How can I separate the two halves of my cocktail shaker?

December 2, 2006 10:52 AM

A few months ago I received a metal cocktail shaker as a gift. The first time I used it with ice, the top and bottom became welded together, presumably because the cold caused the metal to expand. Fast forward to the present -- they're still stuck fast, and I'm sick of gin and tonics. How can I get them apart and get back to mixologizing?

When I made the first drink, it got cold enough that the outside frosted. I assumed it would loosen up if I gave it some time, but boy, was I wrong. I've tried everything -- heating it, freezing it, applying lots of force, and prying it. (The latter failed because the rim of the top and the "shaker" portions are so close together that I can't even fit anything into the gap, and the metal is strong enough that I can't bend it.) At this point they almost seem bonded together -- I haven't been able to get them to budge a millimeter since April.

What can I do to get them apart? I don't have a lot of mechanical skill / equipment, so I'm looking for a solution that I can perform with normal household items.

posted by tweebiscuit to home & garden (27 comments total)

Metals, like most things, contract when cooled.

Incidentally, have you tried running the thing under hot water?
posted by kickingtheground at 10:56 AM on December 2, 2006

Oh wait, yes you have.
posted by kickingtheground at 10:56 AM on December 2, 2006

Ah, you're right about cold causing things to contract -- I always get that point backwards because of water expanding when it freezes, but of course that's because it's changing into a solid.
posted by tweebiscuit at 11:00 AM on December 2, 2006

And yes, hot water was the first thing I tried.
posted by tweebiscuit at 11:00 AM on December 2, 2006

Have you tried lubing? Turn the shaker upside down and put it in a bowl that you've put enough oil in to cover the part where the two parts meet and let it soak for a while.

Heat seems like a good idea, but since both parts will be expanding, maybe not. But if lubing doesn't work, maybe running it through a very hot dishasher cycle would help.
posted by iconomy at 11:00 AM on December 2, 2006

Try icing the half that's stuck inside the other until it's really chilled (contracting it) then with a propane torch heat the 'outer' half just below where it's touching the inner half. If you heat it with a strong enough torch/flame it should expand in that area before the prechilled half warms up. The try and pop them apart.

You'll have to work quickly with the heat and probably do some balancing to try and chill only the inner half.
posted by Science! at 11:09 AM on December 2, 2006

Will sound strange and I don't know if it really works, but try hitting it a few times against a metal (or other hard surface) at the conjunction point (stuck point). I've seen bartenders do it in bars when the shakers get stuck.
posted by barrakuda at 11:16 AM on December 2, 2006

Possibly heating in an oven? It will not only give you the heat you want, but it will dry out any water that may be acting to bond the pieces.
posted by underwater at 11:20 AM on December 2, 2006

Barrakuda's answer will work if you hit it at the right pressure point. Try turning the shaker in your hand after each hit, to make sure you dislodge it in more than one area.

Once it's dislodged, try using a plain beer glass (like a thick pint glass) instead of the top to the shaker next time you make drinks. The difference in materials will prevent this scenario from occurring again. You'll have to kind of ram the glass into the shaker to get a good seal before you shake it (lest you end up with more martini on your shirt than in your glass) and then tap it as described above to unseal it, but you'll be much better off in the long run.
posted by Brittanie at 11:28 AM on December 2, 2006

Maybe if you stand it up in a sauce pan of boiling water, the contents will eventually pressurize to the point they pop the lid off. Or, it could explode. Might be dangerous, so don't sue me 'cause I warned you.
posted by Devils Rancher at 11:28 AM on December 2, 2006

Maybe if you stand it up in a sauce pan of boiling water, the contents will eventually pressurize to the point they pop the lid off. Or, it could explode. Might be dangerous, so don't sue me 'cause I warned you.

If there's still liquid in the shaker that would probably work. You could put it inside a large stock pot and put the lid on to reduce chances of a dangerous explosion. Or combine it with another idea and just bake it in the oven at a high temp until it blows apart.
posted by Science! at 11:32 AM on December 2, 2006

And yes, hot water was the first thing I tried.

