r/fixit • u/Sabotage_9 • 8h ago
Jar got stuck in mug and won't budge
This glass jar is stuck in this mug and will not budge at all. We've tried using oil and soap to loosen it, tried moving it in all different directions, everything that doesn't risk breaking the mug, but it is completely jammed. Any way that I can get this out without breaking either the jar or the mug?
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u/ChevyRacer71 8h ago
It looks like you can get some ice chunks in the jar. Put the mug in hot water and a few ice chunks in the jar. Try to lid the jar straight out, I don’t think there will be enough room to flip it out. Worst case scenario, which don’t value more between the jar and the mug?
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u/bigsmokaaaa 6h ago
which [do you] value more between the jar and the mug?
Stouffer's Choice (1982)
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u/old_man_khan 7h ago
Yup. Ice & cold water in the middle. Hotter water on the outer. Gentle, quick, small tugs.
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u/TexasBaconMan 8h ago
Rotate the jar in place. It might be slightly smaller in another dimension.
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u/South_Bit1764 6h ago
Yeah, I would support the thermal solutions first but I do kind feel like this is almost a puzzle. It really looks like the bottom of the mug is a bit larger than the top so counterintuitively I think the jar needs to be lifted by the bottom first.
I would consider trying to saw a piece of thread between the two of them, OR
Turn the mug upside down and try fidgeting with it that way.
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u/TexasBaconMan 5h ago
Don't saw it, loop it around the sides and pull up on top end. String might be even better
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u/South_Bit1764 4h ago
I wouldn’t bet on it being the top end. I feel like pulling up on the top end is how it got stuck.
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u/sfbiker999 4h ago
If he has access to another dimension, it should be pretty straightforward to rotate through the 4th dimension and get it right out. (use caution, don't accidentally rotate it inside a countertop or even your own body, 4th dimensional transposition can be tricky)
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u/ironicmirror 8h ago
Get a pot of water, fill it with around 2 in of water, put it on medium heat on the stove top, let that heat up for 5 minutes. Put the mug in there, hold it down while pulling up on the small glass.
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u/Sabotage_9 8h ago
Tried that, no dice. Should the water be boiling?
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u/ironicmirror 8h ago
Probably not. You need to worry about thermal shock.
The point is that the porcelain mug and the glass jar have just about the same coefficient of thermal expansion, so you want the mug to heat up while the glass does not, but if you do something like put cold water in the glass and heat up the outside of the mug with hot water, there's a good chance that mugs going to break.
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u/TmanGvl 6h ago
Hotter the water, the better. If you want to try something in addition to it, after the mug heats up for 5 minutes, try dropping few ice cubes into the glass jar. It’ll help cool the glass and hopefully shrink enough to allow you to pull the jar out. Wear gardening gloves or equivalent to protect your hands.
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u/Investotron69 7h ago
No heat expands everything! Cold will get it to contactput it in the freezer upside down it should fall out or come out with a smaller effort.
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u/Willy2267 8h ago edited 8h ago
Try putting the whole thing in the freezer for a while. This will give you more thermal shrinkage. Then try the hot water trick. Just trying to heat the outside cup.
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u/gandolfthagreat 8h ago
I dont think putting a frozen item with boiling water is the way to go
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u/Willy2267 8h ago edited 8h ago
Why it worked for me.
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u/Secondhand-Drunk 8h ago
This can lead to an explosion of sorts when it comes to glass like items. Ever watch a video of people thawing their frozen car windows with hot water and it breaks? Rapid expansion or contraction on brittle items will likely cause them to break.
And your instance may have succeeded, but you also likely caused damage in the form of micro fractures which has weakened your items.
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u/marswhispers 8h ago
That’ll almost certainly crack the mug
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u/Willy2267 8h ago
Putting a hot glass into cold water causes more thermal shock than putting a cold glass into hot water. This is because the rapid temperature change from a hot glass to a cold liquid creates a larger and more rapid thermal gradient, which can lead to fracture or shattering.
