Drum/Toner: As we will mention throughout all of these updated tech-tips, for the first time in our nine-year history, we are now using our own private sources of supplies in the remanufacturing of toner cartridges. The reasons for this principally revolve around quality and consistency. We have now switched over to Laser Group toner and drum for the best combination of print density and cartridge life. While we have tested combinations which produced either darker prints or longer cartridge life, we have not found a combination of toner and drum which produces a better combination of density and cartridge life.

"Upgrade Kit": We continue to use the IBM "upgrade kit" as standard operating procedure. This $4.00 kit includes a clear plastic toner hopper cover which makes filling the toner hopper extremely fast, clean and easy. Cutting off the Tyvek OEM toner hopper cover, dumping out the old toner, pouring in the new toner and re-covering the toner hopper with the clear replacement cover and duct tape, takes far less time than it used to take to fill the hopper through the hole in the side of the new toner hopper. By virtue of the fact that the entire top of the hopper is removed giving free access to the inside of the new toner hopper, you can now clean the new toner hopper completely, eliminating any possible toner incompatibilities between any left-over OEM toner and new replacement toner.

The IBM "Upgrade kit" also includes several items which significantly reduce the problem of hoppers leaking during shipping. First, the kit includes two replacement Teflon washers (shims) for the rubber toner roller and two black plastic strips to replace the ones underneath the toner roller (we only install the new ones if the old ones are severely warped). We always remove the old Teflon shims and use the kit's new Teflon washers on either side of the rubber toner roller.

The best news is the IBM "upgrade kit" kit includes a self-adhesive recovery blade (also called the secondary wiper blade). This replacement recovery blade eliminates the need to vacuum toner out of the waste hopper through the tiny slit between the primary and secondary wiper blades or to drill the 1" hole in the side of the waste hopper like we used to do to empty out the waste hopper. Pulling off the old recovery blade opens up a 3/8" X 9" gap into the waste hopper through which you can pour out waste toner much more easily than any of the other previously used methods of cleaning the waste hopper.

Toner Delivery Roller: We now recommend HL Platen Cleaner to clean and dress the rubber toner roller and advise against using alcohol to clean the rubber toner roller (since alcohol has a tendency to dry out the natural oils which are present in rubber). We also recommend using Laser Group Conductive Grease on the metal shaft of the rubber toner roller (the end which makes the electrical contact for the roller).

As we mentioned previously, we have located a source of screws which are the perfect size for the four holes you drill to hold the metal or plastic gear plate in place (these are in reality the replacment drum axle screws from SX cartridges). We are also using a wonderful accessory for a cordless screwdriver which has a hex-shaped shaft and 3/32" bit to drill the holes. Both the screws and the bit are available through us.

We now recommend using the AEG replacment drums and recommend using them no more than three uses. There are replacement wiper blades available for the IBM 4019, but they are a real a bear to get installed. (We will cover the installation of the new wiper blade, plus cover all the steps used with the IBM upgrade kit in our new 4019/4029/4039 tape to be released in the future). Coming in through the top of the cartridge is a nightmare and takes forever. Coming in through the bottom is easier but very hard to explain.

(Note: As most of you have figured out, some of the newer 4019/4029 cartridges do not have the small planetary gear under the gear plate, nor is there the paddle in the waste hopper, so don't look for them in the garbage. Do this gearless cartridge the same way as the geared 4019.)

- 4039 Addendum -

Remanufacturing the 4039 is almost identical to remanufacturing the 4019/4029. We use all the same techniques, the same drum - (but make sure you either order your 4019/4039 drums without gears, then you can use the same drum in either type of cartridge by simply pulling off the old gears and installing them on the new drum or order the drum with the specific gears in question already installed). We use the Nu-Finish corona cleaner on the PCR (primary charge roller). We use our 4039 toner and it works great. As in the newer 4019's and 4029's, the 4039 cartridge has no planetary gear.

- End -

PLEASE NOTE: We are always ready, willing and able to provide technical support to any of our trainees on any of the cartridges we have taught them to remanufacture. In order to make your interaction with tech support as productive and beneficial as possible, we make two assumptions: We assume that you have followed our procedures to the letter and used the supplies we recommended during the remanufacturing process. If a cartridge is remanufactured in a manner other than what we prescribe or with supplies other than the ones we recommend, the extent of our technical support can only be "generic" in nature, since we will have no firsthand experience with either the methods or supplies in question. In addition, we assume that you have already done your "swaps" (as outlined in the troubleshooting section for each cartridge) and that you will be able to answer questions based on the results of those swaps before you call and ask for help. We appreciate your understanding in this matter.

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