I'm a little late to the print party, but this video is the only one that I found that was helpful and simple. I had tried the needle method to break up the clog, but I never tried it repeatedly while intermittently running the filament through. That helped a ton, and the clog was gone after a few tries. It really sucks getting close to finished on a big project only to have gaps in the print. Thanks for taking the time to post this.

Great video. I tried watching 10 different videoson this topic and this one was by far the most concise and professional. Thank you.

Just used your technique to clear the hotend and it worked LIKE A CHARM! Thanks so much for the very clear instructions! I also ordered the nozzle/hotend cleaning kit you described, so I have more needles on hand.

By far the best 3D printing information channel around.

Great video! used both the needle and cold pull. Started printing and so far so good!

Very awesome channel. When I'm staying up all night working making 3d merch, I watch. Helpful because it just came on when I was switching out nozzles. First time, good to hear more about it.

i was struggling about using a blowtorch, then your vid made me remember that i have an heat gun.... dude u saved my day! ty!

Looking around for a thin enough needle, I found the lancets used for blood tests are the right size for a .04 nozzle. Worked for me, cleared the jam. :)

This video still is one of the best to target simple solutions. Just did two "cold" pulls per your suggested steps and voila, back up and running. Thanks

I had a print fail 60 hours in, 2 hours away from finishing because of a clog...

Thank you for the tips. I common sensed most of this on my own a few days ago, but it’s great to get confirmation that I was doing it correctly. Also, I did not know that needle was for cleaning the nozzle. I suspected it but when it didn’t fit initially I went on to other methods.

thanks for the tips on how to keep the nozzles clear. I had one clog, again I assume it was because I used really cheap filament. I was going to spend time cleaning the nozzle only to find that amazon sells 36 nozzles(for the ender 3) for $10 CAD... approx 28 cents each... so I went that route. Again appreciate this video....

I had what seemed to be a clog nozzle that turned out to be caused by a fractured solder joint on the small pbc in the extruder head assembly of my FlashForge Finder. The fracture caused a resistance that lowered the current to the heater, which varied the wattage. The LCD does not show the temperature status once the print starts, so you have no idea the temp has dropped the melting point needed to push the filament out the nozzle. Thanks for the quality videos and content.

The 'stare down' always works for me.. :-)

Thanks so much!! I just received my first 3D printer today, a Neptune 3 Pro, and your tip helped me clean out the nozzle's factory-test goo. My first print is printing right now, and the little Buddha/Budai is turning out beautifully.

I personally take a little fire torch and melt the platic inside until there is nothing left. Always worked for me! I'm relatively new to the hobby tho but it's awesome. I'm an Engineering student so while I suffer in school, I use my printer to feel better haha.

Excellent video. Worked perfect for my Prusa with only the idler springs undone. Thank you!

Thomas, Thanx again! Subtitle Translation into Russian is accessible. It was also - my first on KZfaq, thanks to You, just because: 1. this particular maintenance IS very painful and usually unexpected to ANY 3D-newcomer, 2. it could happen to anyone owning a 3D-printer, 3. You personally deserved it ;-) Keep it Up!

I'm doing cold pull with a Nylon pretty much once a week. Not because of the clog but to keep my nozzle clean for better print quality. Surprisingly there's alway some gunk inside even though I have clean environment and use good quality filament.

Thank you! Coldpull with PLA just solved my clogging problem here! Brilliant!

I use guitar wire; The thinnest wire is stiff enough to push up into a blocked nozzle. I also feed it in through the bowden and use the ribbed section of the wire to catch hold of molten plastic blockage and pull it out as it cools then I pull or snip off the wire blob and start again. Works for me although I'll try your Stare Down Technique if I run out of strings.

So I experienced wobbles in the walls of my print, time after time no matter what settings I changed. It seemed to be clogging was the problem after all. That nozzle heating and pull out strategy worked nicely. The wobble artifacts instantly disappeared afther this cleanup. Thanks!

Some great logical tips no noob like me could ever think of! Danke!

Also try to avoid doing what I just did and don't knock over your cup spilling acetone over your entire desk while following along the video on your computer.

Thank you for this video. Using the heatgun method you really saved me from buying another nozzle

Thanks - used a 27 G 1 1/4" needle - worked great Thanks!

Thanks for video actually helped me with my clogged cr-10

Thanks. I was about to open up my heat sink, but then I found the pin that came with my Ender. Your suggestion did the trick. Testing now (:

Nylon Cold Pull FTW! Great video as always Tom.

Got my first clog 3 hours in to a big project. Bless this video

That stare down!

Tom, love all your videos. I found stuff call FLOSS filament that cleans your bowben tube and nozzle. I am not sure how I got a cloged nozzle so quickly. Maybe I am just trying to push PETG through my nozzle to quickly. I was trying 100mm/s at .3 layer height. This worked for a couple of decent sized prints. The first symptom was that my first layer was not sticking. My first layer sticks all the time. Then my Titant bowben extruder wouldn't push the filament through the hotend. Previously I had the filament break off. And shortly after I replaced the Bowden Tube. All the above happened. But I still love my Tevo Tornado.

