gunk to build and could potentially ruin the print head, result in bad printing, and will just be bad in general for the printer. WD40 seems to be close enough to the original oil used in most ribbons that it does not cause this kind of harm and will continue to lubricate the print head just fine.
Related: Read another article about DOT Matrix printers and why they are still useful on Zylblog
Amazing post! I initially found your blog a week or so ago, and I want to subscribe to your RSS feed. Thanks for this very useful info you have provided us.
And what about the possibility of making your own ink?
Does anyone know the recipe for dot-matrix printer ribbon ink?
I tried to figure that out a long time ago.
The ink is essentially oil, which is why WD40 works so well. 3in1 (3n1?) works well too.
I was pondering that one could potentially buy say, pen ink, and mix it with oil, and apply to the inside of the cartridge. Of course, this would only work for single color ribbons…
This site offers some promising directions: http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/showthrea…
I note that they also mention pen ink. The best pen ink is Noodlers Fountain Pen ink due to its being pH neutral, but cheap ink might work just as well (but could corrode the print head potentially).