Glass stuck in mug
August 25, 2011 3:54 PM Subscribe
Drinking glass stuck in coffee mug and won't come out. Help!
So I have a tumbler, closer to a pint glass than a highball glass, that somehow got stuck in a ceramic coffee mug. I've tried everything that I didn't think would break both vessels -- freezing, heating, hot soapy water, olive oil -- but nothing seems to work. If any of you have any suggestions as to how to ease the glass out of the mug, I would very much appreciate it.
So I have a tumbler, closer to a pint glass than a highball glass, that somehow got stuck in a ceramic coffee mug. I've tried everything that I didn't think would break both vessels -- freezing, heating, hot soapy water, olive oil -- but nothing seems to work. If any of you have any suggestions as to how to ease the glass out of the mug, I would very much appreciate it.
Best answer: Yep, fill the inside glass with ice, while holding the mug under hot water. Wearing rubber gloves (to protect your hands and to give you a better grip), gently twist off and on for a few minutes and they should eventually pop apart.
posted by scody at 4:02 PM on August 25, 2011
posted by scody at 4:02 PM on August 25, 2011
That is NOT how you make an Irish coffee -- it is combined in the same vessel.
I assumed you had tried what empath and scody are suggesting when you referred to heating/freezing. Can you say whether that's so?
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 4:10 PM on August 25, 2011 [3 favorites]
I assumed you had tried what empath and scody are suggesting when you referred to heating/freezing. Can you say whether that's so?
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 4:10 PM on August 25, 2011 [3 favorites]
There may be an airtight seal, if this happened in the dishwasher or something. In that case, the air between them would have been hot, and since it's cooler now it's creating a partial vacuum. In that case, try heating even more. Like put them both in a pot of water and then bring the water to a boil. That would cause the trapped air to expand, releasing the seal.
If there not an airtight seal, then I dunno.
posted by aubilenon at 4:12 PM on August 25, 2011
If there not an airtight seal, then I dunno.
posted by aubilenon at 4:12 PM on August 25, 2011
Fill the mug as full as you can with water, put it in the freezer and freeze it. Now you have a mug full of ice with a glass stuck in it.
Run cold water over the outside of the mug until the ice has melted the bond between the mug and the ice. Now the ice is loose inside the mug and you have more mass that can grap onto the glass to force it out.
Tap the edge of the mug on your hand, against a towel you have placed on a counter top or a wooden rail. The additional weight of the ice should pull the glass out.
posted by gnossos at 4:22 PM on August 25, 2011
Run cold water over the outside of the mug until the ice has melted the bond between the mug and the ice. Now the ice is loose inside the mug and you have more mass that can grap onto the glass to force it out.
Tap the edge of the mug on your hand, against a towel you have placed on a counter top or a wooden rail. The additional weight of the ice should pull the glass out.
posted by gnossos at 4:22 PM on August 25, 2011
It's a one in a thousand chance, but do you have access to a vacuum chamber? If you put them on their side so they can fall apart (instead of reseating) and pull a vacuum, they should easily fall away from each other.
posted by chairface at 4:25 PM on August 25, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by chairface at 4:25 PM on August 25, 2011 [2 favorites]
Run a sink full of warm water with a little bit of soap so it's lightly sudsy. Submerge cupmug complex in the water. Hold onto cup. Wiggle it vigorously back and forth with small movements (like you're trying to vibrate the cup) keeping it parallel to the floor of the sink. Don't hold onto the mug part at all. Occasionally tap it lightly to the bottom of the sink as you're vibrating. Don't force anything, just let them naturally fall apart. Hopefully.
It's worked for me before. Kind of shakes everything loose.
posted by phunniemee at 4:35 PM on August 25, 2011
It's worked for me before. Kind of shakes everything loose.
posted by phunniemee at 4:35 PM on August 25, 2011
Failing the combination of cold tumbler and warmed mug, I'd use vibration. Hold them over a cushion of some sort, grasping the mug, and tap on the bottom with something that's got some heft to it but isn't overly hard -- the plastic handle end of my heavy chef's knife feels about right -- until the tumbler falls out.
On preview, what phunniemee said.
posted by jon1270 at 4:39 PM on August 25, 2011
On preview, what phunniemee said.
posted by jon1270 at 4:39 PM on August 25, 2011
It it comes down to "save the glass or save the mug," it's easier to break the glass and save the mug. Which is kind of a shame, because generally, glasses are members of a set, and mugs are, well, mugs.
posted by paulsc at 5:12 PM on August 25, 2011
posted by paulsc at 5:12 PM on August 25, 2011
Put them in the microwave for a minute or so. The water (there will be at least a little) trapped between will expand and help get them apart. A good wack on the counter and a twist while wearing heavy gloves will help facilitate.
This worked for me many times with nested pint glasses at the coffee shop where I worked.
posted by dirtdirt at 7:13 PM on August 25, 2011
This worked for me many times with nested pint glasses at the coffee shop where I worked.
posted by dirtdirt at 7:13 PM on August 25, 2011
tap them/it on the it's side on the edge of a counter. breaks the seal or whatever. bartenders do this all the time. If it's not too strong it should work.
posted by newpotato at 8:07 PM on August 25, 2011
posted by newpotato at 8:07 PM on August 25, 2011
Fill the glass with ice cubes, and grip it alone with a tea towel, hold the jammed objects about an inch above the tabletop. Strike the mug firmly (but not brutally) on alternating sides with a wooden spoon.
posted by flabdablet at 8:44 PM on August 25, 2011
posted by flabdablet at 8:44 PM on August 25, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by empath at 3:56 PM on August 25, 2011 [7 favorites]