@Everyone
steve30 (the OP) asks:
Does anyone know why the drum won't clean well on these lightly used cartridges?
Will all of the respondents to this thread
PLEASE look at the OP's photo showing toner haze on the drum.
While all of the advice given about the fuser is good, this advice
FAILS to address the question asked. Yes, many printing quality issues can be traced to the fuser. What does
that photo have to say about the fuser?
Is there anything I can do about it?
@steve30 - new replacement wiper blades are available. Just a vinyl strip bonded to a metal carrier that is screwed onto the side of the waste toner receiver section of older tech cartridges. Newer cartridges may also have caulking to better seal the wiper blade to the receiver.
A simple test easy to perform is to take a soft cloth and gently wipe away the toner haze on the exposed drum surface. While holding the toner cartridge as it would be when installed, use your fingers to rotate the drum through one or two revolutions in the direction of normal operation. This direction is into/against the wiper blade. Now look at the drum to see if the clean spot has again acquired a toner haze. If it has, then surely the fuser must be the cause
and Quantum Entanglement is transferring toner from the fuser to the drum in your hands
@techricky - reforming a vinyl wiper does require close attention to the heat applied so as not to melt the soft vinyl. I've clamped the metal wiper plate to a length of flat aluminum sheet .125" thick, with a length of flat straight .032" brass stock to lift and hold the free edge in the correct direction. Then the assembly was warmed uniformly with a heat gun to "about right" and cooled under cold running water to set the new shape.
Or take the simpler route of installing a new wiper blade. As for myself, I enjoy the challenge of doing what seems impossible/impractical just to say I succeeded. Others may not be so adventuresome.
One important detail when servicing the wiper blade is explained in this video by Hendo:
<iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uEABd2OEFuc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>A thoroughly clean wiper blade does not like to slide freely on the drum and can actually get flipped/pulled over into the waste toner receiver, as Hendo mentions.
RF Tech