SoliForum - 3D Printing Community — How to clean nozzle and coupling with acetone?

Re: How to clean nozzle and coupling with acetone?

2014-07-29T17:09:08Z

Cool beans! I was hoping it would be that easy.

Re: How to clean nozzle and coupling with acetone?

2014-07-28T22:25:04Z

There are solvents for PLA, but you don't need to use them. You can just run ABS through it at normal temperatures, and it'll purge the PLA in 15 minutes or so.

Re: How to clean nozzle and coupling with acetone?

2014-07-28T21:15:32Z

Thanks for the advice! Out of curiosity, any advice for cleaning out PLA? We've managed to go through our store of used ABS, and we'd like to play with PLA, but we're worried about being able to switch back to ABS later on. Acetone doesn't dissolve PLA, right? is there something good that does?

Thanks!

Re: How to clean nozzle and coupling with acetone?

2014-07-27T16:37:35Z

I've torn mine down and soaked the nipple and coupler in a tuperware with acetone to loosen and clean out ABS. With out tearing it all apart, I've soaked paper towels in acetone and placed them on or in the threads of the coupler and then wrapped it in tin foil to prevent evaporation. I have the two piece vertical mount that I take off and just put wrap the port with tin foil to prevent evaporation out that way. Helped to soften the ABS to wipe the coupler threads. A dental pick helps a bit to force the acetone soaked rag into the the threads to clean them.

Just how I do it.

Re: How to clean nozzle and coupling with acetone?

2014-07-17T20:52:02Z

Thanks! I've looked into it, and we would have to wait to get acetone shipped to us. I ended up going down to the machine shop on my school's campus and running a tap through each end. It worked beautifully. No plastic left in the threads!

Re: How to clean nozzle and coupling with acetone?

2014-07-17T17:18:45Z

I don't do any cleanout for simple nozzle changes, but sometimes it can be hard to reassemble after a teardown when there is plastic in the threads. It may have been easy to push through the plastic when melted during the teardown, but hardened plastic can get left behind where it is in the way for reassembly. I've often had to use the torch to get everything melted enough to take apart if heating with the band isn't an option. Usually that comes after a disaster of some kind.

Re: How to clean nozzle and coupling with acetone?

2014-07-17T15:59:29Z

There's no need to do this, but if you want to acetone is fine to use in a well ventilated area - no need for a fume hood.

I've run 1500 hours with several nozzle changes and one full teardown to check for wear, and no acetone/blowtorches.

Re: How to clean nozzle and coupling with acetone?

2014-07-17T15:57:45Z

Soaking works even on burnt ABS, but only as a softener. I use a small paperclip to scrape the remainder as it fits in the threads, and through the nozzle hole.

Re: How to clean nozzle and coupling with acetone?

2014-07-17T15:30:45Z

You would soak it in a small jar of acetone, though I'm not sure how effective it would be. Mine usually has some plastic in it that has burned, and I don't know if it is still soluble at that point. I usually pull as much out as I can with tweezers or needle nose pliers while the heat is on, and then use a torch to burn it the rest of the way clean. Acetone doesn't always dissolve the plastic completely, you may still have to scrape gooey ABS out of the threads

How to clean nozzle and coupling with acetone?

2014-07-17T15:09:35Z

Hi! I've had to take apart my Filastruder, and I'd like to clean the ABS out of the brass plug/nozzle and the coupling before I put it back together.

There are lots of posts here suggesting cleaning it out with acetone, but I'm not entirely certain how to do that. Is that done by putting a bunch of acetone in a container and submerging it completely, or by scrubbing with an acetone-dipped brush, or something else entirely? Does it need to be done in a fume hood?

Basically, to all the people who have cleaned their filastruders with acetone, what wisdom can you pass on to a first timer?

Thanks!