That's not going to have much effect. Try something much hotter like a stovetop.
posted by cillit bang at 11:32 AM on December 2, 2006

The caveat is, you might get them apart and then have a repeat of the problem, so this may all be for naught. But anyway:

The blowtorch probably would harm the outside finish, but, combining that idea with the oven thought: heat it oven, say 350 degrees for 20 minutes or so. Prepare a deep enough ice/water bath. Grasp top with tongs, and plunge bottom quickly into ice bath, not quite up to the juncture. Use tongs that allow you to keep a good strong grip on the top. Now quickly grab the bottom, under water, and twist. All this assumes the top part fits over the rim of the bottom part. If it's the other way around, do the opposite -- when hot plunge top into ice. If that doesn't work, make a trip to Target for another one. Mine has a plastic gasket between the two halves and never has this problem.
posted by beagle at 11:34 AM on December 2, 2006

Devils -- there's holes in the top of the shaker, so that won't work.

The propane torch isn't happening, I'm afraid, though it definitely sounds like it would do the trick! Just a bit too hardcore for me. I'll try the pressure point trick -- I'm a bit worried about putting it in the oven, since I think it may have a plastic lining of some kind. (I can't remember, and of course I can't look inside to check.) I'll try lubing and more extreme measures of heating, though. Iconomy, what kind of oil would you suggest?
posted by tweebiscuit at 11:35 AM on December 2, 2006

Hey, what do you know -- banging worked! I took a hammer and, holding it upside down, banged it all around rim -- after a few minutes it popped right off! Barracuda gets the best answer for the solution that worked, but some of the other solutions offered were so cool that I have to give them some credit as well. Thanks guys!
posted by tweebiscuit at 11:41 AM on December 2, 2006 [1 favorite]

Awesome! Hopefully no dings... ;)
posted by iconomy at 11:42 AM on December 2, 2006

Heh. This happened to one of my shakers (I collect them). I still keep it around. I call it "Excalibur". Maybe I'll try the hammer trick... thanks for asking the question!
posted by trip and a half at 11:43 AM on December 2, 2006

I have one of these and it's done the same thing several times. I almost threw it out once. But we now try a combination of tapping it moderately hard against the countertop as mentioned above (and turning, and tapping), and sort of trying one side and then the other -- eventually you can shift one side up a tiny bit, usually. Then you turn it around and push up on the other side, 90º away, and kind of rock it back and forth. It takes a while and lots of swearing and willpower, though.
posted by theredpen at 11:44 AM on December 2, 2006

Well, my timing sucks.
posted by theredpen at 11:44 AM on December 2, 2006

Ha! Excalibur -- that's great! And no problem, trip. To be a little more specific, I held it with the top against the ground, and struck downwards at the ridged area that's just above (when held rightside up) the bottom of the top half -- i.e., the ridge that you grab when you're pulling the two halves the part. It took some force, and a lot of blows all the way around the rim, but I could feel it loosening by the time I was halfway around. Frankly, I'm surprised it worked -- I was positive it was Excalibur-level stuck before trying it.
posted by tweebiscuit at 11:46 AM on December 2, 2006

Oh, not at all, redpen -- I'm sure the problem will arise (to a smaller degree) again, so that advice is helpful.
posted by tweebiscuit at 11:49 AM on December 2, 2006

FYI water is unusual in expanding as it solidifies.

Which suggests an idea.

If this is the typical shaker shape that flares towards the top,
fill it to the top with water and freeze it. Ice should accumulate at the top first, sealing it. Further freezing and expansion should force the top up.
posted by Good Brain at 11:56 AM on December 2, 2006

For the love of God, please do not shake a Martini. Reserve shaking for the drinks (e.g., daiquiri) that require shaking.
posted by LeisureGuy at 12:17 PM on December 2, 2006

LeisureGuy -- hey, give me some credit! I know better than to make a wussy, watered-down, shaken martini. I am all stirring, all the way.
posted by tweebiscuit at 12:56 PM on December 2, 2006

Or you can swirl your martini. :)
posted by smallerdemon at 12:58 PM on December 2, 2006

Just for the record, my suggestion would have been finding some way to cool the "inside" half at the same time as heating the "outside" half.

... although I'm not sure that would be.

Freeze the bottom part and blowtorch the top?
posted by AmbroseChapel at 1:08 PM on December 2, 2006

Banging (i.e., tapping around in a circle with the handle of a butterknife or such) is a really good way to get all sorts of stuck jars open. Pretty much always works for me.
posted by blenderfish at 2:08 PM on December 2, 2006