Mailman1960
Well-Known Member
You are correct I was referring to a cork that was pushed into a bottle. If it was still at top of the bottle I would leave it there I believe that would add some character to it. I have had some luck getting corks that were pushed in and reusing them on a smaller bottle. That's why I was wondering if anybody knew a trick to get them out once they were pushed in, and we've had some good conversation about it which is why this is such a good forum. Giddy upI think there are two reasons for that. First, I believe that most members are responding in reference to corks, or portions of corks, that have been pushed into the interior of the bottle. Second, corks that are still lodged in the necks of 100-year-old bottles are often adhered to an extraordinary extent, especially when the contents of the bottle have long been drained or evaporated. Think of a carburetor that was left setting with gasoline in it for thirty years or more. What's left in that case is usually a shellac-like residue or conglomerate--or, at least it was in the days before unleaded gas.
Let's add a third reason: corks as old as we are considering in this context are often dried out and brittle due to time and affect of bacteria and fungi--as such, they tend to crumble.