lperry Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 I bought a bunch of steam table soup inserts to use as metal "beakers" in the lab. They arrived stacked together but wrapped singly in plastic, and they are stuck together like, well, fill in a really annoying simile. The bigger ones came apart fairly easily, but the 1 liter stacks released the top pan, but not the others. Thus far we've tried 1. brute force, 2. sliding something thin between them to break the vacuum, and 3. putting the bottom pan in hot water to expand it while cooling the top one. No luck. My next choice is a rubber mallet, mainly because it will make me feel better to smack them around a little. Before I begin bashing, does anyone in the industry have an insider tip? Would it help to immerse the whole stack in soapy water? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilaine Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 I bought a bunch of steam table soup inserts to use as metal "beakers" in the lab. They arrived stacked together but wrapped singly in plastic, and they are stuck together like, well, fill in a really annoying simile. The bigger ones came apart fairly easily, but the 1 liter stacks released the top pan, but not the others. Thus far we've tried 1. brute force, 2. sliding something thin between them to break the vacuum, and 3. putting the bottom pan in hot water to expand it while cooling the top one. No luck. My next choice is a rubber mallet, mainly because it will make me feel better to smack them around a little. Before I begin bashing, does anyone in the industry have an insider tip? Would it help to immerse the whole stack in soapy water? Have you tried putting them in the freezer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted January 15, 2011 Author Share Posted January 15, 2011 I have not tried the freezer, but will bring them home to give it a go. I got one more loose by immersing in hot water and pounding with a rubber mallet. No luck with cold water immersion. I also emailed the company to see if they had any suggestions, but have not heard back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenticket Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 What about drizzling a little oil of some sort in between them? Sounds very frustrating! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted January 15, 2011 Author Share Posted January 15, 2011 Haven't tried oil either. If water can't get in, can oil? It's gone beyond frustrating at this point, and has become something of a running joke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenticket Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Haven't tried oil either. If water can't get in, can oil? My resident engineer says yes. How about WD-40? It has all kinds of miracle uses - maybe this is another one.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 I had this happen with nested Pyrex measuring cups once, and that was tricky because I didn't want them to shatter. I think what finally worked was putting ice/ice water in the top one while they were immersed in hot water and then wiggling them until they came loose. Thinking back, I'm amazed they didn't break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted January 15, 2011 Author Share Posted January 15, 2011 We tried the hot on the bottom, cold on the top trick to no avail. I even put the bottom one on a hot plate (thinking if nothing else, it might expand the air and pop one out) and iced the top ones. I'm going to try the freezer first, simply because it will prevent me from having to clean them , then we'll try the oil / WD-40. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 We tried the hot on the bottom, cold on the top trick to no avail. Oops. I saw you mention the heat before but missed the cooling part. I'll be interested to know what finally works, since something has to work... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted February 7, 2011 Author Share Posted February 7, 2011 If anyone is still following along... The following "solutions" have been tried with no success. Putting them in the freezer followed by a good smack with a rubber mallet. WD40 sprayed between them. Oil dribbled between them. More smacking with the hammer, just because. They are now in the dishwasher awaiting the next cycle. It's worth a shot, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenticket Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 I'm still following and I can't imagine how frustrated you must be! Let us know what the dishwasher does. What about putting water in the top one and freezing the stack? Or calling the vendor and telling them to send you some new ones, individually packaged Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPW Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 let me know when you resort to explosives Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted February 7, 2011 Author Share Posted February 7, 2011 I'm still following and I can't imagine how frustrated you must be! Let us know what the dishwasher does. What about putting water in the top one and freezing the stack? Or calling the vendor and telling them to send you some new ones, individually packaged Ice in the top one. If the dishwasher doesn't work, that's up next. And the vendor didn't respond to my emails, so I may call. I think they may have thought I was joking. let me know when you resort to explosives Hmmmm. Air in a can? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted February 12, 2011 Author Share Posted February 12, 2011 Success! Many many thanks to my friend who has an air compressor. When the hose was sealed against what looked like a space between the pans, it only took 130 psi to pop them apart. The fact that this event was the highlight of my Saturday says many things about my life, but I'm too happy to care! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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