Open a bottle without bending the cap

Question

Given a bottle that has a non-twist metallic cap (e.g. on a beer bottle), is there a way to remove the cap and end up with it not being bent?

Could it be removed without being bent? Or is there a way to remove it with minimal distortion such that it can be bent back to the way it was before being removed?

I am looking to collect bottle caps for a project. However, my beers of choice do not have twist caps, which results in a lot of mutilated (unusable) bottle caps.

_{Switching beers is not an option.}

Answer 1

Using a common crown cap opener, if you lift just enough for the cap to move (first time or two you'll also hear the hiss of pressure released from inside the bottle), then rotate the bottle relative to the opener (about 1/8 turn is good), before lifting just enough to move the cap again, and work around, you should be able to work the cap off without significant damage to the top. The crimp will, of course, be opened, but there should be very little if any distortion of the cap above the crown section.

Answer 2

To acquire a completely unbent bottle cap, break the bottle. This is messy and wasteful, and probably dangerous, but if you shatter the neck of the bottle into small pieces, most of the time the cap will remain pristine. (Every now and then, you'll wind up with a ring of glass inside the cap, and that would be hard to break/remove.)

Answer 3

You could use a paper sheet to open beer bottle having the non-twist metallic cap.

1. Twist paper, fold it down to form as shown

   

2. You could open beer bottle as shown

3. The bottle caps will be left back with no bends on it.

Answer 4

The answer given by Maneesh Mohan would work, but I would add that there are many possible ways to open a bottle from below like that. In my experience, different tools work better for different kinds of bottles.

In general, you can use anything sturdy as a lever: with one side below the crown and your hand as the fulcrum (holding the neck of the bottle, just below the cap). Things often used: a knife (sideways, with the back of the blade), any lighter, another bottle (even an open one, if you're skilled), etc.

Whenever you open the bottle this way, the cap generally stays unbent. With virtually every purpose-made opener the cap gets bent because it places the hinge-point on the cap, instead of externally.

Answer 5

Put the whole container into the freezer. Freeze it solid, the cap will come off rather forcefully but should stay intact.

You might have better luck with different positions of the bottle. Try with the top up, down, and horizontal to move the airspace to different positions to affect the pressure by the expanding liquid.

Reduce the cleanup by putting the whole thing inside a roasting pan to catch the contents. Cover the glass with a dish cloth or small towel in case it bursts.

Answer 6

I saw this on a random facebook video (so don't know where to link to)

However, if you place a coin on top of the bottle lid when using a normal bottle opener, this prevents the lid from being bent and damaged.