We don't need the Avent bottle anymore (I hope). But the red ball is part of an oh-so-popular Parents hammer and ball set. Any creative types out there have a (non-destructive) suggestion for extracting the ball??
Or maybe a shop vac would create enough suction to pull it out. Or maybe put the whole thing in a pot of boiling water, and the expanding air in the bottle might just pop the ball out.
Thanks for the suggestions thus far. Please keep them coming as you think of them...the ball is still in there!
Suction cups: No luck so far but it certainly ought to work if I could just find the right one. All I've got around here are some toy darts (not even close) and the one that came with my Garmin to hold it to the windshield. That one seemed promising but is just a little too big to get on the ball.
Boiling water: Really felt like Mister Wizard doing this one. I apparently don't have a good enough seal, though, as I could hear/see the air seeping out rather than popping it out.
Microwave: I put a couple of ounces of water in (the ball fell all the way in long ago) and then banged the ball back up into the neck of the bottle as best I could and nuked it for 5 minutes. Same basic result as with putting it in boiling water...I could see the steam seeping out around the ball rather than popping it out. On the bright side, I think both ball and bottle are now as sterile as I am.
Oil: Saving that one...I think it will have to go in combination with something else.
Freezer: They are in there now...I guess I'm hoping the ball shrinks more than the bottle. I'll check on it in the morning and report back. If that doesn't do it, I think the next effort will be to fill it with water and freeze the whole thing and hope for the ice to push it out without busting the Avent bottle. That would probably be a good time to grease the ball up, too.
ok maybe not pcp - whatever chemical in plastics we were supposed to be freaking out about a few months ago. I'm sure there is a thread about it here... bpa or gop or something...
now i'll have to take back to 200 avent bottles i bought cause i thought they were made from pcp......good thing too cause it was going to be a real pain in the nose to try and snort them...
suction cups?
Or maybe a shop vac would create enough suction to pull it out. Or maybe put the whole thing in a pot of boiling water, and the expanding air in the bottle might just pop the ball out.
I like
the boiling water idea. Let us know what happens!!
Microwave
I'd be tempted to put it in on full power for a couple of minutes.
No I won't accept any responsibility if that results in a fire or someone losing an eye.
oil
Try oil around the ball.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bellyman_7/
put it in the freezer
worth a try
Status update # 1
Thanks for the suggestions thus far. Please keep them coming as you think of them...the ball is still in there!
Suction cups: No luck so far but it certainly ought to work if I could just find the right one. All I've got around here are some toy darts (not even close) and the one that came with my Garmin to hold it to the windshield. That one seemed promising but is just a little too big to get on the ball.
Boiling water: Really felt like Mister Wizard doing this one. I apparently don't have a good enough seal, though, as I could hear/see the air seeping out rather than popping it out.
Microwave: I put a couple of ounces of water in (the ball fell all the way in long ago) and then banged the ball back up into the neck of the bottle as best I could and nuked it for 5 minutes. Same basic result as with putting it in boiling water...I could see the steam seeping out around the ball rather than popping it out. On the bright side, I think both ball and bottle are now as sterile as I am.
Oil: Saving that one...I think it will have to go in combination with something else.
Freezer: They are in there now...I guess I'm hoping the ball shrinks more than the bottle. I'll check on it in the morning and report back. If that doesn't do it, I think the next effort will be to fill it with water and freeze the whole thing and hope for the ice to push it out without busting the Avent bottle. That would probably be a good time to grease the ball up, too.
Cheers,
Seth
PCP
Pretty sure those bottles have pcp in them if you are looking for an excuse to just kill the bottle
PCP?
Angel Dust...is that how Avent hooks em. :)
doh
ok maybe not pcp - whatever chemical in plastics we were supposed to be freaking out about a few months ago. I'm sure there is a thread about it here... bpa or gop or something...
damn
now i'll have to take back to 200 avent bottles i bought cause i thought they were made from pcp......good thing too cause it was going to be a real pain in the nose to try and snort them...
Blender
You can still snort them
just remember to blend them first....