If anyone forgets the corkscrew.....

I find that 'broke' generally means that someone who doesn't know how it works, has picked it up and opened the 'wings' right out. This lets a couple of little pistons on springs pop out, and it is a nightmare trying to get them back in.

I too now have a metal one (We started with cheaper JL ones, but found a very wide range of prices for similar (anything from 5 -65 quid and up for the same thing!), and eventually got an all metal one for only a fiver or so: which appears to be the case with this ebay item. The table top one was actually the first I saw, but I couldn't find them for sale in the UK at the time - so I'm still tempted!) Sad thing is I've hardly touched a drop since Christmas, and at this time of the year I'm usually out picking blackberries, plums, and elderberries for replenishing my stock! (Sadly

Happy uncorking: the ritual pleasure of the removal process is the best argument, apart from the wildlife importance, for keeping on with corks.

Cheers (The Sainsbury's man has just brought some bottles...)

I reckon everyone else drinks cheap filtered wine, not the real stuff. That bothered me too.

Andy

Last time I needed a DIY solution to open a bottle of wine, the only tools to hand were a screwdriver and a pair of mole grips.

So located a door, removed screw from hinge and drove it into the cork, pulled cork and screw from bottle with mole grips and finally returned screw to the door!

In message , John Rumm writes

Which is exactly why screw tops were invented :-)

In message , Pete Zahut writes

I reckon its the shock wave travelling through the incompressible fluid (wine) causing a temporary increase in pressure against the cork

I've seen it done before - I attended a martial arts club in Indonesia and one of them was showing me a few tricks. He thumped base of the bottle with the palm of his hand and drove the cork out. I tried to repeat his trick but couldn't . I can only think that my speed and focus were not sufficient to do it

The important bit is that the wine is an incompressible fluid and that the initial shock is fast and powerful, the return wave is weaker - it's expended energy expelling the cork

Nicely latteral thought. Mind you most kitchen drawers etc seem to have odd screws lying in the bottom of them. Could probably have used a drop of superglue to top of cork and glued a second cork to it, and pulled that. Surprised no one has suggested the angle grinder yet too...

;-) S

In message , Spamlet writes

A true Alkie would have just taken a hammer to the neck

me - I always have my swiss army knife to hand

Well, the shoe provides some cushioning. Anything would do. It's the abrupt stop against the wall that provides the energy to move the cork.

So if you try it, be really careful!

If you have a screwdriver, you might have a spare screw somewhere. Drive the screw into the cork, then use pliers or a claw hammer to pull the cork out by the screw.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "Pete Zahut" saying something like:

Pressure wave.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember geoff saying something like:

Or a sabre.

I always find a handy spoon handle or screwdriver to push the cork in.

Others have also suggested that - but I reckon it would need to be a coarse screw with pretty deep threads if it is to remove the cork rather than just pull out, leaving the cork in place.

used to be a bar trick, where you would bet you could burst the bottom out of a beer bottle by hitting only the top.

You drank some of the beer ... (at least 3/4 full) held bottle firmly, and give the open neck a hit with the heel of your palm ... as hard and fast as you can.

The speed of blow caused a compressed air 'wave' to move into bottle, hits beer, which can't compress, and in turn send force by hydraulic through the bottle forcing bottom out of the bottle.

The important part is the strike must be very hard and very fast the first time ..... otherwise, it just hurts, followed by repeated attempts as they get embarrassed each one only succeeding in developing a monster of a bruise to hand & ego.