evil_lurker
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Frozen vacuum dessicator lid...
I done pulled a good one.
Got a couple pyrex vacuum dessicators off of ebay about a month ago brand new in the box with plates for $90.
I decided to go ahead and lube them up with some Dow Corning high vacuum grease.
Now they are stuck!
Looks like I'm going to have to put them in the oven to get them loose.
Note to self, use vaseline or other low viscosity grease in the future.
Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen and oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital ingredient in
beer.
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Klute
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try wetting the sides with some acetone using a pipette, and apply pressure side-ways. This can take some time, but the acetone can gradually diffuse
into the grease and unstick after a while.
Or try heating with a heat gun or hair dryer, it might be easier to force if only part of the dessicator is hot.
That must be one hell of vac grease to stick a lid like that!
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Nicodem
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Generally closing the valve and applying heat all over (be careful not to locally overheat if you use the heat gun) to increase the internal pressure
and soften the grease helps. But be careful not to break the lid when you angrily push it sideways and make it fly over. 
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solo
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I would spray WD40 all around it and let it set overnight.......this worked on stuck glass valves and tops both of ground glass......solo
[Edited on 22-3-2008 by solo]
It's better to die on your feet, than live on your knees....Emiliano Zapata.
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Klute
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Escuse my ignorance, what is WD40?
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microcosmicus
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It's a lubricating and corrosion-inhibiting fluid:
http://www.wd40.com/Brands/wd40.cfm
http://inventors.about.com/od/wstartinventions/a/WDFourty.ht...
[Edited on 22-3-2008 by microcosmicus]
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Mr. Wizard
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Another oil that has some of WD-40's solvent properties is orange oil or limonene. It will soften or loosen many oily or gummy substances if left on
a few hours. Since it is not very volatile, it will last longer than a drop of acetone.
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bio2
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Speaking of WD-40 which isn't really a good lubricant.
Best way to ruin a fan bearing for example is to spray with WD-40 as it washes all the oil or grease out quickly resulting
in a frozen bearing.
I always wondered what the composition of this stuff is. Anybody know?
It's a "trade secret" but some competitor must have long ago analyzed it to find out.
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evil_lurker
National Hazard
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I got it loose today.
Apparently, this particular joint grease when temps get below "normal" room temp it gets pretty darned stiff.
Took the dessicators out, sat them in the sun for a about an hour and poof, the lids slid right off like magic.
Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen and oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital ingredient in
beer.
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