Caulk nozzle unblocker

[Handyjack]

I do not have a direct or indirect financial or other interest in the product or the provider (including friendship).

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Most of us have had a blocked caulk gun nozzle while there is still use-able product in the cartridge. Rather than buy a new cartridge the answer is to unblock the nozzle. I bought this product for under $10 in the hope that it would make clearing blocked nozzles easier.
The product does have a sharp point on it and that could cause a nasty injury.
To use it is screwed into the blocked nozzle. This I found to be difficult to impossible due to the density of the solid product I was trying to clear from the blocked nozzle. If the product is not completely solid the tool goes in easily and comes out a mess leaving the tip still blocked.

Plan B: Carefully use a couple of flat bladed screwdrivers to remove blockage from nozzle. Wipe blades clean on a rag if product not fully cured.

IMO save your hard earned and use plan B or buy another cartridge and nozzle.

[Wrongwayfirst]

Usually when buying one solitary tube I ask for two nozzles, shop staff have always been eager to get rid of their stockpile. Over the years I have amassed a nice stockpile. Now when one gets blocked I throw it away.
cheers

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

I tend to cut the tip of my nozzles to 45° for easier application and I find a P/Head Screwdriver works well for cleaning 'em out. I just poke it into the cut end and force the blockage back out through the wide end of the tip.

Except when the caulk is soft with hard lumps... but that's a good indicator that the tube is at the end of it's use-by life so why bother with it? Trying to use it will give you other problems besides getting it out of the gun!

(I also pick up spare nozzles when I buy tubes, but the Scot in me insists on trying to get the most out of the one on the gun... )

[malb]

Another one who likes to have a few spare nozzles on hand so I can just chuck one once it clogs. I take it that you weren't to happy with your nozzle clearer.

[chambezio]

When I was working in the kitchen manufacturing game we had an apprentice who was quite deaf (he wore 2 hearing aids) he was a good kid and very keen. He was also quite clever with all sorts of things. He can to me one day and was very proud how he worked out a way of clearing nozzles on "no more gaps" and silicone tubes. He would remove the blocked nozzle and take to the the big industrial garbage bin and push an air gun (air duster may be a better term) pull the trigger and volha-cleaned out nozzle. I have done this many times my self since and remember Bruce very proudly showing me how well it worked
I also used to make use of his ability to lip read. My office was one floor higher than the workshop. It had a walkway that was in full view of the blokes working below. I could come out of my office and catch Bruces eye and mouth a request for say a board of a certain colour he would then go through the board rack and confirm the status of that particular board. It was very helpful. I remember another time when he and I was out doing an installation. Something happened like I cut some thing short and in his loud (because he was deaf) voice he "OOO what are you going to do now?" I had to tell him to be more quiet and diplomatic in the future

[Handyjack]

Two nozzles that I am yet to unblock when solid are "No More Gaps" & "Liquid Nails". I find these set hard and really stick to the nozzle.
I generally have a nozzle or two spare, but since I have about a dozen different cartridges, most open in the car, being able to clear a blocked nozzle enables me to get the most product out of the tube before it goes off.

I am not sure if I would want to try Bruce's method of clearing a nozzle with compressed air as it has a few safety risks, and I also guess the nozzles were only part blocked, not totally blocked.

[Handyjack]

Another one who likes to have a few spare nozzles on hand so I can just chuck one once it clogs. I take it that you weren't to happy with your nozzle clearer.

Correct.

[chambezio]

Bruce's method worked remarkably well with silicone and no more gaps but granted the tubes would only be partially solid in the thin bit at the end of the nozzle. I have tried it on nozzle's that were pretty well solid all the way, result....fresh nozzle. Safety wise with Bruce's method, well we never had any dramas. As I mentioned he would "do his thing" over the jumbo bin so if there was any spraying of product the mess went into the bin and not on the workshop floor.
Due to his deafness he had to fit a tacho to his 1977 2WD Hilux so he could see how much strain the poor motor would take. Did you know he could get about 5000rpm out of it regularly. Did I also mention he was a pretty good bush mechanic as well