About 30 years ago, I bought some hand-carved salt and pepper shakers for my grandparents as a souvenir in Québec. I suspect they are carved out of pine or spruce, and then lightly stained.

The thing is, the plugs on the bottom where you would pour the salt and pepper into the shakers have never been opened, and they will not budge. I do not want to assert too much pressure to the obviously, or the little bit you twist with your fingers will undoubtedly snap off.

Is there any way of getting them open, do you think? If they were metal, I suppose I would try GT85 or else warm them with a blow torch, but is there any trick you know of for stuck wood?

Dremmel them out and carve some new plugs? Beats watching weekend telly…

Warm airing cupboard to really dry them out and possibly shrink it all a bit?

a bit of silicone spray / wd40?

Or would that soak into the wood and ruin it?

Perhaps a long-threaded woodscrew then pull?

You can plug the small hole after with a little putty or something, or maybe PVA mixed with woodshavings?

Compressor airline and football inflator attachment. Stick it in the hole on top (cover others with finger if more than one), point at someone annoying, and fire.