Right I get that, I'm not afraid to use a little ice. The problem with pulling it up though is there is no lip on the downstem. It;s broken off, level with the joint. I think I really gotta figure out WHY it's stuck. Like, it might just be water locked or even resin locked idk he doesnt clean it the best... But since it's so stuck I really think it's just friction.
How about a very, very selective use of heat/cold to shatter the downstem? If you have a torch lighter, or a long stove lighter (although I guess a bic might work), you could put it in the freezer or put ice around/in the downstem (freezer's better because it's drier) and then use the lighter to only heat the downstem and not the surrounding area. Once you shatter the area around the joint, it should break off and, with a little gentle work, could be slid out of the (now empty) joint. Another idea: drill the fucker. Just get a drill, put it inside the broken downstem, and turn it on. Use eye protecting, wash the bong like 10 times afterwards, but we know for a fact that drills can crack glass...why not take advantage of that fact for once?
This has hapened to me firsthand. I had to piece-by-piece break out the broken downstem with a knife. Risky, I know, but it got mine out eventually.
Ok... how about this.. Get a long screw - and find like a piece of rubber cut from a tire maybe - cut it a little too large to go down the hole.. Then screw the screw into the rubber, force it down the hole, sorta hold it to the side and pull with pliers? if it's resin then use rubbing alcohol and wipe with qtips. Keep the hairdryer away..
Hope it doesn't come to using a knife like that lol. You mean like a really tight stopper? That makes sense, thanks. Tbh I think I've gotten a lot of good ideas off here, but I probably won't see my friend for a couple days. When I'm done with it though I'll come back and say how it went. Thanks for all the help.
A friend (i use that term loosely..) tried that when his cousin knocked over my RooR and broke the downstem off. I went from having a broken downstem to a broken bistabil joint. Had to be sent to a glassblower to fix. OP: Your downstem is most likely hydrolocked. Hold a lighter to the joint until it's clear of water, then just stick your finger in there, and pull.