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How to remove a stuck stopper from a flask?
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Laurent Bourrou
How to remove a stuck stopper from a flask?
Here is an alternative that worked like a charm for me. I have a wide-mouth lab jar with a thick, ground glass stopper that stuck tight. None of the other methods worked; oil, heat, tapping, etc. I had an aerosol spray used to blow dust from computer keyboards/screens (it is not compressed air but a liquid that becomes a gas as it is released - i.e. the can gets very cold as you use it). A quick shot of cold gas directly on the stopper and it immediately shrank enough to easily come out of the jar.
Here is an alternative that worked like a charm for me. I have a wide-mouth lab jar with a thick, ground glass stopper that stuck tight. None of the other methods worked; oil, heat, tapping, etc. I had an aerosol spray used to blow dust from computer keyboards/screens (it is not compressed air but a liquid that becomes a gas as it is released - i.e. the can gets very cold as you use it). A quick shot of cold gas directly on the stopper and it immediately shrank enough to easily come out of the jar.
This is another reason not to use glass stoppers with separatory funnels. If one isnt careful, pressure (from ether, CO2) can build up and the funnel may break. With a neoprene stopper one can feel the pressure as the neoprene stopper moves slightly.More
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Another easy method is to get 2 other glass stoppers and tap them on both sides of the neck of the flask firmly, sometimes this will free it up immediately, other times you may need to have someone pulling the stopper while you hit the stoppers on the sides
Another easy method is to get 2 other glass stoppers and tap them on both sides of the neck of the flask firmly, sometimes this will free it up immediately, other times you may need to have someone pulling the stopper while you hit the stoppers on the sides
Sometimes, it helps to hold the flask at the body and hit the corner of the lab bench with the stopper. If that doesn't help, heat the neck of the flask carefully with a heat gun.
Sometimes, it helps to hold the flask at the body and hit the corner of the lab bench with the stopper. If that doesn't help, heat the neck of the flask carefully with a heat gun.
While @KlausWarzecha provided the working solution, I offer up my own adopted mantra for future reference. "Most human problems can be solved by an appropriate charge of high explosives."More
When I was younger I worked at a place which had a serious accident which could have been fatal. Someone tried to open a flask containing pet ether using a flame to heat the stuck ground glass joint holding the stopper. I tend to use the hitting method on a wooden surface, use many gentle taps and keep on turning the flask around. I never use a modern plastic type lab bench. This method deals with most stuck joints on flasks and bottles. Never use a flame on glassware to free a joint until you have removed all flammable solvent from the glassware.More
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Is it a hollow glas stopper?
Sometimes, it helps to hold the flask at the body and hit the corner of the lab bench with the stopper. If that doesn't help, heat the neck of the flask carefully with a heat gun.
Sometimes, it helps to hold the flask at the body and hit the corner of the lab bench with the stopper. If that doesn't help, heat the neck of the flask carefully with a heat gun.
When I was younger I worked at a place which had a serious accident which could have been fatal. Someone tried to open a flask containing pet ether using a flame to heat the stuck ground glass joint holding the stopper. I tend to use the hitting method on a wooden surface, use many gentle taps and keep on turning the flask around. I never use a modern plastic type lab bench. This method deals with most stuck joints on flasks and bottles. Never use a flame on glassware to free a joint until you have removed all flammable solvent from the glassware.More
While @KlausWarzecha provided the working solution, I offer up my own adopted mantra for future reference. "Most human problems can be solved by an appropriate charge of high explosives."More
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Here is an alternative that worked like a charm for me. I have a wide-mouth lab jar with a thick, ground glass stopper that stuck tight. None of the other methods worked; oil, heat, tapping, etc. I had an aerosol spray used to blow dust from computer keyboards/screens (it is not compressed air but a liquid that becomes a gas as it is released - i.e. the can gets very cold as you use it). A quick shot of cold gas directly on the stopper and it immediately shrank enough to easily come out of the jar.
Here is an alternative that worked like a charm for me. I have a wide-mouth lab jar with a thick, ground glass stopper that stuck tight. None of the other methods worked; oil, heat, tapping, etc. I had an aerosol spray used to blow dust from computer keyboards/screens (it is not compressed air but a liquid that becomes a gas as it is released - i.e. the can gets very cold as you use it). A quick shot of cold gas directly on the stopper and it immediately shrank enough to easily come out of the jar.
