Method for removing jammed PLA filament from bowden tube

[peetree 3]

I recently had a bad jam in my bowden tube. After several material changes, the wispy threads that sometimes get left behind bunched up and wrapped around the filament I was using. It was so bad it created a visible bulge in the tube:

Normal methods for getting a broken piece of filament out of the tube were of no use, given how badly stuck this was. Here is what worked for unsticking a really bad (PLA) jam:

1. Remove all the loose filament you can

2. Remove the bowden tube from the printer

3. Boil water

4. Hold the tube under the hot water at the location of the jam for 2-3 minutes

5. Quickly insert a clean, room temperature length of filament into the tube

6. Use the clean filament to tap the jammed filament repeatedly until it comes out of the tube

7. Allow the bowden tube to air dry, then replace on the printer

[cleverhans 1]

Thanks for this post, I just used this method to unclog my Bowden tube! Some Colorfabb Bronzefill filament had been crushed too much by the feeder so it was too wide to fit through the tube properly and got stuck. I couldn't hold the tube or push on the filament hard enough to see any progress after removing the tube from the printer. So I filled a skillet halfway with water and boiled it, then turned off the heat. Then I used two twist-ties to coil the clogged tube so it could be fully submerged as shown in the photo. After letting the tube spend about a minute underwater to reach temperature, pushing the filament out was effortless.

[gr5 2,234]

I've used the exact same technique.  Except without the twist ties.  🙂

[dfrez 21]

bumping the thread again, stumbled on it after a desperate Google search, lol. 
 

I had some dissolvable support material split and get jammed in the Bowden. My typical techniques of using another piece of filament to push it out was futile. I resorted to soaking the tube in hot water overnight but that only dissolved the first few inches on either end. Still stuck. 
 

Boiling water might do the trick, will report back. 

[baudaus 0]

And yes: That works like a charm!

Finding where the ****** thing was clogged took some time, but when i pulled out the Bowden tube an unmovable fillament blob appeared.  5 minutes to find this thread, another 5 to remove the tube, and yes, an additional 5 minutes later the tube was clear.

 

Thank you.