open testors paint jars help please.

[robdot]

im using the little testors enamels paints ya know? but after they sit for a while sometimes i cant get em open ! i thought maybe one of you guys might know a trick to get the little jars open.

[JamesW]

I just use a pair of pliers. Works every time.

[jayhkr]

+1 on the pliers, or I grab a can of spinach and do what Popeye does!

[vintagestang]

^ thats what I do. Or you can get these grip things that are round I can't remember what the're called though.

[Mike Kucaba]

They called "round to it" and I'll get one when I get ....

Seriously use the hot water trick and wipe off the threads.

[Casey]

This is another reason I have switched over to Tamiya acrylics. I have never one stuck closed, no matter how long it was closed. The cap is easy to open, it seals well, and it's plastic, so it won't bend.

I use a small slip joint pliers to remove the stuck on Testors metal caps.

[Deathgoblin]

Pliers and brute strength. Once in a great while it'll take 2 sets of pliers; one for the cap and one for the bottle. Just don't squeeze too hard. I've ended up punching a hole in the cap once or twice if it was something I was going to use a very limited amount of and was going to replace soon after.

[robdot]

ok, thanks, ill try the hot water, believe it or not, i have a couple i cant get with pliers.

[Edsel-Dan]

I never did the hot water. I drip thinner into the gap between the cap & bottle,

let that work a little then the Pliers.

Sometimes the thinner works enough, that I don't need the pliers.

I try to clean the bottle rim & threads, as well as the cap threads before closing

after each use.

[Erik Smith]

Just to keep repeating above posts...run the lid under hot water then twist with a towel.

Also, instead of shaking the paint to mix it up (after you clean the lid and bottle threads), try mixing with a wooden stir stick or piece of styrene. That will keep most of the paint from flowing into the threads and sealing the jar.

[Harry P.]

Adjustable wrench on the bottle, pliers on the cap. Works every time.

[59 Impala]

You can use a Ballpien hammer and if that doesn't work, you can use a bigger hammer, like a Sledge hammer. :D Not really, just jokin guys. What I do is like what has been said before, I use a pair of pliers if the lid is stuck. What I do all the time now is make sure that I clean the lid and threads on the jar each time before I close the lid. No problems since. Now the lacquer thinner works great to if the lid is stuck also. Dan

Edited March 18, 2012 by 59 Impala

[38special]

i usually heat the lid up with a match and then twist it off

[sstacey47]

You can turn the bottle over and put some thinner in the threads,it will work its way into the treads.

[martinfan5]

A sledge hammer will get it open every time , pilers is what I use when it happens, and I have had a lid on tamiya bottle get stuck, I didnt need to go the use of pilers route, but it did take a few minutes to get it unstuck

[vintagestang]

I have some pliers that work really well they are caleed Craftsman Robo Grip.

[blazefox]

i brush laquer thiner in the lid and on the paint jars to keep them from sticking

[robdot]

i had stored some of these on their sides in the little container they came in, i think this was a mistake ) now i have them all standing up in the metal box my munsters combo came in.

[Sixties Sam]

I use a heat gun......carefully! The metal lids expand and come off easily. Apply heat for only about 3 or 4 seconds.

Sam

[Lownslow]

stick em in the dehydrator for 10 minutes

[Art Anderson]

For really stubborn Testors square bottles, I have been known to take a small screwdriver having a fairly large handle (3/32" or 1/8" wide blade), and pushed that in between the glass and the cap, and gently twisting the screwdriver, which pushes the steel cap slightly away from the bottle itself--I simply just repeat that process all the way around the cap, and almost always, that loosens the cap enough to allow me to twist the cap off in the more conventional way.

Art

[Andres]

This method always work, grip it hard with a door and then twist it. 

Edited November 5, 2015 by Andres

[unclescott58]

This is another reason I have switched over to Tamiya acrylics. I have never one stuck closed, no matter how long it was closed. The cap is easy to open, it seals well, and it's plastic, so it won't bend.

 

I use a small slip joint pliers to remove the stuck on Testors metal caps.

The immediate post above by Casey, is what I do now too. I've gotten tired of Testors paint bottles. Not only do they jam up, requiring pliers and and hot water. But, I can't read the labels on any of their bottles anymore. Part of it is my older eyes. But, most of it is the small print on the labels. And once i've run the bottles under hot water once or twice, I can't read what exact color is in those bottles.

I've had the Tamiya bottles refuse to easily open too. But not as often. They have no paper seal to stick to the top of their bottles. Their bottles and caps are big enough to get a good grip, if they are little tight. And their caps are the same color as paint in the bottle. So I don't need to read the labels as much to see what I've got. Plus, the paint is just better paint than Testors.

I a few Testors bottles laying around. But, if I can find the same color with Tamiya, I'll buy the Tamiya. That's true with their spray paints too. Tamiya paints cost more than Testors. But they are worth every extra dime.

[peteski]

There is a sure way to prevent bottle caps from getting stuck: thoroughly clean the bottle lip and the gasket inside the cap every time you close the bottle.  Basically you are ending up with the bottle as it was when you first opened it. I've been doing that for years and never had a stuck cap.   Yes, I know that I'm really anal, but it works for me.

 

I always have a bunch of small squares of paper towel.  I use those to to clean the lip and the gasket.  If needed, I moisten the paper towel with some lacquer thinner.

[charlie8575]

im using the little testors enamels paints ya know? but after they sit for a while sometimes i cant get em open ! i thought maybe one of you guys might know a trick to get the little jars open.

My personal preference has become the rubber grip-discs for opening....stubborn jars! You can get one at most supermarkets and a lot of banks and other businesses have been known to give them out as promos. 

Absolutely clean the jar off before re-capping. If you need to, hit it with some thinner to get all the crud out. 

Keep the little cardboard disc in the lid. It helps keep things tidy and the paint from drying out. 

Charlie Larkin