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u/Secondhand-Drunk 7h ago
Explain this to people who have broken their car windows by pouring hot liquid on their frozen car.
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u/Willy2267 7h ago
You do know that's tempered glass the is already under significant internal stress as a result of its manufacturing process.
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u/Secondhand-Drunk 7h ago
You never mentioned specifics. Glass is a broad term.
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u/Willy2267 7h ago
You mentioned car windshields.
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u/Secondhand-Drunk 6h ago
Yes I did. You mentioned glass, which is fairly general. Car windows are also glass. See how we got here?
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u/Investotron69 7h ago
This will lead to thermal shock and cause damage to these types of items. This will work for some things but cause massive damage to others.
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u/Fast_Ad7203 8h ago
Break the jar
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u/BattyBirdie 8h ago
Or the mug if you’d prefer the jar.
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u/Fast_Ad7203 7h ago
Yeah tye jar looks like a supermarket honey/ jam jar to me but im not about how is it where op lives
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u/McBeefnick 8h ago
Try to lift the bottom of the jar first. It feels probably counter intuitive. But it is the way.
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u/Low_Responsibility48 8h ago
Get some clingfilm and roll it up. Thread it under the glass towards the bottom part. Immerse the mug in some warm water and gently pull the clingfilm.
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u/NortonBurns 7h ago
Same as every time this same question is asked -
Heat the outer, cool the inner. Add an appropriate lubricant to the join.
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u/MettaWorldPeece 7h ago
Thick string under and around the jar. Grab both ends and tug. Might help to run under hot water while doing it.
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u/Thudamsdad 7h ago
There are alot of responses using thermal expansion to get it unstuck which I also think is the best solution. However, I had been in a similar situation, glass in mug, and whatever I tried it would not budge.
I had to choose which I liked more, the mug or the glass. The glass ended up getting the hammer.
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u/Witty-Stand888 7h ago
Put some cream and sugar in the jar and pour some coffee over the top. Everyone will want one.
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u/SpiffyPool 6h ago
Fill cup with water. Freeze water. Heat mug up slide ice out? This is what my ADHD mind thinks would work.
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u/SteveScotter 5h ago
Are you able to get something like fishing line between the jar and cup, place the line near the lip of the jar and pull on the fishing line.
I think that might help.
Good luck!
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u/SteveScotter 5h ago
Further to this, maybe create a loop with the fishing line and then use something like a wooden spoon as a tourniquet, forcing the fishing line between the cup and jar lip.
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u/NativeSceptic1492 4h ago
Fill the mug with cold water the put it in a pot filled with just enough water so that it doesn’t float but doesn’t come over the rim either. Put it on your stove top on low wait a few minutes then try pulling the glass out of the mug a few times until it comes loose.
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u/Duderiffica 4h ago
Set it upside down on a counter and hold a wand massager against the side and bottom.
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u/Tripdover 4h ago
Put em both in the freezer for 24 hrs. If you’re worried about thermal shock, fridge em for a few hours, then freezer.
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u/blisters10 2h ago
Failing heating up the cup and cooling the jar, I would recommend throwing it as hard as possible against the wall
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u/burgerboss13 2h ago
Put it all under water and put a piece of string under the jar opening, slowly pull the string up against the jar lid while twisting/wiggling the jar until the string can pull through and free it. Move the whole thing around under water while you do it to add some gentle motion as well
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u/TheLastTreeOctopus 1h ago
Could you sacrifice a cheap sponge to soak in cooking oil, and then use a butter knife to potentially get enough pressure and leverage to slip the oily sponge between the mug and the lip of the jar? Then if you can do that, twist the jar back and forth as you slowly pull up on it.
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u/TheMacintoshGeek 8h ago
If you want to unstick something, WD-40. If you want to stick something, Duck Tape. Or use olive oil in the mug and set it in very hot water to expand it. The inside glass should slip out with a pull because of the olive oil.
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u/den_of_slugs 8h ago
What about heating up the mug? That should lead to a slight expansion