Hi all,

NOTE: This is in a PowerSpec re-branded Creator X printer.

After 2 months of flawless operation using ABS, I decided to give PLA a try, with ... interesting results.

I'll leave my bed adhesion issues for another time, but for now, when I loaded up the PLA in left extruder, I encountered a repeated clicking that I recall reading is a sign of the hobbed bolt not gripping the filament correctly. I was able to print a calibration cube, and to do my stock garden gnome print (the gnome army in the office were glad for a new recruit), but after that, the extruder started behaving very badly.

I switched back to ABS while I figure out some of my other issues, and the clicking is now non-stop, and filament isn't coming out of the extruder nozzle.

I figure I need to field-strip it and clean out whatever gunk is in there. I would feel a bit more comfortable with a set of instructions on how to do this, if they exist.

If they don't exist, perhaps I can document my adventures for the future, but I figured I'd ask first.

I've seen a few threads about cleaning a clogged nozzle, but haven't noticed if there's a thread about an extruder rebuild. If there is, and I missed it, my apologies for this thread, and a pointer to the correct place would be appreciated.

After that, I'll be scouring the internet for best practices for running Sainsmart PLA with more consistent results than I've been getting.

Thanks in advance for any advice or pointers you can provide.

Regards,

John