Thanks for that Thomas, very useful. Love the FUBAR bit, great. All the best................

Thank you for the guide! It assisted me with getting the Monoprice Maker Select V2 unclogged after attempting our first print with Wood PLA. I think we need to turn the heat down because I pulled out some burnt filament.

tHANKYOU! heating up the hot end and sticking a pin in got all the jammed old filament out! I was dreading having to take the nozzle out and not being able to put it together again!

Thanks for sharing Tom I haven't had a clog yet but I know I will at some point. 😁

Great video! Thanks Tom!

Omg dude thanks! I was about to change the extruder, but you saved me! Thanks a lot!

The needle one worked for me. Thanks!

Thanks a lot, I was able to successful get rid of my first clog by a combination of needle and cold pulling. The last pull I saw a black fragment in the filament and I knew it worked. Printing as I write! p.s what people say about glowing filament is completely true! Be prepared for numerous clogs!

I have a piece of sponge to clean my filament, I also put a zip-tie around it to make it wipe a bit better and I have a piece of drinking straw to keep it a bit away from my extruder. Another preventive measure I practice is to cold pull my filament as often as possible when changing filament. Since doing these things and throwing away the really cheap and bad filament i had there has been no blocking issues for me.

I like the option of the "stare-down by a real engineer" ... you should offer this as a service! Anyway, the video gave me the confidence to get my printer going again in mere minutes. BTW: tool tip - the BIONIC WRENCH (AKA the Loggerhead) is a great way to hold hexagonal nozzles while heating them up and getting the goo out. The thermal mass of the jaws distributes and stores the heat so you can work longer w/o re-heating...

Thank you so much your favourite of the suggestions worked. Pushing the pla in when warm then letting it cool and pull. I got the particle on the first try but did it a second time just to be safe. Thank you so much.

Thank you so much! So much time and money saved!

I used a welding flame to heat the nozzle. That evaporated and melted the material but did not damage the nozzle in any way. Other flames will work too. The melting temps of nozzles are high anyway.

Very good suggestions. Thanks for doing.

G'day m8...i just got my Ender 3 V2. It has worked flawlessly for a week, but videos like this is really good info for a newby like me! So i know if i have filament issues, ive got the knowledge to fix it...cheers m8 from friendly Downunder!!

most helpful video so far THX!!

Thanks. Just what I needed.

Thanks for the help. Was having nothing but trouble.

When I change my nozzles I do hot swaps then while it’s cooling I use tweezers or a needle you’ll get a strand and it’ll pull a lot of filament out I also use a micro torch if I let it cool too much

The cold pull cleared my nozzle. There was some white material that came out with the filament. I did it two more times just to make it extra clean. Thanks.

Pushing needles up the hot end can be painful :) thanks tom for these video's !!!!

Love the “stare-down”. Didn’t work with my Mini and Nozzle X.. cold pull did though. Cleared my first clogged nozzle today.

Great helpful video is very much appreciated! My favorite nozzle cleaning tool is a small section of a bamboo cooking skewer, like used for cooking on a charcoal grill. It is great for digging out gunk from a nozzle, heat resistant so works well with a heat gun. End can be cut clean or ragged to make it a precise pointed scraper or a bristled stiff brush. Can be put into a drill easily or dremel, less easily, to spin it and really clean out a nozzle nicely. May deposit stuff in the tip final .4mm bore that will need to be removed if pressed into the nozzle hard while spinning it in a drill or dremel. Usually just another bit of bamboo stiff fiber poked through from the other side takes care of that, but it's only for a full servicing and refurbish with the nozzle removed to dig out every last bit of gunk and make it like new. Might work well with solvent as it will hold it and deposit it and carry material away as well.

This video helped me soooo much ! Thx mate !!!

As folks mentioned previously, a non-wound guitar string works well in place of a needle. A guitar string size 013 (.013") = .330mm, fits a .4mm nozzle well without been too flexible.

First thank you for all the GREAT videos you have done. Absolutely wonderful. I have looked thru your videos and I can't find one on properly changing the filament. That is the one thing I am having some problems with. I have an Anet A6 and have a Tevo Torn. on the way :) I have been printing PLA at 210. Should I let the hot end cool down to a certain temp before pulling the filament out? I have had multiple times where the filament left some string in the top end of the feed tube and then I could not push it back down after reheating the extruder and had to dissasemble to push it out. So any info you can provide or a link to a good video would be appreciated.

love your videos and advice thank you very much

Thanks, really good advice!

