Help!

I use Model Master acrylic paints and have a problem with the lids getting "glued" on. I've tried to wipe grease on the bottle to stop this but to no avail. I even bought one of those bottle openers from Model Expo (you know the one advertised to open all "stuck" lids) and bent it into uselessness. I cannot tell you how many times I've shattered bottles trying to open one with a pair of pliers.

Out of desperation I tried WD-40 and sprayed in into the gap between the lid and the bottle. After a couple of minutes I could get the lid off.

How do you keep the lids from gluing themselves to the bottle?

I don't do anything to prevent the inevitable. I just keep a pair of channel locks (pliers) close by.
You could try wiping the bottle top clean before closing it, but the paint left in the bottle's top will just reseal it again. Sometime I'll run the top under hot water. Seems to work.

I've never had that problem... I always wipe the jar rim clean as well as the inside of the cap. Having pliers handy is a good thing too.

I always stir my paints (vs shaking) and that helps to keep things clean.

Yeah, hot water works great.

Also, there are some wrenches that are better for getting off those lids than pliers. I have a spring-loaded wrench that I picked up at the local Home Depo. It has a curved outer jaw that swivels at its base, and a fixed inner jaw. Looks kind of like a lower-case "f." Anyway, it grips the h*ll out of paint jar lids (especially MM) without threatening to crack the glass jar. I can't find a link with them from work. If you're interested, PM me and I'll get the name of the wrench for you.

Here:

Ken,

I don't know if you were trying to get a pic of the wrench I was describing. If so, that's not quite it. (If not, I apologize). I'm not talking about channel locks, although those can do a great job of opening lids. The only difficulty with channel locks is that, like any set of pliers, it's easy (at least for clumsy people like me) to squeeze the handle too hard as you try to turn the lid; I broke a couple of jars a few years ago that way.

The wrench I'm talking about has a single handle; no squeezing is required. A spring in the joint closes the jaws, and the curvature of the jaws - along with their teeth - applies the tourqe and pressure. Haven't come close to breaking a jar yet, and haven't failed to get a lid open, either.

Like mentioed eariler, if the pliars don't work, I'll heat up a mug of hot water in the micowave and stick the bottle in upside down for 30 sec -1 min. The Top will usually twist off at that point. Make sure you use an old mug you don't care about as paint will sometimes seep out of the lid/bottle.

Thanks for the information. I now know I'm not the only one who has experienced this frustration...