The nozzle my replicator 2 is completely clogged from an error that occurred during an unattended print. I think the only solution is to remove the nozzle and great it with a blowtorch to remove the pla clog, but when I try to unscrew the nozzle the whole block wants to turn. Anyone have any guidance on getting the nozzle out?
Have you tried contacting makerbot support?
Read this one first it may help you without removing the nozzle http://support.makerbot.com/entries/21545795-filament-stuck-in-nozzle
Otherwise take a look on this one http://www.makerbot.com/support/replicator/troubleshooting/nozzle-swap/
I haven’t but I’ve been disappointed by their support in the past and want to just fix this.
Heat the extruder and then un screw it from the block. A long soak in acetone will break down the PLA. Use the bristle from a wire brush to poke out the hole. I purchased 2 nozzles just in case this happened. MB support? Get used to fixing it yourself. Be sure to print the filament cleaner off Thingiverse. Also if you’re switching from one filament color to another just load the new filament instead of pulling the old out snip it off and push it thru. If you are still within you’re return window send the POS back and build a real one. I will never support MB again with purchase of any of their products. If you keep it, stop what you’re doing and print out all the upgrades, purchase the aluminum arm kit and skip the aluminum build plate. Mount youre PLA spools up above the unit so the filament feeds directly down to the extruder. All this to make it work like it should have out of the box.
Whoops I forgot, be extra careful with the heater and thermocouple wires or you’ll be putting in another call to MB customer service. When they’ve been unresponsive with me I call. Every part has shown up free of charge and sometimes I got more than one. Sometimes parts showed up fast sometimes slow. go to my makerbot photos to see the spool mounting mod I did for clean filament delivery.
So, I’ve tried for a couple of hours now to clear the nozzle without removing it. Using rep G I heated to 260 and got a little of the external pla off of the nozzle but couldn’t get the 30 gauge magnet wire to penetrate the nozzle in any meaningful way. Tried the toothpick trick from the inside of the nozzle to no avail either. Now I see conflicting info all over the place: do/don’t remove the nozzle from a replicator 2. PLA can/cannot be cleared with acetone. This is a brand new extruder nozzle with less than 10 hours on it. This sucks…
I agree, Acetone cannot be used to clear the nozzle with PLA, it’s only for ABS.
MBI says to not remove the nozzle without opening a call to their support, in fact you are by you own if you do it 
Ohhhh, B.S. gimmie a break! Then why do people use acetone for PLA vapor finishing or to glue their parts together. This same mess happened to me exactly the same way. You must get the nozzle off 1st then soak it in acetone. Dont use acetone to try to clear the nozzle while its on the R2 or stick anything in the nozzle end it all must be done from the threaded end. Use a small drill bit to break up the little bits and then the wire for the end. You may have to heat the nozzle to get the wire thru. Disassemble the filament feeding assembly and Remove the heater and thermocouple carefully or you’ll mess the wires up. Put the block in a vise, heat with a torch and remove. Easy. MB support? Ha! Those mental midgets couldn’t give a crap otherwise they wouldn’t have made the simple engineering mistakes they did cutting corners so Bret or Bre or what ever his name is could buy a Ferrari. I’ve done every replicator upgrade and a few of my own. Get the aluminum arms, the filament upgrade and mount you’re spools overhead. I haven’t had a bad print or issue since.
Here is a test of vapor finishing with acetone and PLA. Read the conclusion, Acetone is not the best option for PLA… http://funbiestudios.com/2013/01/acetone-test-finish-for-pla-3d-prints/
Ok guys I can admit when I’m wrong. After talking with my employee who did the work THF is what did it. I have Acetone one the brain as it is what we use at work and I’m chasing new suppliers. Acetone will do the job but only over a few days soak and with heat and mechanical assistance. Just treat THF like you would any nasty carcinogenic chemical. THF has been used successfully for vapor smoothing of PLA. I really get fired up when talking about MB support, design and the problems they’ve caused everyone.
I heard back from MakerBot today:
Based on your description it sounds like you have a clogged nozzle. I would highly advise not raising the temperature up to 260 degrees as you may actually cause more damage to the printer. Trying to clean the nozzle with a magnet wire could have also caused damage inside the nozzle as well.
To unclog your nozzle, first unload your filament and turn off your bot. Loosen the two bolts on the front of the extruder, then pull the motor out from the back of the extruder and unplug it, then put it aside. This would be a good time to make sure the drive gear is clean. Check out this video for some basic maintenance instructions:
Looking down where the motor was, at the top of the bar mount which holds the thermal core and the nozzle, you’ll see the thermal barrier tube with a nut attached to the top of it. Turn your bot back on and heat the nozzle through either the preheat or load filament scripts. Once hot, take a piece of filament and run it directly into the thermal barrier tube, doing a sort of “manual extrusion”. As it extrudes, yank the filament out and cut a clean end, then repeat this process 3 - 4 times. Now turn off the bot and reassemble the extruder, then turn the bot back on and try to reload the filament. If it extrudes normally, great!
If your bot is still having issues where the filament curls up around the nozzle straight out of the extruder, raise the platform to almost where the nozzle is. Put a piece of paper between the nozzle and the platform, then run the load filament script. The extruded plastic will form a blob around the nozzle - you’ll want to stop the formation of the blob before it touches too much of the insulation around the thermal core. Once the blob has formed, let it cool completely, and then check out this video for how to remove it:
I did this procedure and it worked beautifully. I haven’t done any printing yet, but I definitely have pla extrusion which is a chance for the good. Thank you for all of your help and suggestions. I will definitely be doing some upgrades on this printer.
Shawn, I’ve also found that a #13 &14 guitar string helps as well.