This is another reason not to use glass stoppers with separatory funnels. If one isnt careful, pressure (from ether, CO2) can build up and the funnel may break. With a neoprene stopper one can feel the pressure as the neoprene stopper moves slightly.More
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Another easy method is to get 2 other glass stoppers and tap them on both sides of the neck of the flask firmly, sometimes this will free it up immediately, other times you may need to have someone pulling the stopper while you hit the stoppers on the sides
Another easy method is to get 2 other glass stoppers and tap them on both sides of the neck of the flask firmly, sometimes this will free it up immediately, other times you may need to have someone pulling the stopper while you hit the stoppers on the sides
Here is an alternative that worked like a charm for me. I have a wide-mouth lab jar with a thick, ground glass stopper that stuck tight. None of the other methods worked; oil, heat, tapping, etc. I had an aerosol spray used to blow dust from computer keyboards/screens (it is not compressed air but a liquid that becomes a gas as it is released - i.e. the can gets very cold as you use it). A quick shot of cold gas directly on the stopper and it immediately shrank enough to easily come out of the jar.
Here is an alternative that worked like a charm for me. I have a wide-mouth lab jar with a thick, ground glass stopper that stuck tight. None of the other methods worked; oil, heat, tapping, etc. I had an aerosol spray used to blow dust from computer keyboards/screens (it is not compressed air but a liquid that becomes a gas as it is released - i.e. the can gets very cold as you use it). A quick shot of cold gas directly on the stopper and it immediately shrank enough to easily come out of the jar.
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Another easy method is to get 2 other glass stoppers and tap them on both sides of the neck of the flask firmly, sometimes this will free it up immediately, other times you may need to have someone pulling the stopper while you hit the stoppers on the sides
Another easy method is to get 2 other glass stoppers and tap them on both sides of the neck of the flask firmly, sometimes this will free it up immediately, other times you may need to have someone pulling the stopper while you hit the stoppers on the sides
More
VOTE
Is it a hollow glas stopper?
Sometimes, it helps to hold the flask at the body and hit the corner of the lab bench with the stopper. If that doesn't help, heat the neck of the flask carefully with a heat gun.
Is it a hollow glas stopper?
Sometimes, it helps to hold the flask at the body and hit the corner of the lab bench with the stopper. If that doesn't help, heat the neck of the flask carefully with a heat gun.
More
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Is it a hollow glas stopper?
Sometimes, it helps to hold the flask at the body and hit the corner of the lab bench with the stopper. If that doesn't help, heat the neck of the flask carefully with a heat gun.
Is it a hollow glas stopper?
Sometimes, it helps to hold the flask at the body and hit the corner of the lab bench with the stopper. If that doesn't help, heat the neck of the flask carefully with a heat gun.
More
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Here is an alternative that worked like a charm for me. I have a wide-mouth lab jar with a thick, ground glass stopper that stuck tight. None of the other methods worked; oil, heat, tapping, etc. I had an aerosol spray used to blow dust from computer keyboards/screens (it is not compressed air but a liquid that becomes a gas as it is released - i.e. the can gets very cold as you use it). A quick shot of cold gas directly on the stopper and it immediately shrank enough to easily come out of the jar.
Here is an alternative that worked like a charm for me. I have a wide-mouth lab jar with a thick, ground glass stopper that stuck tight. None of the other methods worked; oil, heat, tapping, etc. I had an aerosol spray used to blow dust from computer keyboards/screens (it is not compressed air but a liquid that becomes a gas as it is released - i.e. the can gets very cold as you use it). A quick shot of cold gas directly on the stopper and it immediately shrank enough to easily come out of the jar.
More
VOTE
VOTE
Another easy method is to get 2 other glass stoppers and tap them on both sides of the neck of the flask firmly, sometimes this will free it up immediately, other times you may need to have someone pulling the stopper while you hit the stoppers on the sides
Another easy method is to get 2 other glass stoppers and tap them on both sides of the neck of the flask firmly, sometimes this will free it up immediately, other times you may need to have someone pulling the stopper while you hit the stoppers on the sides
More
VOTE