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Nothing to do with gardening - stuck bottle top.

B3B3 Posts: 27,505
in The potting shed
Does anyone know how to get the top off an old bottle of watercolour masking fluid?
Hot water? Solvent? Something else?
The bottle is almost full and the contents look ok.
In London. Keen but lazy.
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Posts

  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Tell me about it! @pansyface
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I'd try standing it upside down in a bowl of boiling water.

    Failing that a pair of pliers.

    Maybe both?

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Will try the boiling water. Pliers on their own haven't worked.
    I assumed it was some form of plastic. That's why I wondered about a solvent.
    Thanks @Dovefromabove
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Think it's latex ... 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Just checked ... my bottles all say 'natural rubber latex'. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    If it's a screw top, try wrapping a thick rubber band round it so you can get a firmer grip.  The ones postmen drop on the pavement are just the job.  Lots of firms that sell mobility aids sell a small sheet of thin rubber you can keep in a drawer for just this purpose.  I find mine very useful.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    A common problem ... https://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/topic/masking-fluid-bottle-stuck/ 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Desi_in_LondonDesi_in_London Posts: 731
    @B3 -- don't know what kind of bottle you have , but if it's so old that the bottle top label has worn off ... only one i ever saw many moons ago had a safety cap ( glass bottle , and one of those childproof caps that require you to press down hard before unscrewing a bit like the cough mixture bottles ) -- sorry if that's stating the obvious , but I'd try that ( perhaps pre and post hot water immersion) , and before resorting to pliers?
    Kindness is always the right choice.
  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    Yup, those little rubber sheets work remarkably well.
    Rutland, England
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    If you tap round the lid with a knife handle or similar, that usually works.
    I use that method for all sorts of jars as I have rubbish wrists. You can even tap the lid against a work surface edge or table if you're careful  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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