How to remove stuck ground glass stoppers - from pharmacy and other old bottles
I got an email from someone recently with this question. This is a common problem and you should be prepared to fuss over this because it is rarely going to be easy to remove the stopper.
Glass is fragile. Be careful.
Methods:
- Soak the bottle upside down so the stopper and neck of the bottle are fully immersed. Leave the bottle in the water overnight. Soaking with alcohol or other solvents are something else to consider.
- Put warm water on the bottle but not the stopper so as to differentially heat the bottle glass which will expand the neck ever so slightly. Tap the stopper gently with a wooden spoon or hard plastic kitchen implement. Tap at regular intervals all the way around the neck.
- Apply penetrating oil such as WD-40 to the neck. put as much as you can and leave it in place overnight. There are other similar products besides WD-40 which may work as well or better.
Please share YOUR success stories.