New Ink Bottle Cap Will Not Open

[sansenri]

any advise please? I did a search but nothing came up.

 

I recently bought a bottle of Monteverde Horizon Blue, I was attempting first use but the cap is very tightly stuck and will not open...

I tried grabbing it with a thin rubber mat material to hold it more firmly but will not move at all (so tight I was almost hurting myself in the attempt...)

Although it may become necessary, I'm not so keen in using pliers as I'm afraid to crack the cap and then be unable to re-close the bottle...

 

any other suggestions/experiences before I try brute force ?

 

thanks

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

Put the cap under running hot water for a few minutes?

[WalterC]

I inherited my mother's jar/bottle opener. This similar one also works well: https://www.amazon.com/ShengHai-Adjustable-Professional-Stainless-Supporting/dp/B06XGVXRMK/ref=sxts_sxwds-bia?keywords=bottle+opener&pd_rd_i=B06XGVXRMK&pd_rd_r=282db697-6c93-4d20-a8f6-ee564269645c&pd_rd_w=iQZqh&pd_rd_wg=j2LSg&pf_rd_p=1cb3f32a-ccfd-479b-8a13-b22f56c942c6&pf_rd_r=4J9SR4RZ66ZPX4HVEC4D&psc=1&qid=1573338229

 

Use the thin rubber mat under it to avoid damage. This has been pretty effective for jars, but only my latest ink bottle needed this mechanical assistance.

[sansenri]

Put the cap under running hot water for a few minutes?

Thanks, I think I will try this before tougher treatment... (I don't own a jar opener).

 

Update: it worked! the plastic used in the caps seems to be of a softer type, after just a minute under hot tap water it probably expanded slightly and I was able to unscrew the cap.

Many thanks, simple but useful, glad I followed your advice.

Edited November 9, 2019 by sansenri

[Vetinari]

I’ve cracked a cap once trying to force it open, then someone here on FPN recommended (luke)warm water, like IThinkIHaveAProblem suggests, but immersion of the cap only - it can dissolve crusty ink flakes and expand the hard plastic of the cap as opposed to the glass of the bottle, provided that you manage to heat up the one without the other ... I’ve done like this before

[katerchen]

I’ve cracked a cap once trying to force it open, then someone here on FPN recommended (luke)warm water, like IThinkIHaveAProblem suggests, but immersion of the cap only - it can dissolve crusty ink flakes and expand the hard plastic of the cap as opposed to the glass of the bottle, provided that you manage to heat up the one without the other ... I’ve done like this before

 

Ugh. Iroshizuku are the worst in this regard. Beautiful bottle, but the cap tolerance is super accurate. Works fine when clean and then the smallest amount of ink gets them stuck.

 

I cut some rubber strips from a bicycle inner tube that serve as grips.

 

-k

[sansenri]

I have similar rubber strips for the purpose, which I also use sometimes to pull out nib+feed when too tight, but really this cap was glued on...

The hot water trick worked though, I held the bottle sideways with the cap under running hot water for a minute or so, when I tried opening this time it gave in...

 

Thanks IThinkYouSolvedMyProblem

[Mahadeo]

I am so glad I found this topic! What a wonderful forum!

I bought a bottle of Sheaffer's Inferno ink, among a few other ink, and I was having hard times just with this particular bottle. The screw-on cap got stuck badly and I couldn't unscrew it with bare hands, even using rubber/cloth. I was on the verge of using pliers.
However after following IHelpEveryoneSolveYourProblem's advice and holding the bottle under the hot running water for just about 1-2 minutes, the cap went off easily!

I also tried Vetinari's advice initially but as I put the bottle upside down into the water, I immediately noticed ink starting to dissolve, and I was worried the water may eventually get inside the bottle and dissolve the ink too much. Probably though it was just some ink that was sitting on the surface or stuck between the cap and the bottle, and maybe this is also a valid method.

In any case, now you can expect a lot of Inferno red in my writing

[inkstainedruth]

The v-shaped jar openers are a major PITA to find (ask me how I know ).  I finally managed to find one locally (I think it was in a restaurant supply) but why you can't easily find them in places like Target is completely beyond me).  

My parents used to have one that was adjustable (the two sides of the grip part moved in and out on a screw mechanism on the handle part, but I apparently didn't inherit it or it got lost in the house or something).  Those are IMPOSSIBLE to find anywhere (unless I guess you get lucky at an estate sale or thrift store).

Another trick (and these are much easier to find) are these round flexible rubber mats that give you the grip similar to katerchen's description of the pieces of inner tube.  But the circles are only so big (about 4" in diameter) so don't really work on super large jar lids (especially for someone like me who has smallish hands.

I'll admit I'd be a little nervous about the soaking in water trick, because I'd worry about contaminating/diluting the ink in the bottle....  Glad that it worked in this instance.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: No, I stand corrected -- I think I maybe found the v-shaped jar opener at the hardware store in the center of town....  Don't bother with big-box hardware stores like Home Depot, BTW -- they'll have no idea what you're talking about.  I ran into that a few years ago when trying to find ventilator screens (adjustable, and have a wire screen on one side and metal sectons on the other with slots to let in air but are covered to keep the rain out) for my windows.  They DID have them at the local HD, but the kid I talked to first had to ask a manager.  At the hardware store in the center of town?  The cashier said "Oh, yeah, their in Aisle #[ ]..." (she knew EXACTLY what I meant...).

