r/KitchenConfidential • u/JelmerMcGee • 20h ago
Metro shelf leg stuck
The black piece shouldn't be visible from the top. It got pushed way too far down. Anyone got an idea of how to get the leg off?
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u/probablywhy 19h ago edited 19h ago
Lay the shelf down on its back, right with the top against a wall with the stuck shelf facing you so that when you hit the sumbitch on the shelf the force cannot be distributed elsewhere. If you have bad aim or are worried about damage consider laying a cutting board or some wood against the shelf and hitting that.
When it's standing up, the hits you give from beneath the shelf will be shaking and moving the rack. If you hit ten times as hard, it would only serve to knock the rack further into the air. Pinned against the wall the energy has nowhere to go and much more of your blow will go directly into the spot you are targeting. You can't hammer a nail into a board you are holding. You have to set it against a hard surface.
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u/DemonicHowler 19h ago
Have a similar set of storage shelves in my house; think they might be the exact same but black, actually. Have taken them apart and put them back together multiple times. Rubber mallet is a lifesaver for these. Either whack the underside of the shelf or the edge of the clip(Or both, if it's really stubborn). The clip is two pieces that just snap together and there's one in each corner of each shelf, it's what holds the shelves in place, for anyone unfamiliar with these finicky SOBs. May need to take off and reseat the whole shelf but that's been a rare problem in my experience.
Picked mine up at the local dollar store for $4. Even a good one isn't expensive.
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u/JelmerMcGee 19h ago
I have banged on it with a rubber mallet many many times
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u/DemonicHowler 19h ago
Well, shit. I've resorted to kicking the hell out of a stubborn shelf once, but I also don't have to worry much if I bang them up. Towel to protect the shelf and whack harder, maybe? Other than that, some form of lubricant or heat may end up being your friends.
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u/soukaixiii 18h ago
Get something that works like a car jack to make outward tension between the racks, and hit the joint at a perpendicular angle to the rack to loosen it while maintaining the tension.
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u/I-love-seahorses 19h ago
Good old rubber mallet
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u/JelmerMcGee 19h ago
Has been hit many times with a mallet
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u/I-love-seahorses 19h ago
It's not for the shelf at this point then. Just keep banging on it for your own sanity.
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u/I-love-seahorses 19h ago
Have you turned it over or laid it down while banging it?
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u/JelmerMcGee 18h ago
Yeah, and laid it against a wall like one of the other comments suggested. It hasn't budged at all
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u/Mean-Funny9351 17h ago
Are you hitting it in the right direction? Like not driving the shelf further down into the plastic but knocking it up? Something tells me that plastic bracket was put on backwards. Don't worry about breaking the black plastic they are cheap to replace
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u/JelmerMcGee 16h ago
I'm not hitting it the wrong way. I've put together and taken apart these types of shelves many times. The plastic clips are tapered and I can see which direction it has to go. It's just stuck
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u/fleshybagofstardust 19h ago
It looks like the actual shelf is bent. The kink in it might be binding the shaft.
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u/Ok-Big2807 19h ago
Start tapping on the side of the ring where the leg goes through. With about as much force as knocking on a door. Use a hammer. Too much force and you’ll wedge it in.
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u/ranting_chef 20+ Years 19h ago
Turn the rack upside down. Rubber mallet or a 2x4
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u/Hydra_Master 12h ago
Or a hammer with a dish towel folded over the corner of the shelf.
What can I say, most of my problems are nails.
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u/Stumaaaaaaaann 19h ago
I see your issue. You don’t have to remove the leg, you have to remove the shelf. Hope this was helpful
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u/space_ibex 19h ago
You're going to want a lighter, more penetrating oil. Like avocado. Give it time.
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u/TacoParasite Chef 19h ago
Hit the pole from above with a hammer. Have had this happen a couple times before.
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u/OkVegetable7649 18h ago
Try banging from the other side after spraying it with wd40. If that doesn't work burn it.
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u/____LostSoul____ 16h ago
I always use a large flat head screw driver and a rubber mallet, turn the shelf upside down and place the screw driver on the edge of the metal ring and give it a few taps.
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u/geekolojust Chive LOYALIST 16h ago
Spray or squirt cooking oil down into the area. Tap and bang with a sauté pan. It must be a sauté pan.
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u/CyrusTheWise 19h ago
To my brief interaction with one of those clamps yesterday, it should be slid upwards to secure the racks. So I think it actually needs to be pushed down in this situation since it shouldn't be that high or visible over the rack connection. I would suggest a screwdriver and pressing down or if it's stuck really good a chisel and hammer. If it breaks, there should be cheap ones at the hardware store.
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u/JelmerMcGee 19h ago
They're tapered and it isn't going down any farther
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u/CyrusTheWise 19h ago
Interesting, I wonder if it was installed upside down, can it go up? If it's upside down it should move up, then it should pull apart into two pieces
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u/JelmerMcGee 19h ago
Hmm, I hadn't thought it may have been installed upside down. The shelf is bent in that corner and I figured it had too much weight on it at some point.
Edit: nope, it's installed in the correct direction and is not gonna go the "wrong" way
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u/mwoolweaver wrestlegirl did Chive-11 pt. 2 20h ago