New York based artist, Chi Nguyễn, has got the Twitterverse working hard to find out how to remove two ceramic bowl stuck together. It so happened that about four days back, Chi got a smaller ceramic bowl stuck in a larger ceramic bowl and then it refused to come out.
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?
— Chi Nguyễn (@whatchidid) June 6, 2022
Why am I so invested? I’ve tried to fix this for 2 days, and I cannot give up now. pic.twitter.com/ONfuw7L9dH
On 6th June, she tweeted that she stacked the two while doing dishes and since has not been able to remove the smaller bowl. She said that it had already been two days since this happened and now she’s very much invested in making sure the bowl comes out without either of them breaking. She sought help from netizens on tip and tricks on how to save her ceramic bowls.
Things I’ve tried so far and no dice:
— Chi Nguyễn (@whatchidid) June 6, 2022
-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.
She listed out things she has already tried, like using warm soapy water, hot+cold water, ice, oil on edges, microwaving, shaking the bowls aggressively – but nothing had helped her till then.
Helpful netizens came up with various ideas and then she updated that she had put the bowls in freezer and will not be running hot water on them (since some suggested pouring hot water may crack them).
Still very stuck:
— Chi Nguyễn (@whatchidid) June 6, 2022
– Cards, toothpicks, and straws not getting through to break the seal
– Water submergence
Up next:
– Long game of gravity
– Dishwasher
Next day, she updated everyone on what other tricks she has tried to get the bowls freed – from toothpicks to cards to even speaking to the bowls passive aggressively to get them to behave themselves, but none of them worked.
In the last 10 hours:
— Chi Nguyễn (@whatchidid) June 7, 2022
– 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.
Few hours later, she updated how the bowls are still stuck despite keeping them submerged overnight, making self deprecating jokes to the bowls and even thread, paper, knife around the edges of the bowls.
Update:
— Chi Nguyễn (@whatchidid) June 8, 2022
– electric toothbrush
– mini plunger (no go, circumference is bigger than smaller bowl)
– compassionately, but firmly threw bowls onto pillow
– no easy way to say this: smaller bowl has a chip now
Still stuck. pic.twitter.com/5diGPZvhTy
Netizens, however, have been very helpful
Netizens have come together to help out Chi get the bowls unstuck. The suggestions have ranged from scientific to philosophical.
Try equalising the pressure by submerging the two bowls under a big bath of water or go deep. When the pressure is equalised to the suction between the airgap of the two bowls, it should separate easily.
— Mr_London_Banker (@MrLondonBanker) June 7, 2022
Does the inner bowl have a flat enough surface to create suction? Try a vacuum or plunger type suction cup
— Riley Timbrook (@RileyTimbrook) June 7, 2022
Does the inner bowl have a flat enough surface to create suction? Try a vacuum or plunger type suction cup
— Riley Timbrook (@RileyTimbrook) June 7, 2022
There were a lot of technical words thrown in. From suction to gravity, but none of them helped, it seems.
Why are we blaming the small bowl? Why not ask the bigger bowl to let go?
— Partly Cloudy Patriot (@BBRteach) June 6, 2022
And other suggestions like speaking to the bowls to leave politely. Faith can move mountains, so it can obviously get the bowls detached.
https://t.co/5X0UuxSemp
— Linda (@wordfinga) June 8, 2022
Going through the motions…
And wordplay on the ‘bowl movements’.
Many, like us, were there to see the updates on the thread. We all have been really invested by now.
At the time of this report, however, the ceramic bowls are still stuck.
Update: The bowls have come off.
OMG WE DID IT!
— Chi Nguyễn (@whatchidid) June 8, 2022
Last 20 hours:
– upside down, on a towel, undisturbed
– gave to toddler (clear mandate that bowls must stay together)
– suction cup
– small bowl asks to not give up on it now
– banged on carpet
UNSTUCK!!!! pic.twitter.com/zllvidh07H
It seems she got a little help from a tiny human. The bowls are free.
