trouble getting the Farberware percolator open

I also had tremendous difficulty removing the base from my 12 cup Farberware percolator in order to replace a defective thermostat (Farberware part: P04-303) that was causing unit to short cycle when brewing. The base should normally come right off when the nut is removed. In my case, the bakelite base had fused or melted to the threaded rod around and under the nut - preventing the base from coming loose.

My unit is a three-prong model, and the plug receptacle in the base can be removed by pushing in two tabs on the bottom of the base (used two small flat head screwdrivers) and pulling up on the one tab inside the receptacle (used a small angled pick). I was then able to pull the receptacle out - still attached by wires and through a small opening see inside with a focused head flashlight. I then inserted a 5/8" cold chisel inside to fit between the base of the coil heating unit and the inside of the bakelite base body adjacent the threaded rod. Pushing the wedge of the cold chisel in between that space forced the base off, albeit breaking off a small surrounding bit of bakelite that had fused to the rod (which was preventing the removal in the first place). If you don't have a 5/8" cold chisel, maybe use a 3/8" ratchet extension and a large flat head screwdriver to force-spread the gap inside.