[WalterC]

Inkstainedruth, is this the bottle opener you are looking for? I inherited one from my mother, probably more than 60 years old, but bought a modern version like this off amazon. As I get older I need it more and the new one works as well as the old one. I have used it to open stubborn ink bottles.

https://www.amazon.com/Caliamary-arthritis-Adjustable-Stainless-0-98-3-93inch/dp/B07GPKP5FL/ref=sr_1_7?crid=195MVY56URKS&keywords=Adjustable%2BProfessional%2BJar%2BOpener&qid=1671253537&s=home-garden&sprefix=adjustable%2Bprofessional%2Bjar%2Bopener%2Cgarden%2C91&sr=1-7&th=1

[Paul-in-SF]

23 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

why you can't easily find them in places like Target is completely beyond me).  

 

My cynical opinion: they are a low-margin item that lasts forever, so you buy it once and never again. Stores like Target are much more about selling consumables. 

 

23 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

At the hardware store in the center of town?  The cashier said "Oh, yeah, their in Aisle #[ ]..." (she knew EXACTLY what I meant...).

 

Oh how I miss those kinds of stores. We used to have one just a couple of blocks from where I lived at the time, run by a couple of elderly brothers, but you know what happened -- one of them died, the other retired, and poof! business gone. 

[inkstainedruth]

On 12/17/2022 at 12:10 AM, WalterC said:

Inkstainedruth, is this the bottle opener you are looking for? I inherited one from my mother, probably more than 60 years old, but bought a modern version like this off amazon. As I get older I need it more and the new one works as well as the old one. I have used it to open stubborn ink bottles.

https://www.amazon.com/Caliamary-arthritis-Adjustable-Stainless-0-98-3-93inch/dp/B07GPKP5FL/ref=sr_1_7?crid=195MVY56URKS&keywords=Adjustable%2BProfessional%2BJar%2BOpener&qid=1671253537&s=home-garden&sprefix=adjustable%2Bprofessional%2Bjar%2Bopener%2Cgarden%2C91&sr=1-7&th=1

Yup.  Looks just a lot like the one my parents had. 

But for the most part, the Y-shaped one has worked pretty well (I remember seeing a larger style one for a commercial kitchen that gets fastened to the underneath side of a shelf or cabinet, but I don't generally need one for gigantic jars of things).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[inkstainedruth]

On 12/17/2022 at 3:59 PM, Paul-in-SF said:

Oh how I miss those kinds of stores. We used to have one just a couple of blocks from where I lived at the time, run by a couple of elderly brothers, but you know what happened -- one of them died, the other retired, and poof! business gone. 

Yeah.  I used to joke about how "You know you live in a small town when you know the mayor and the chief of police and the two guys that run the hardware store...."  

But that's kinda what happened to the hardware store (the good one -- the not so good one closed about a year after we bought our house, and we almost never went to that one anyway).  The good one switched from being True Value to being Do It Best because True Value would only let them sell True Value brand stuff.  And the two guys who ran it, who were brothers, wanted to retire (and I think at least one of them has since died).  Do It Best did keep a lot of the employees on (like the cashier who knew EXACTLY what I meant when I said "ventilator screen -- AND which aisle it was in) but I don't think the quality of their tools is as good.  OTOH, a few years ago I was looking for something to use as a holder for sample vials, when I was refilling pens from the vials, and brought one in to give the people an idea of the size I needed.  And the guy working that day showed me a copper pipe connector which was PERFECT -- about an inch and a half of copper tubing the right diameter, and then has a nut about a half inch high and a little more than an inch wide already attached to the bottom to give it weight and stability.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[RJS]

I've only ever had this problem with a couple of Monteverde inks... they must have a really messy filling system! 

[mizgeorge]

1 hour ago, RJS said:

I've only ever had this problem with a couple of Monteverde inks... they must have a really messy filling system! 

Happened to me with eight out of ten of their Sweet Life inks. One was so bad I just gave up. The others eventually gave in to the boa gripper and some very bad language.

[RJS]

18 minutes ago, mizgeorge said:

Happened to me with eight out of ten of their Sweet Life inks. One was so bad I just gave up. The others eventually gave in to the boa gripper and some very bad language.

Cleaning the threads afterwards is also a pain, as they're a filthy, crusted mess, and you have to be careful not to knock any of the crust into the ink....

 

I think Monteverde inks are generally great, so it's a pity that this sloppiness lets them down.

[chromantic]

I also had this happen on an MV ink except it wasn't a plastic cap like on my 2 bottles of Sapphire but a metal cap on Olivine. Holding it under hot running water did the trick.

 

I'll generally wipe the threads (and sometimes the inside of the caps) each time I open them, especially the Iros. I also try not to screw them on super tight, just snug.

[AmericanMonk]

Thanks for this. I came searching for a solution because my new bottle of... care to guess... Monteverde Gorilla arrived with a stuck cap. Even after soaking the bottle upside-down in a shallow bowl (it's a potential gift for someone who loves Oxblood reds so I didn't want to risk getting the label wet by rinsing) of hot water for several minutes I still had to use jaw-locking pliers to get the cap off. To my surprise the threads were clean! They just really wrench the cap on to prevent leaks in transit, I guess.

 

It's nice to know I wasn't alone. I was worried that I was going to break the glass!

[jmccarty3]

On 12/23/2022 at 8:40 AM, chromantic said:

I also had this happen on an MV ink except it wasn't a plastic cap like on my 2 bottles of Sapphire but a metal cap on Olivine. Holding it under hot running water did the trick.

 

I'll generally wipe the threads (and sometimes the inside of the caps) each time I open them, especially the Iros. I also try not to screw them on super tight, just snug.

I do the same. A little care when filling saves a lot of frustration the next time. You definitely don't want a broken Iroshizuku cap.