The most recent tweet was ~5 hours ago...

Twitter, I need your help. I stacked a ceramic bowl into another one while doing dishes and now they are stuck. How do you remove the smaller bowl without breaking both of them?

Why am I so invested? I've tried to fix this for 2 days, and I cannot give up now.

Things I've tried so far and no dice:

  • warm soapy water

  • hot water on outer bowl, cold water + ice on inner bowl

  • oil on edges

  • microwave

  • aggressive shaking

  • WD-40

Will try next:

  • hair dryer

  • freezer then running hot water

Thank you for being as invested in this as I am.

Update: Bowls are currently in the freezer and thanks to the replies, I will not be running hot water on them!

Still no dice:

  • Freezer, then cold water

  • Freezer, then rubber mallet

  • Passive-aggressive comments to either/both bowls

  • Tap lightly onto the table

Still very stuck:

  • Cards, toothpicks, and straws not getting through to break the seal

  • Water submergence

Up next:

  • Long game of gravity

  • Dishwasher

Update: Still stuck

  • upside down, twisting inner bowl, tapping outer bowl

  • upside down, submerged under water, tapping outer bowl with mallet

  • hot out of the dishwasher

  • googled autoclave

Let us all rest tonight knowing these bowls will still be together tomorrow.

In the last 10 hours:

  • upside down, soap around the edges, overnight submergence

  • made self-deprecating joke about the sunk cost fallacy (not one chuckle)

  • thread, paper, knife around the edges

Still stuck.

Tweet

  • AlyxMS [he/him]
    ·
    2 years ago

    Suction cup and pull. Think the only way to solve this is by applying force.

      • AlyxMS [he/him]
        ·
        2 years ago

        Ceramic is pretty tough, most of the time. And by using a suction cup the force is applied to an area instead of a point. Though one of the bowls might fly off after getting unstuck. Got into a similar situation before, the contact area isn't nearly as big, still takes a huge amount of force.

        Plan B: Oven. Not microwave. Upside down. (My guess: The water trapped between is providing adhesion and vacuum seal. Turning it into steam should solve the problem.)

  • InevitableSwing [none/use name]
    ·
    2 years ago

    Have you tried just putting them on a very high shelf. One that is out of view. Then you don’t need to check on them till you next move.

  • Deeze [e/em/eir]
    ·
    2 years ago

    the correct answer is a mini sink plunger. how can nobody know this?

  • NotALeatherMuppet [none/use name]
    ·
    2 years ago

    i was gonna say a shim, maybe a cut up 2L soda bottle or starbucks cup into strips that can fit between the two bowls, then just kinda jiggle them around until the smaller bowl falls loose.

    like this

  • Diogenes_Barrel [love/loves]
    ·
    2 years ago

    the phantom exterior like fish eggs interior like suicide wrist-red. I could exercise you, this could be your phys-ed. Cheat on your man homie AAGH I tried to sneak through the bowl man! Can't make it. Can't make it. Shit's stuck. Outta my way son! BOWL STUCK! BOWL STUCK!

  • I_Voxgaard [comrade/them]
    ·
    2 years ago

    what are you doing

    stop making the bowls slippery

    let them dry completely then place your fingertips (both hands opposing each other) on the edges of the small bowl

    coax the small bowl out by lifting from both sides with your fingertips at once. You might need to use your chest or a surface to press the larger bowl towards with the force of your thumbs

    if your fingertips can't get enough grip for this method (probably because those bowls have been lubricated for 2 days or however long; how could you) then find/purchase/craft a rubber thimble-esque device for each fingertip