Ultimate Nozzle Brush
Updated: Apr 28, 2019
3D Printer owners know that from time to time a print goes bad and filament attaches itself to the nozzle. I have seen many nozzles where plastic has baked on over and over again. My nozzle stays squeaky clean thanks to a nozzle brush I created based on a nozzle brush my friend Jesse was using from the Colorado Printing Project.
The idea came about at a Maker Faire when he was talking about the nozzle brush he obtained at a MRRF. The material in the brush he claimed was the best out there. It reminded me of the felt moving pads that often come with your rental truck. From there I went on a hunt to find something that would make the ultimate nozzle brush. I found that Amazon carried the moving pads but they were costly and far more than I would have needed for 1000 nozzle brushes let alone the few I was going to produce. I settled for these felt pads that proved to be outstanding for this nozzle brush.
Once I had the felt pads the original idea was to simply stick them onto a 3D Printed handle. I liked the idea but something was missing. After playing around with one a while I folded one in half. The curved end then made more sense to use for the side of the nozzle. I took two of them and placed them together. The ultimate nozzle brush was born! You can make your own by using the 3D model available on Thingiverse and felt pads like the ones shown above. When printing the model print it with the felt hole facing down. This will allow you to print it without supports. In the photo below you're looking at the bottom when it prints. This side faces down.
The link to the ones I bought on Amazon is here. Once you print the model you will need three 1" square felt squares that are adhesive. Below should be all the parts you need to assemble.
Start by folding 2 of the squares onto each other. It will create 2 rounded edge pieces. One of the sides will be flat. That is the part you will insert into the felt hole. The other side (flat) place the unfolded square. This completes the brush.
You can then use the one end to wipe off just the tip or use the other end to wipe off the entire sides of the nozzle. This will keep your nozzle clean and shiny!
If you like this idea please share it! Happy 3D Printing.