Thanks for explaining the atomic method. Not sure I have a blocked nozzle, but at certain points on my first layer brim, the sudden direction change makes my nozzle pull the filament it just laid back up and wrap itself all round the nozzle. It's always the same direction. I put a lighter to the nozzle and it is adhering now after many many print attempts and too much money spent on the swear jar. I'm using the Geetech Superplate which has been great for the first week, but it's refusing to stick at all sometimes on certain patches and it's like the nozzle just wants to drag the filament along.

I use flame torch to clean mine, work very great ^^

I have had very few clogs in the last two years, one bit of advice I learnt was to cool down the hotend to 45c before turning off the printer I believe this has helped a lot in not getting clogs

Brilliant advice, cold pull did the trick on lk4 pro. Thanks

Thank you so much I wish so many blessings on your family. :)

Helped me out, thanks!

A needle did it. Phew. Thanks for the guide!

Your videos are top notch

That cold pull worked like a charm, thanks for the info

When I got a clogged nozzle, I told myself not to worry; just go rewatch Tom's video on clogged nozzles. 10 minutes later and it's all ready to go.

Cool tips, thank you.

The yanking method worked best for me! Thank you!!!😊

Super Video! Hat mir weiter geholfen ;)

look into welding tip cleaners might work extremely well for cleaning the tips you guys use

thank you very much this helped a lot.

So i had the clog of hell. Used amolen, silk dual color. The clog happened at a certain point every time. I did tons of small cleaning and extrusion tests. And eventually i learned that the speed you run this type of silk filament at is always gonna clog the nozzle at higher speeds. You can compensate with higher temps, but the speed itself matters the most. Max ought to be like 45 but their document say 40. I litterally went and took a piece in and out fast and slow. Smashed it in to force-extrude fast. It always failed when i went fast, but the eureka moment was when i let it pass trough slowly. So this better work, stellar video regardless. Whatever excess grime my extruder had, now ought to be gone 👏

yeah was looking all over for someone to explain the print becoming qriggly just after exiting nozzle, this is the first guy i found mentioning this. and only as a list of things what could be wrong. gonna check if it is some particle in it that is not supposed to be there now.

Hey there, Just signed in to like and leave this comment (I usually dont, even when signed in) because your tipps made cleaning very fast... Am going to do the cold pull in a bit, Have a good day and a great time to yall reading this :)

Thanks Dude... help much appreciated.

At the end of every print, on my Ender 5 S1, I leave the filament in and let it cool to about 50°c and then do a cold pull. This also works when I'm using PLA and I generally get a full imprint of the nozzle interior.

That worked for me. Oddly before the blockage, the filament looked like it was liquefied and bubbling at the tip when I pushed it through. Anyhow, clear nozzle and printing now.

Thanks, just had mine block with PLA. keep buying random thing from Amazon but Acupuncture needles was never on my list until today.

A cold pull with PLA at 60-70°C works REMARKABLY well on the Monoprice Maker Select V2.1

+1 for the "Stare-Down" method. :D

i think i'm done with abs in my printer... i have dual e3d v6 nozzles, i think nylon may be an awesome choice!

Goodday Mr. Sanladerer, I am new into 3D printers, i just got Tronxy few days ago. I have discovered when i excute print button in Repetier-Host, i have discovered that the Bowden extruder feeds reverse, and at the same time the nozzle and hotend drops in temperature so the filament i pushed trough has clogged. What is wrong? can you help me out of this mess?

It worked! Thank you so much!!

nice video, thank you. If I have to go the acetone route and the hotend has a nylon sheath with filament stuck inside, will the chemical hurt the nylon?

I have had my titanium tip E3D nozzle for over 1 and a half years now and my ender 3 s1 started to have dificulty pushing filament trough now i found out its completly clogged up so i probably have to use the acetone method to get it all dissolved inside. as the needle and cold pull method did nothing to unclog it and i have some brass ones in case of emergency and its working fine. Thank you for the tips!

that plumbus in background :D

I used a head gun and it seemed to work,. Thanks for this video!

Just ran into this kind of problem: Anet A8 nozzle ejecting very low material. It wasn't a coggled nozzle. Turns out the cog attached to the extruder motor loosed itself from the motor shaft, so the extruder wasn't able to pull the filament. It's worth a check, and it's a easy fix!!!

Thank you your video got my printer printing again

A cold pull did the trick, thank you

Tnx....very helpful. One question....what’s the best way to the cold pull if you have a Bowden system? Tnx

I did it with the compressor pistol, heating up the nozzle and then pressing the filament out (from tip site) by air pressure... works fine for me. Actually, it was my mistake, was printing steel filament with a 0.4 nozzle while 0.6 was recommended by manufacturer :-)

that sponge is a nice idea, thankx

thanks Thomas!!!

It works well with a soldering kit. Just lower the temperature a bit so that it is between 200 and 240C. The PLA melts and you can just clean the nozzle easily. AP

I put mine in a pot and boiling water yesterday since pla melts at the same temp water boils. worked great